Houston vs. East Carolina AAC Tournament Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, March 10, 2023

The No. 1 seed Houston Cougars (29-2, 17-1 AAC) are favored by 23 points when they play the No. 9 seed East Carolina Pirates (16-16, 6-12 AAC) in the AAC Tournament. The teams will look to take another step toward an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament bracket on Friday at Dickies Arena starting at 1:00 PM and airing on ESPN2. The matchup has an over/under of 133.5.

Houston vs. East Carolina Odds

• Houston odds to win: -7564
• East Carolina odds to win: +1710
• Spread: Houston (-23)
• Total: 133.5

Houston vs. East Carolina Promo Codes

Game Time and Information

• Date: Friday, March 10, 2023
• Time: 1:00 PM ET
• TV: ESPN2
• Where: Fort Worth, Texas
• Venue: Dickies Arena

Who Will Win Houston vs. East Carolina?

Houston and East Carolina Betting Trends, Records Against the Spread

When it has played as at least 23-point favorites this season, Houston is 6-2 against the spread.

Between them, these two teams average 12.0 more points per game (145.5) than this game’s total (133.5).

Houston and East Carolina have seen their opponents average a combined 6.2 fewer points per game than the over/under of 133.5 set in this game.

The average point total for Houston’s games this season is 1.0 fewer points than the total of 133.5 in this matchup.

The average total for Pirates games this season is 6.9 more points than the point total of 133.5 in this outing.

The Cougars have gone 17-13-1 ATS this season.

The Pirates are 19-11-2 against the spread this season.

Houston Stats & Insights

Houston’s +605 scoring differential (outscoring opponents by 19.5 points per game) is a result of scoring 76.0 points per game (78th in college basketball) while giving up 56.5 per contest (second in college basketball).

Houston ranks 16th in the nation at 35.8 rebounds per game. That’s 9.1 more than the 26.7 its opponents average.

The Cougars knock down 8.0 three-pointers per game (105th in college basketball) while shooting 35.2% from deep (120th in college basketball). They are making 1.6 more threes per outing than their opponents, who drain 6.4 per game while shooting 28.0%.

Houston averages 102.7 points per 100 possessions on offense (10th in college basketball), and gives up 76.4 points per 100 possessions (second in college basketball).

When playing at home, the Cougars are putting up 1.7 more points per game (77.3) than they are on the road (75.6).

East Carolina Stats & Insights

East Carolina has been outscored by 1.3 points per game (posting 69.5 points per game, 233rd in college basketball, while giving up 70.8 per contest, 200th in college basketball) and has a -42 scoring differential.

East Carolina wins the rebound battle by 1.7 boards on average. It collects 33.3 rebounds per game, 87th in college basketball, while its opponents grab 31.6.

East Carolina knocks down 7.7 three-pointers per game (140th in college basketball) while shooting 32.0% from deep (299th in college basketball). It is making 1.2 more threes than its opponents, who drain 6.5 per game at 32.9%.

East Carolina ranks 287th in college basketball with 89.2 points scored per 100 possessions, and 162nd defensively with 90.9 points conceded per 100 possessions.

At home, the Pirates average 72.2 points per game. On the road, they average 63.0.

Houston Key Players to Watch

The Cougars scoring leader is Marcus Sasser, who averages 17.1 per contest to go with 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

J’wan Roberts is Houston’s leading rebounder, grabbing 7.2 per game, while Jamal Shead is its best passer, distributing 5.4 assists in each contest.

Sasser leads the Cougars in three-point shooting, knocking down an average of 2.7 shots per game from beyond the arc.

Shead and Roberts lead Houston on the defensive end, with Shead leading the team in steals averaging 1.8 per game and Roberts in blocks averaging 1.3 per contest.

East Carolina Key Players to Watch

RJ Felton sits at the top of the Pirates scoring leaderboard with 14.0 points per game. He also pulls down 4.5 rebounds and racks up 1.6 assists per game.

The East Carolina leaders in rebounding and assists are Brandon Johnson with 8.2 rebounds per game (he also adds 12.5 points and 1.9 assists per game) and Jaden Walker with 3.1 assists per game (he also tacks on 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game).

Felton is dependable from three-point range and leads the Pirates with 2.0 made threes per game.

East Carolina’s leader in steals is Walker with 1.3 per game, and its leader in blocks is Johnson with 0.7 per game.

Houston vs. East Carolina Prediction

• Pick ATS:

  East Carolina (+23)
  

• Pick OU:

  Over (133.5)
  

• Prediction:
  Houston 79, East Carolina 58

How to Bet on Houston vs. East Carolina

And for more CBB game previews, NCAA basketball picks or even how to bet on college basketball check out the latest NCAAB lines on Betsperts.