East Carolina (11-9) vs South Florida (10-9)
January 25, 2025 at 01:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: East Carolina -5.5 — Over/Under: 143.5
The USF Bulls and the East Carolina Pirates meet Saturday in college basketball action from the Minges Coliseum. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a USF vs. East Carolina prediction.
USF Recap
The USF Bulls come into this game looking to bounce back from a 69-61 loss at the hands of Charlotte last time out to fall to 10-9 on the year. After this game, USF will head home to take on Rice.
Bulls Drop 3 Of Last 4 Games
Jayden Reid leads the Bulls in scoring and assists with 12.9 PPG and 4 APG while Jamille Reynolds has 11.6 PPG with a team-high 7.3 RPG to lead the Bulls on the glass. Kobe Knox has 10.4 PPG to cap off the scoring in double figures for USF so far this season. Brandon Stroud has 8.1 PPG with 4.5 RPG, Jimmie Williams has 7.9 PPG with 2.9 RPG and Kasen Jennings has 7.8 PPG on the year. As a team, USF is averaging 77.2 PPG on 46.9% shooting from the field, 33.2% from three, and 74.1% from the foul line this season.
Why the South Florida Bulls will win
- East Carolina has lost seven of its last eight day games against the American Athletic Conference.
- South Florida has won six of its last seven day games against East Carolina.
East Carolina Recap
The East Carolina Pirates come into this game looking to build on their 85-76 win over Tulsa last time out to improve to 11-9 on the year. After this game, East Carolina will head back on the road to take on Temple.
Pirates Win Back-To-Back Games
RJ Felton leads the Pirates in scoring with 18.1 PPG along with 6.9 RPG and 2.6 APG while C.J. Walker has 16.9 PPG with a team-high 6.8 RPG to lead the Pirates on the glass. Jordan Riley has 14.3 PPG and 5.7 RPG, rounding out the group of double-digit scorers for ECU so far this season. Cam Hayes has 9.5 PPG with a team-high 3.8 APG to lead the Pirates in the assist department this season. As a team, East Carolina is averaging 76 PPG on 43.2% shooting from the field, 30% from three, and 70.8% from the foul line this season.
Why the East Carolina Pirates will win
- South Florida has lost four of its last five road games.
- The home team has won nine of South Florida’s last 12 games.
Total Points Facts
- Seven of East Carolina’s last eight games have produced a total of 144+ points.
- Four of South Florida’s last five road day games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 143 or fewer points.
USF vs. East Carolina Prediction
I’m on the Bulls and the points here. There really isn’t much to splitting hairs between backing two teams that have underdelivered more often than not this season. However, USF’s defensive numbers are decent in this matchup and I feel like the Bulls actually match up with the Pirates here to take advantage of the weaknesses in ECU’s game, and in the end, I just trust East Carolina more. Give me the Pirates here.