The Temple Owls (11-7) visit the East Carolina Pirates (9-11) in what should be a low-scoring game. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 27 and can be seen on ES3.
The Pirates enter this game hoping for similar success after edging Memphis 84-83 on Sunday. B.J. Tyson was the team’s leading scorer with 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting. The Owls, meanwhile, are coming off an 89-80 win against SMU on Sunday. Devin Coleman was the game’s top scorer, accounting for 23 points on 8-for-8 shooting.
Half-court execution will be of utmost importance when two of the nation’s slowest-paced teams square off. East Carolina ranks 291st in possessions per game (67.0), while Temple is 311th (66.5).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Owls winning the first matchup 78-60. Quenton DeCosey had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 24 points, two rebounds, four assists, one steal, and five three-pointers.
Temple takes on East Carolina as a four-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 135 points. The Pirates come into this game 9-11 Straight Up (SU) and 7-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS).
Over on the other bench, the Owls have records of 11-5 ATS and 11-7 SU. Temple performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 7-2 record. The Owls are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 38th in Division I at 1.39. The Temple defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 5.0 field goals from three-point range per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Temple beat East Carolina, bumping its SU record to 3-0. The Owls also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 2-0-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Temple, ATS Winner – Temple, O/U – Over
Notes
East Carolina is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games.
East Carolina is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games.
Temple holds a 5-2 SU record against the American Athletic Conference Conference this season, while East Carolina has an abysmal 1-6 SU record against the conference.
The East Carolina Pirates average 67.0 possessions per game and 1.037 points per possession, while the Temple Owls earn fewer possessions (66.5) but more points per possession (1.045).
East Carolina has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.5%. Temple is an even 3-3 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The East Carolina Pirates average 19.0 three point attempts per game, while the Temple Owls attempt 23.0. When attempting 20 or more three pointers in a game, East Carolina is a subpar 3-6, while Temple is an even 7-7.
Temple ranks 38th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.39. East Carolina is ranked lower at 124th with an A/TO of 1.14.
On average, East Carolina forces a turnover rate of 19.1%. When Temple turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 3-1 record.
