Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs East Carolina Pirates Prediction, 1/7/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs East Carolina Pirates

Date: Sunday, January 7, 2024

Location: Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, NC

TV: ESPN

The East Carolina Pirates (7-7) will compete against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (9-4) at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Sunday.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane faced off with Memphis and took a loss by a score of 78-75 in their last contest. Tulsa ended the game having earned a 42.2% field goal percentage (27 of 64) and knocked down 12 out of their 34 shots from distance. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Golden Hurricane made 9 of their 15 tries for a rate of 60.0%. In relation to pulling down rebounds, they collected 28 with 10 of them being offensive. They also doled out 17 assists for the game as well as forcing 20 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When it comes to defending, Tulsa allowed the other team to go 50.0% from the floor on 27 of 54 shooting. Memphis recorded 14 assists and had 8 steals in the game. Additionally, Memphis pulled down 34 rebounds (8 offensive, 26 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Memphis went 85.7% from the free throw line by knocking down 18 of 21 tries. They knocked down 6 out of their 20 tries from beyond the arc. When talking about fouls, the Golden Hurricane ended up finishing with 16 and Memphis totaled 15 fouls.

PJ Haggerty is someone who was a major factor for this contest. He ended up shooting 52.6% from the floor and also dished out 4 dimes. He saw the court for 38 minutes and also snagged 8 boards. He accounted for 27 points on 10 of 19 shooting.

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Tulsa will enter this matchup with a mark of 9-4 on the season. They average 77.0 points per contest (135th in the country) while shooting 43.6% from the field. The Golden Hurricane are hitting 32.9% on shots from beyond the arc (101 of 307) and 73.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Tulsa is pulling down 37.5 boards per contest and has 166 assists on the season, which ranks 287th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 14.3 times per contest and as a team are committing 16.8 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Golden Hurricane are able to force 16.0 turnovers per game and they draw 20.2 personal fouls. They concede 28.5% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 97th in college basketball in points per game allowed (67.0). The Golden Hurricane defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 39.9% (315 of 790) and they concede 38.7 boards per contest as a group. They are 91st in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 156 conceded on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the East Carolina Pirates walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 79-64 against Florida Atlantic. In regard to rebounds, East Carolina permitted Florida Atlantic to pull down 31 in total (11 offensive). They finished 42.3% from three-point range by shooting 11 out of 26 and finished the contest at 10 of 14 at the free throw line (71.4%). The Pirates permitted Florida Atlantic to make 29 out of their 60 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.3% for this contest. When the final whistle blew, the Pirates shot 24 out of 55 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 43.6%. With respect to 3-pointers, East Carolina buried 6 of their 15 tries (40.0%). They were able to convert 10 of those for a percentage of 62.5%. Florida Atlantic was called for 9 fouls in this game which got the Pirates to the free throw line for a total of 16 shots. They also coughed it up 10 times, while recording 6 steals for the matchup. The Pirates pulled down 18 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 29 for this contest.

Brandon Johnson ended up being a major contributor for the Pirates for the contest. He earned 15 points in his 36 minutes of playing time and had 2 assists in the matchup. He made 5 out of 10 for this contest for a rate of 50.0%, and accounted for 10 rebounds.

East Carolina has a record of 7-7 so far this year. The Pirates commit 16.6 fouls per game and they shoot 69.1% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 12.0 times per game (292nd in college basketball) and they turn it over 10.9 times per contest. East Carolina has tallied 1,028 pts on the campaign (73.4 per game) and they pull down 36.5 rebounds per game. When it comes to offense, the Pirates are hitting on 43.5% from the field, which ranks them 248th in the nation.

The Pirates on the defensive end are ranked 160th in college basketball in points allowed per game with 70.6. They are forcing 13.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.2% from the field (255th in the nation). The East Carolina defense allows 31.6% on 3-pointers (106 of 335) and opponents are knocking down 71.6% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 12.9 dimes and 34.3 boards every game, which is ranked 189th and 154th in D-1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Tulsa

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