East Carolina Pirates vs UCF Knights Prediction, 2/20/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: East Carolina Pirates vs UCF Knights

Date: Sunday, February 20, 2022

Location: Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, FL

TV: ESPN+

The East Carolina Pirates (13-12) are traveling to Addition Financial Arena on Sunday where they will meet the UCF Knights (15-9).

The East Carolina Pirates took the court against South Florida and took home the win by a score of 65-57 in their last contest. In regard to personal fouls, the Pirates finished with 15 while South Florida accounted for 18 personal fouls. They knocked down 8 of 22 tries from 3-point land. South Florida finished 70.0% from the charity stripe by burying 7 of their 10 shots. Additionally, South Florida collected 27 rebounds (9 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. South Florida recorded 14 dimes and had 8 steals in this game. In relation to defense, East Carolina allowed the other team to go 34.4% from the field on 21 out of 61 shooting. They also recorded 13 assists in this game as well as forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In reference to hauling in boards, they collected 33 with 4 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Pirates converted 20 of 24 tries for a rate of 83.3%. East Carolina finished having earned a 45.5% FG percentage (20 out of 44) and made 5 out of their 16 3-point shots.

Tristen Newton is someone who came through in this game. He recorded 14 points on 3 of 8 shooting. He played for 37 mins and collected 6 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 37.5% from the field and totaled 10 assists.

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East Carolina heads into this game with a mark of 13-12 for the campaign. They average 69.8 points per game (222nd in Division 1) while hitting 41.0% from the field. The Pirates are connecting on 33.6% on shots from distance (191 of 568) and 75.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, East Carolina is collecting 36.0 boards per game and has tallied 383 assists for the campaign, which ranks 64th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They cough up possession 13.4 times per game and as a group are committing 16.1 fouls every game.

Defensively, the Pirates are able to force 12.8 turnovers per game and they draw 17.6 fouls. They give up 35.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 259th in college basketball in opponents points per game (71.8). The Pirates defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 43.3% (633 of 1,461) and they relinquish 36.0 boards per game as a group. They are 330th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 393 conceded on the campaign.

In their last game, the UCF Knights walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 70-52 when they faced Houston. In regard to cleaning the glass, UCF permitted Houston to get 40 in total (10 on the offensive side). They went 30.4% from beyond the perimeter via 7 of 23 and ended up shooting 11 out of 15 at the free throw line (73.3%). The Knights permitted Houston to convert 26 of their 59 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 44.1% for the game. When this game wrapped up, the Knights went 17 for 60 from the field which gave them a percentage of 28.3%. In reference to three-point attempts, UCF made 8 of 26 tries (30.8%). They were able to knock down 10 of them for a rate of 52.6%. Houston committed 20 fouls in this matchup which took the Knights to the free throw line for a total of 19 attempts. They coughed it up 10 times, while recording 6 steals in the game. The Knights were able to snag 21 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 in the game.

Darius Johnson was important for the Knights in the game. He converted 3 of 11 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 27.3%, and had 6 rebounds. He scored 12 points in his 39 mins on the court and had 5 assists in this contest.

UCF has a mark of 15-9 for the campaign. As an offensive team, the Knights are hitting on 42.6% from the field, which ranks 261st in the country. UCF has totaled 1,683 points on the year (70.1 per contest) and they grab 35.3 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 14.0 times per game (125th in the nation) and they are turning it over 13.7 times per contest. The Knights commit 16.0 fouls every game and they connect on 71.6% from the free throw line.

The Knights on the defensive side of the court are 138th in D-1 in points given up per game with 67.6. They are forcing their opponents into 14.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.3% from the field (138th in college hoops). The UCF defense surrenders 30.6% on shots from 3-point land (173 of 565) and their opposition knocks down 73.2% of their free throw attempts. They allow 13.3 assists and 34.8 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 233rd and 192nd in Division 1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take East Carolina

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