UCF Knights vs East Carolina Pirates Prediction, 1/4/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCF Knights vs East Carolina Pirates

Date: Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Location: Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, NC

TV: Youtube TV

Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum is the site where the East Carolina Pirates (10-5) will meet the UCF Knights (10-4) on Wednesday.

The UCF Knights stepped onto the hardwood against Houston and took a loss by a final of 71-65 in their last game. UCF wrapped up the game having earned a 38.9% field goal percentage (21 of 54) and buried 6 out of their 27 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the charity stripe, the Knights made 17 of their 20 attempts for a rate of 85.0%. Pertaining to grabbing boards, they earned a total of 33 with 13 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 9 dimes in this game as well as forcing 8 turnovers and earning 6 steals. Pertaining to defense, UCF allowed the other team to go 37.5% from the field on 24 out of 64 shooting. Houston doled out 10 dimes and had 9 steals for the contest. Moreover, Houston had 32 boards (12 offensive, 20 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Houston ended up shooting 81.0% at the charity stripe by making 17 of 21 shots. They made 6 out of their 19 shots from beyond the arc. In reference to personal fouls, the Knights ended up finishing with 17 and Houston finished the game with 15 personal fouls.

Darius Johnson is one player who played a role in the matchup. He finished with 17 points on 5 out of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 37 mins and also snagged 8 boards. He ended up shooting 41.7% from the field and also dished out 4 assists.

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UCF comes into this one with a win-loss record of 10-4 on the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 13.9 times per game and as a unit they are committing 15.4 fouls every game. As a team, UCF is snagging 37.1 rebounds per game and is sitting with 187 dimes so far this season, which is 215th in college basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Knights are connecting on 35.5% on three-point attempts (115 of 324) and 73.6% from the free throw line. They are averaging 69.5 points per game (242nd in the country) while going 43.0% from the field.

On defense, the Knights are forcing their opponents into 14.4 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.0 personal fouls. They currently rank 87th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 158 conceded on the year. The Knights defense is giving up a FG percentage of 38.7% (300 of 775) and they concede 33.0 rebounds per game as a team. They are giving up 30.4% on three-point shots while they are 19th in college basketball in points per game allowed (60.4).

When they last stepped on the court, the East Carolina Pirates took home the win by a final score of 79-69 when they faced Wichita State. The Pirates earned 22 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 33 in this contest. They also coughed up the ball 8 times, while earning 7 steals for the matchup. Wichita State committed 20 fouls for this contest which took the Pirates to the charity stripe for a total of 22 shots. They were able to make 19 of them for a rate of 86.4%. When talking about shooting from downtown, East Carolina buried 10 of their 25 attempts (40.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Pirates ended up shooting 25 for 56 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.6%. The Pirates permitted Wichita State to make 27 of their 63 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 42.9% in this matchup. They finished shooting 37.5% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 9 out of 24 and ended up going 6 of 10 from the charity stripe (60.0%). When discussing rebounding, East Carolina permitted Wichita State to pull down 30 in total (13 offensive).

Brandon Johnson ended up being a factor for the Pirates in this contest. He made 5 out of 7 in the game giving him a rate of 71.4%, and earned 8 rebounds. He scored 17 points in his 36 minutes of playing time, but didn't record an assist.

East Carolina has a mark of 10-5 on the season. As an offensive team, the Pirates are shooting 42.0% from the floor, which is ranked 297th in the nation. East Carolina has totaled 1,078 points this season (71.9 per game) and they grab 38.1 rebounds per game. They are getting an assist 13.7 times per contest (164th in Division 1) and they are giving up possession 12.7 times per game. The Pirates have committed 18.7 fouls per game and they shoot 67.8% from the free throw line.

The East Carolina defense gives up 31.7% on 3-point shots (92 of 290) and opponents are knocking down 67.9% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 10.9 dimes and 33.3 boards per game, ranking them 68th and 133rd in those categories. The Pirates on the defensive end are ranked 156th in college basketball in points given up per game with 67.9. They are forcing 12.2 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.2% from the field (161st in college basketball).

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take East Carolina and under the total points

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