AAC foes will collide when the East Carolina Pirates (10-14, 4-9 AAC) take on the Connecticut Huskies (12-14, 5-8 AAC) at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 136 points with Connecticut opening as a 6-point favorite. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 18, 2018, and it can be seen on ESPNews.
Connecticut Huskies vs. East Carolina Pirates ATS Preview
The last time the Huskies played, they lost a close one to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, 73-71. Connecticut’s Christian Vital had a good performance, leading the team in scoring with 20 points on 6-for-16 shooting. Tulsa had an effective field goal percentage of 0.670 (above their season average of 0.499). Connecticut, on the other hand, had an offensive rebounding percentage of 38.5 (above their season average of 29.1).
The Pirates will look to keep it rolling after narrowly defeating the Tulane Green Wave in their last game, 82-80. East Carolina rallied around Shawn Williams, who was the games leading scorer with 29 points on 9-for-10 shooting. East Carolina’s 0.651 effective field goal percentage was their largest strength over Tulane, who had a rate of 0.561. The Pirates mark was above their season average of 0.480.
Of Connecticut’s 22 games that accepted bets, 12 have finished over the O/U total, while 11 of East Carolina’s 17 games have finished over the O/U total. The Huskies have the better straight up (SU) record (12-14 vs. 10-14), but the Pirates hold the sizable advantage against the spread (ATS) (9-8 vs. 8-15).
Isaac Fleming has really been playing well as of late for East Carolina, averaging 14.0 points and 5.0 assists over the last five games.
These teams have already met once this season. In that game, the two teams combined to score 135 points, just over the projected point total of 133.5. The Huskies won 70-65, but were unable to cover as 17-point favorites. The Huskies played a nearly perfect game. They had a solid free throw rate of 0.300 and a turnover percentage of 18.6. The Pirates were 0.182 and 25.4, respectively, for those same stats. Kentrell Barkley was a standout player in the game, putting up 13 points, seven rebounds and five steals.
Connecticut Huskies vs. East Carolina Pirates ATS Prediction
Pick: SU Winner – Connecticut, ATS Winner – Connecticut, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Pirates rank 158th in rebounds per game (35.3) while the Huskies rank 220th in rebounds allowed per game (36.8).
- Connecticut averages 3.9 blocks per game, which ranks 74th in the nation. East Carolina ranks 135th in blocks allowed per game (3.6).
- On the road, Connecticut is 4-8 ATS with 7 overs and 5 unders.
- At home, East Carolina is 5-4 ATS with 5 overs and 4 unders.
- Connecticut ranks 27th in steals allowed per game (5.0) while East Carolina ranks 163rd (6.9).
- The Pirates rank 109th in three pointers allowed per game (21.0) while the Huskies rank 240th (24.5).
- Connecticut ranks 142nd in assists allowed per game (13.5) while East Carolina ranks 227th (15.3).
Betting Trends:
- East Carolina is 3-2 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Connecticut is 1-4 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
- The Pirates average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 7.8, up from 5.5 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Huskies have scored an average of 66.2 points per game (1.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 73.6 points per game (1.6 above their season average).
