East Carolina Pirates vs South Carolina Gamecocks Prediction, 12/17/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: East Carolina Pirates vs South Carolina Gamecocks

Date: Saturday, December 17, 2022

Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC

TV: Hulu Live TV

Bon Secours Wellness Arena is the site where the South Carolina Gamecocks (5-5) will attempt to defeat the East Carolina Pirates (7-4) on Saturday.

The East Carolina Pirates faced Coppin State and took home the win by a score of 84-74 in their last game. East Carolina finished the contest having earned a 53.6% FG percentage (30 of 56) and converted 4 out of their 18 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Pirates converted 20 of 29 shots for a rate of 69.0%. In reference to pulling down rebounds, they collected 32 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 19 assists for the game while forcing 14 turnovers and earning 7 steals. With respect to defending, East Carolina allowed 51.2% from the field on 22 out of 43 shooting. Coppin State totaled 11 assists and had 3 steals in the game. In addition, Coppin State pulled down 34 rebounds (12 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Coppin State shot 70.3% from the free throw line by making 26 of 37 shots. They also converted 4 out of their 12 shots from long range. With respect to fouls, the Pirates ended up finishing with 18 and Coppin State finished the game with 24 fouls.

Javon Small is one guy who had an impact for the game. He finished the game at 62.5% from the field and also recorded 10 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 37 minutes played and grabbed 5 rebounds. He ended up with 21 points on 5 out of 8 shooting.

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East Carolina comes into this matchup with a win-loss record of 7-4 for the year. They have an average of 74.4 points per outing (150th in the nation) while hitting 43.9% from the field. The Pirates are connecting on 33.0% on shots from distance (90 of 273) and 70.1% from the charity stripe. As a unit, East Carolina is pulling in 36.6 rebounds per game and has totaled 155 dimes on the campaign, which is 115th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.0 times per game and as a group they are committing 19.9 personal fouls every game.

Defensively, the Pirates are forcing their opponents into 11.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.6 fouls. They are giving up 35.6% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 247th in the country in points per game from their opponents (71.5). The Pirates are allowing a shooting percentage of 44.6% (281 of 630) and they surrender 31.8 boards per contest as a unit. They rank 180th in college basketball in giving up assists with 131 surrendered for the season.

When they last played, the South Carolina Gamecocks went home defeated by a final of 71-70 when they faced UAB. With respect to cleaning up the glass, South Carolina permitted UAB to collect 35 in total (14 offensive). They went 16.7% from beyond the arc by shooting 3 out of 18 and finished the contest at 12 of 19 from the free throw line (63.2%). The Gamecocks permitted UAB to convert 28 of their 65 attempts from the field which had them shooting 43.1% for this contest. When the final whistle was blown, the Gamecocks went 26 for 61 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.6%. Pertaining to 3-point shots, South Carolina knocked down 10 of their 25 attempts (40.0%). They were able to convert 8 of those for a percentage of 61.5%. UAB earned 14 personal fouls in this game which took the Gamecocks to the charity stripe for 13 shots. They turned it over 12 times, while getting 4 steals for the matchup. The Gamecocks snagged 18 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards totaling 29 for the matchup.

Gregory "GG" Jackson II was important for the Gamecocks in the matchup. He racked up 20 points in his 36 minutes of playing time and had 1 assist in the game. He made 7 of 17 for this game for a field goal rate of 41.2%, and had 3 rebounds.

South Carolina has a mark of 5-5 on the season. The Gamecocks have committed 15.0 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 62.4% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 12.1 times per game (288th in college hoops) and they turn it over 13.4 times per game. South Carolina has accounted for 648 points so far this season (64.8 per game) and they average 34.9 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Gamecocks are shooting 40.8% from the floor, which ranks 325th in college hoops.

The South Carolina defense gives up 36.4% on 3-pointers (75 of 206) and opponents are knocking down 67.5% of their free throw shots. They have given up 15.3 dimes and 34.1 total boards per game, ranking them 325th and 183rd in those defensive categories. The Gamecocks on the defensive side of the court are 241st in Division 1 in PPG given up with 71.2. They are forcing 11.3 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.0% from the field (333rd in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take South Carolina

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