East Carolina Pirates (9-4) vs Temple Owls (6-7)
Game Info: Wednesday, December 28, 2022 at 7:00 pm (Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum)
Betting Odds: East Carolina Pirates -1.5 -- Over/Under: 137.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Temple Owls will travel to Greenville and face the East Carolina Pirates in AAC action from the Williams Arena on ESPN.
Temple dropped to 6-7 after losing to UMES at home. This is a bad loss for an Owls-team that lost tacked on wins over former conference foes VCU and Rutgers, and Big 5 rival Villanova. The Owls squandered a halftime lead and shot poorly en route to their third straight loss to close non-conference play. Temple is scoring 69.5 points per game, while allowing 69.6 ppg, and shooting 43.3% from the field.
Temple is powered by the dynamic duo of Damian Dunn and Khalif Battle. Dunn led the team in scoring through the first three contests, and he scored 22 points in the win over Villanova, then followed it up with a career-high 38 points versus Vanderbilt. Battle hit three triples in eight of the first nine games, and punished Virginia schools VCU & Richmond for a combined 53 points. UCF transfer Jamille Reynolds is thriving up front in Philly, double-doubling in the win over Nova, as well as a 15-point, nine-board showing versus Rutgers.
East Carolina improved to 9-4 after defeating in-state for High Point at home. The Pirates followed up their road win over South Carolina with another strong defensive effort, taking down the Panthers, 60-49. ECU is scoring 72.5 points per game, while allowing 68.5 ppg, and shooting 43.1% from the field.
The Pirates are off to a strong start and they’re led by a trio of sophomores. Javon Small has been their best and most consistent player early on. The 6’2 guard scored a game-high 24 points in the purple war win over Toledo, and came close to a triple-double last time out versus High Point. Small is averaging team leads in scoring (17.2) and assists (5.9), while grabbing 4.8 rpg. Brandon Johnson, a 6’8 forward, has double-doubled in three of his last five games, and he leads ECU in rebounding at 9.7 rpg, while scoring 12.7 ppg. RJ Felton, nephew of former NBA pro Raymond, dropped 21 points in the win over SC, and he’s third on the team in scoring (12.1).
Temple is 6-6-1 against the spread this season, with a 6-6-1 over/under record. East Carolina is 9-4 ATS this year, with a 8-5 o/u record.
Does the bleeding stop here for Temple? Without a doubt, the Owls are one of the most inconsistent teams in the country, and they’ve got to find production beyond Khalif Battle before they can be trusted again. East Carolina has been consistent, and much more trustworthy, and they come into a good spot here against a vulnerable Owls team. Take ECU’s spread at home for this AAC matchup.