The South Florida Bulls (7-11, 0-5 AAC) look to put an end to their five-game losing streak when they take on the East Carolina Pirates (7-10, 1-5 AAC) at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The game will air on ESPN 3 at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 17, 2018.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 127 points with East Carolina set as a 3-point favorite.
South Florida Bulls vs. East Carolina Pirates ATS Prediction
The Bulls are hoping for a better outcome after their 78-55 loss to the No. 14 Cincinnati Bearcats in their last contest. Cincinnati made good use of their 31 trips to the free throw line, making 27 of them (87.1 percent). South Florida, meanwhile, was 12-16 (75.0 percent). Payton Banks was the top scorer from either team with 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
In the Pirates’ last game, they lost to the Houston Cougars, 65-49. Houston launched 22 three pointers, making nine of them (40.9 percent). East Carolina, on the other hand, was 6-23 (26.1 percent). With 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting, Shawn Williams was East Carolina’s leading scorer.
Looking at effective field goal percentage, East Carolina figures to have a considerable edge. The Pirates defense ranks 80th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.479), while the South Florida offense is ranked 314th in effective field goal percentage (0.473).
South Florida heads into the game with records of 7-11 straight up (SU) and 3-10-1 against the spread (ATS). Vegas is highly accurate when predicting totals of Bulls games, with an even split between overs and unders.
Meanwhile, East Carolina is 7-10 SU and 4-6 ATS. Games featuring the Pirates also have no tendency in regards to the total, as there has been an even split between games finishing over and under.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Jabari Craig put up 13 points and eight rebounds and the Pirates, who were 5.5-point underdogs, defeated the Bulls 67-65. The game finished with a total of 132 points, which was just 2.5 points above the projected point total of 129.5 points. The Pirates’ turnover percentage was their largest advantage over the Bulls. East Carolina had a rate of 8.9, while South Florida posted a mark of 20.2.
South Florida Bulls vs. East Carolina Pirates Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – South Florida, ATS Winner – South Florida, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, South Florida is 1-3-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
East Carolina is 2-4 ATS at home with 3 overs and 3 unders.
East Carolina averages 3.6 blocks per game, which ranks 93rd in the NCAA. South Florida ranks 132nd in blocks allowed per game (4.2).
The Pirates rank 235th in three pointers attempted per game (18.2) while the Bulls rank 254th (17.1).
South Florida averages 34.3 rebounds per game, which ranks 201st in the NCAA. East Carolina ranks 220th in rebounds allowed per game (37.6).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, South Florida is 0-5 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
East Carolina is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Bulls’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 24.4, up from 7.2 for the season.
During their last five games, the Pirates have scored an average of 56.0 points per game (8.4 below their season average) and allowed an average of 70.8 points per game (0.2 above their season average).
