Memphis vs. East Carolina Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Thursday, Feb. 29 (Value on Home Underdogs)
By Reed Wallach
Memphis will look to save its NCAA Tournament with a late-season winning streak. The team scored a massive win against Florida Atlantic last week but must be consistent enough to go on the road and beat a team like East Carolina on Thursday night.
The Pirates have been an elite AAC defense, can the team do enough to stunt Memphis' NCAA Tournament hopes ahead of the conference tournament in two weeks?
Let's break it down with our full betting preview below!
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Memphis vs. East Carolina Odds, Spread and Total
East Carolina vs. Memphis Betting Trends
- Memphis is 10-18 against the spread (ATS) this season
- Memphis is 5-14 ATS as a favorite this season
- East Carolina is 12-15 ATS this season
- Memphis has gone OVER in 16 of 28 games this season
- East Carolina has gone UNDER in 19 of 27 games this season
Memphis vs. East Carolina How to Watch
- Date: Thursday, February 29th
- Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
- Venue: Minges Coliseum
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN2
- Memphis Record: 20-8
- East Carolina Record: 14-13
Memphis vs. East Carolina Key Players to Watch
Memphis
David Jones: Averaging 21 points per game and seven rebounds, Jones will look to get Memphis back on track ahead of the AAC Tournament in hopes of sending the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament. However, Jones and co. must deal with a havoc-driven defense in ECU.
East Carolina
RJ Felton: The Pirates' leading scorer, Felton is a terror for opponents on both ends of the floor, top 10 in terms of AAC steal rate while also averaging 16 points per game and six rebounds. Can he thrive on his home court against a highly touted Memphis team?
Memphis vs. East Carolina Prediction and Pick
Memphis has been overvalued all season long, and I'll fade the Tigers yet again on the road.
The Tigers have been an incredibly sloppy group when it comes to protecting the ball. The team is 13th in turnover rate in AAC play while ECU is turning opponents over at the highest rate in league games. Memphis is reliant on its physicality to overwhelm opponents, but the Pirates aren't bothered, fouling at a low rate and doing a great job on the glass.
While ECU's offense is an eye sore, the team is 13th in AAC effective field goal percentage and isn't a dangerous threat from the perimeter, the Pirates get up plenty of catch-and-shoot threes, 90th in frequency according to ShotQuality. Meanwhile, Memphis is outside the top 300 in 'Open 3 Rate.' There will be chances for ECU to get clean looks from the perimeter.
With Memphis' inability to handle ball pressure, and its undisciplined defense, I can't trust this team to go on the road and win by margin.
Over the last 11 games, in which the Tigers are 5-6, the team has won one road game (at AAC bottom feeder Temple by seven). I think ECU can keep this competitive on Thursday.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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