East Carolina Pirates vs SMU Mustangs Prediction, 3/6/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: East Carolina Pirates vs SMU Mustangs

Date: Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Location: Moody Coliseum in University Park, TX

TV: ESPN+

The SMU Mustangs (19-10) welcome the East Carolina Pirates (14-15) at Moody Coliseum on Wednesday.

The East Carolina Pirates faced off with North Texas and took a loss by a final of 84-69 in their last contest. East Carolina ended the contest having earned a 53.2% FG percentage (25 out of 47) and converted 6 of their 16 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Pirates converted 13 of their 22 tries for a percentage of 59.1%. In reference to rebounding, they collected 19 with 4 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 8 assists in this contest while forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When talking about the defense, East Carolina allowed the other team to go 50.9% from the field on 29 of 57 shooting. North Texas totaled 14 dimes and had 3 steals for this contest. On top of that, North Texas grabbed 26 rebounds (10 offensive, 16 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. North Texas finished the game at 86.7% from the free throw line by knocking down 13 of their 15 tries. They made 13 of 28 attempts from downtown. Regarding personal fouls, the Pirates finished with 15 and North Texas accounted for 16 personal fouls.

RJ Felton is one player who played a role in this matchup. He ended up walking away with 14 points on 6 out of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 35 mins and also grabbed 4 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 54.5% from the field and distributed 1 assist.

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East Carolina will play this game with a mark of 14-15 this season. They lose possession via turnover 10.5 times per game and as a unit are committing 15.3 fouls every game. As a unit, East Carolina is snagging 34.8 boards per game and has 347 dimes this season, which ranks 302nd in college hoops in terms of passing. The Pirates are shooting 30.6% on three-point shots (191 of 624) and 69.1% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 68.8 points per game (305th in the nation) while connecting on 41.8% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Pirates are forcing 13.1 turnovers every game while drawing 16.1 personal fouls. They are 129th in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 363 surrendered on the season. The Pirates defensively are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 44.1% (706 of 1,602) and they relinquish 34.8 boards per game as a team. They are surrendering 31.3% on 3-point shots and they rank 92nd in Division 1 in points per game allowed (68.9).

The last time they took the court, the SMU Mustangs walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 77-73 when they faced UTSA. The Mustangs snagged 21 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive boards for a total of 36 for this contest. They also turned it over 10 times, while getting 8 steals in this game. UTSA committed 13 fouls in this game which got the Mustangs to the charity stripe for a total of 12 shots. They were able to make 8 of the free throws for a rate of 66.7%. Regarding shots from beyond the perimeter, SMU made 9 out of their 29 attempts (31.0%). When the game finished, the Mustangs shot 28 out of 73 from the field which had them sitting at 38.4%. The Mustangs permitted UTSA to convert 28 of their 64 attempts from the field which had them shooting 43.8% for the game. They finished 42.9% from distance by going 12 of 28 and finished the contest at 9 of 11 from the free throw line (81.8%). Regarding attacking the glass, SMU permitted UTSA to collect 35 in total (8 offensive).

Zhuric Phelps ended up being a factor for the Mustangs for the contest. He scored 18 points in his 31 minutes on the court and accumulated 1 assist in this matchup. He buried 7 out of 18 for the contest for a field goal rate of 38.9%, and totaled 1 rebound.

SMU has a record of 19-10 this year. The Mustangs commit 16.4 fouls per contest and they hit 68.1% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 15.7 times per contest (43rd in the country) and they cough up possession 11.3 times per contest. SMU has 2,233 pts on the season (77.0 per game) and they snag 40.0 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Mustangs are connecting on 45.4% from the floor, which ranks them 138th in the nation.

The Mustangs are ranked 51st in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 67.0. They are forcing their opponents into 13.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 40.5% from the floor (26th in the nation). The SMU defense allows 30.6% on 3-point shots (193 of 630) and opponents are knocking down 70.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 13.4 assists and 34.3 rebounds per game, which ranks them 224th and 159th in those categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take SMU

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