| MATCHUP | East Carolina Pirates | Temple Owls |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 5-10 | 11-5 |
| Where | Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA | |
| When | Wednesday, January 7, 2026 | |
| Time | 07:00 PM EST | |
| TV | ESPN+ | |
The East Carolina Pirates and the Temple Owls meet Wednesday in college basketball action from the Liacouras Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an East Carolina Pirates vs. Temple Owls prediction.
East Carolina Pirates Recap
The East Carolina Pirates come into this game looking to rebound from their 79-70 loss at the hands of Tulane last time out to sit at 5-9 this season. After this game, East Carolina will head home for a game against UAB.
Pirates Drop Back-To-Back Games
Jordan Riley leads the Pirates with 20.8 PPG along with 5.3 RPG while Giovanni Emejuru has 14 PPG of his own along with a team-high 9.5 RPG to lead the Pirates in rebounding and to cap off the pair of double-digit scorers for East Carolina so far this season. Tybo Bailey has 8.9 PPG with 2.7 RPG while Corey Caulker has 6.6 PPG with 2.6 RPG and 3.1 APG to lead the Pirates in assists. As a team, East Carolina is averaging 67.3 PPG on 39.4% shooting from the field, 24.8% from three and 70.4% from the foul line this season.
Temple Owls Recap
The Temple Owls come into this game looking to add on to their 76-57 win over UTSA last time out to sit at 10-5 this season. After this game, Temple will head on the road for a game against Memphis.
Owls Win 6 In A Row
Derrian Ford leads the Owls in scoring and rebounding with 17.7 PPG with 4.7 RPG while Aiden Tobiason has 14.9 PPG with 3.1 RPG and 2.3 APG and Jordan Mason has 11.9 PPG with 3.1 RPG and a team-high 4.9 APG to lead the Owls in assists. Gavin Griffiths has 11.1 PPG with 4.6 RPG to round out the group of double-digit scorers for Temple up to this point in the year. As a team, Temple is averaging 77.5 PPG on 47% shooting from the field, 37.7% from three and 72.4% from the foul line this season.
East Carolina Pirates @ Temple Owls Betting Trends: January 7, 2026
Why the Temple Owls will win
- Temple has won 13 of its last 14 night games at Liacouras Center.
- East Carolina has lost 15 of its last 17 Wednesday road games against Conference opponents.
- Temple has won the first half in each of its last five games against Conference opponents.
Why the East Carolina Pirates will win
- East Carolina has won three of its last four games against Temple.
- East Carolina has won the first half in each of its last five road games against Temple.
Total Points Facts
- Each of East Carolina’s last six night games against non-AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 145 or fewer points.
- Six of Temple’s last seven night games against Conference opponents at Liacouras Center have produced a total of 154+ points.
Matchup/League Facts
- Temple ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for turnovers per game this season (8.7).
- Temple ranks 10th among Division 1 teams for turnover percentage this season (11.6%).
- East Carolina ranks 365th among Division 1 teams for three-point percentage this season (24.8%).
- East Carolina ranks 364th among Division 1 teams for three-point field goals made per game this season (4.6).
East Carolina Pirates vs. Temple Owls Prediction
I’m on the Pirates and the points here. I just think that East Carolina is not as bad as this line would suggest and I think Temple’s getting just a tad too much respect right now in all honesty. The Pirates should be able to battle and keep this one respectable, and I think that the Pirates bag the cover at the very least here. Give me ECU and the points.