Sunday, March 5, 2017

Hofheinz Pavilion

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The East Carolina Pirates travel to Hofheinz Pavilion to play the Houston Cougars on Sunday, March 5, 2017. The opening line for this game has Houston as 14.5 point favorites.

The Pirates come into this game with an overall record of 14-16 and a road record of 1-10. They are 13-10 against the spread and their over/under record is 12-10. The Cougars have an overall record of 20-9 and a home record of 11-4. They have an over/under record of 13-12 and they are 11-14 against the spread.

For expert handicapping advice on this matchup and other NCAA basketball games check out our handicapping tips.

Kentrell Barkley comes into this contest averaging 12.6 points per game while playing 31.8 minutes per night so far this season for the Pirates. He pulls down 7.5 rebounds per game and dishes out 2.6 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 40% while his free throw percentage is currently at 69%. Caleb White averages 11.9 points per game in 31.7 minutes per contest this season. He averages 1.5 assists per contest and 2.3 rebounds per game for East Carolina. His field goal percentage is 39% for the year while his free throw percentage is 81%.

Robert Gray Jr. averages 20.2 points per game while playing 32.1 minutes per contest this year for the Cougars. He grabs 3.6 rebounds per game and has 3.0 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 47% and his free throw percentage currently is at 82%. Damyean Dotson averages 17.7 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 34.1 minutes per contest. He also averages 7.0 rebounds per contest and 1.1 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 49% and his free throw percentage is 81%.

East Carolina averages 62.7 points per contest this season which ranks them 340th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is -1.5 and their shooting percentage is 40% as a team which has them ranked 340th. Behind the arc they shoot 31% which is good for 323rd in the country. They average 38.3 rebounds per game and 12.2 assists per game which ranks them 55th and 262nd in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 90th with 14.0 per game. The Pirates allow 64.2 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 28th in the nation. They also allow a 39% shooting percentage and a 32% average from behind the arc ranking them 8th and 52nd in those defensive categories. Opponents average 37.1 rebounds a game which ranks 273rd and they give up 12.2 assists per contest which puts them in 96th place in the country. They force 11.2 turnovers per game which ranks them 31st in Division 1.

Houston averages 74.0 points per game this year which ranks them 169th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 9.3 and their shooting percentage is 45% as a team which has them sitting in the 140th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 39% which is good for 24th in the nation. They average 35.3 rebounds per game and 12.6 assists per contest which ranks them 204th and 245th respectively. In the turnover department the Cougars rank 348th with 9.9 per game. The Cougars allow 64.6 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 31st in the country. They also allow a 41% shooting percentage and a 33% average from behind the arc ranking them 33rd and 61st in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 35.0 rebounds a game which ranks 169th and they give up 11.4 assists per contest which puts them in 50th place in the nation. The Cougars force 13.7 turnovers per game which ranks them 218th in college basketball.

The Pirates are 331st in the nation in offensive rating at 94.2. They assist on 56.7% of their shots, which ranks 89th in the country. In terms of pace they average 66.5 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 305th among D-1 teams. They are 336th in effective field goal percentage with 45%. As a team they are 336th in the country in true shooting percentage with 49% and they shoot 3 pointers on 37% of their shots. East Carolina turns the ball over an average of 18.1 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 7.7% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 50.8% places them 152nd in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 31%.

The Cougars are 35th in the nation in offensive rating at 112.2. They assist on 47.3% of their shots, which ranks 293rd in the country. In terms of pace they average 65.6 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 329th among D-1 teams. They are 114th in effective field goal percentage with 52%. As a team they are 140th in the country in true shooting percentage with 55% and they shoot 3 pointers on 36% of their shots. Houston turns the ball over an average of 12.9 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 7.9% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 50.2% places them 190th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 31.9%.

East Carolina Pirates Betting Trends

The East Carolina Pirates are 13-10 against the spread

The East Carolina Pirates are 12-10 against the over/under

Houston Cougars Betting Trends

The Houston Cougars are 11-14 against the spread

The Houston Cougars are 13-12 against the over/under

East Carolina Pirates Injuries

12/28/16 F Clarence Williams Dismissed dismissed from the team
03/04/17 F Jabari Craig Suspension out indefinitely

Houston Cougars Injuries

No key injuries to report

Guy's Pick: Take Houston -14.5

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