East Carolina vs Jacksonville State Prediction College Basketball Picks 11/21/24

The East Carolina Pirates and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks meet Thursday in college basketball action from the Ocean Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an East Carolina vs. Jacksonville State prediction.

East Carolina Recap

The East Carolina Pirates come into this one looking to build on their 4-0 start after a 78-77 double-OT win over George Mason last time out. East Carolina will face NC A&T, UNC Wilmington, and South Carolina after this one.

Pirates Looking To Stay Unbeaten

RJ Felton leads the Pirates in scoring with 23.3 PPG along with 8.8 RPG and 3 APG while C.J. Walker has 16.3 PPG with a team-high 9.3 RPG to lead the Pirates on the glass. Jordan Riley has 14.5 PPG and 7.3 RPG while Cam Hayes has 10.3 PPG with a team-high 4.3 APG to lead the Pirates in the assist department, rounding out the group of double-digit scorers for ECU so far this season. As a team, East Carolina is averaging 87 PPG on 43.9% shooting from the field, 29% from three, and 65% from the foul line this season.

Why the East Carolina Pirates will win

• East Carolina has won each of its last five games against the Conference USA.
• Jacksonville State has lost three of its last four games against the American Athletic Conference.

Jacksonville State Recap

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks come into this one looking to build on their 71-53 win over Coastal Carolina last time out.

Gamecocks Looking To Build Momentum

Jaron Pierre Jr. leads JSU in scoring and assists with 25.8 PPG and 3.8 APG while Jamar Franklin has 11.3 PPG and Michael Houge has 11 PPG with a team-high 10.8 RPG to lead the Gamecocks on the glass by averaging a double-double per game. Mason Nicholson has 10.3 PPG with 9.5 RPG to cap off the scoring in double figures for Jacksonville State up to this point in the year and Koree Cotton also has 9.8 PPG with 4.5 RPG as well on the year. As a team, Jacksonville State is averaging 80.5 PPG on 48.8% shooting from the field, 31.1% from three, and 81.8% from the foul line this season.

Why the Jacksonville State Gamecocks will win

• Jacksonville State has won 11 of its last 12 day games against non-AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.
• East Carolina has lost each of its last four games after coming off overtime.

East Carolina vs. Jacksonville State Prediction

I’m on the Gamecocks here. East Carolina’s been great at taking care of the basketball, hitting the boards, and getting to the foul line, but have some of the worst percentages in the country shooting the rock. That being said, it is hard to argue results as ECU is 4-0 with a pair of subdivision wins so far this season, but Jacksonville State will negate that here. The Gamecocks are the better team in my opinion and on a neutral floor, I see those missed shots coming back to haunt ECU here. Give me Jacksonville State.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Jacksonville State +3