Central Florida at East Carolina - 1/4/23 College Basketball Picks and Prediction

East Carolina Pirates (10-5) vs Central Florida Knights (10-4)

Game Info: Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at 7:00 pm (Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum)

Betting Odds: East Carolina Pirates +5.5 -- Over/Under: 128.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

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The UCF Knights will head up to Greenville and face the East Carolina Pirates in AAC action from the on ESPN+. Central Florida and East Carolina have met 35 times, and UCF holds a 26-9 series lead after beating ECU a whopping 14 times in a row.

Central Florida dropped to 10-4 after losing to Houston on the road. The Knights gave the Cougs all they could handle in the second half, but it wouldn’t be enough and they’d lose by six points. UCF is scoring 69.5 points per game, while allowing 60.4 ppg, and shooting 43.1% from the field.

UCF brought the fight to Houston, and that summed up their season precisely. Taylor Hendricks has come in as a true freshman and played a big role early. The 6’9 forward double-doubled against Florida State and Oklahoma State, and he’s leading UCF in scoring (14.8) and rebounding (6.7). Transfers Itheil Horton (Pitt) and C.J. Kelly (UMass) has been solid in the backcourt, while sophomore guard Darius Johnson is averaging 12.3 ppg and a team-lead 4.4 apg.

East Carolina improved to 10-5 after defeating Wichita. The Pirates picked up their second solid road win in a row, wearing the Shockers down to pick up the ten-point win. ECU is scoring 71.9 points per game, while allowing 67.9 ppg, and shooting 42.1% 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 (16.4) and assists (5.5), 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 9.6 rpg, while scoring 12.9 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 (11.6).

Central Florida is 8-4-2 against the spread this season, with a 6-8 over/under record. East Carolina is 10-5 ATS this year, with a 9-6 o/u record.

This figures to be one of the sneakier games on the Wednesday night slate. Both schools have been competitive this season, but it feels like the Knights have a slight upper hand here. Central Florida has been impressive defensively, and built a respectable resume thus far, so I like trusting them as road favorites here to avenge a loss to Houston here.  Take UCF’s spread for this AAC battle.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.

Mitch's Take...

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