7:05 pm
March 11

AAC Tournament: East Carolina v. UCF

Who will WIN this matchup?

East Carolina Pirates (8-10)

UCF Knights (10-11)

 

Current odds:

East Carolina Pirates: (+190)

UCF Knights: (-220)

 

• The line for this game is UCF by 5.5 points.

• The UCF Knights enter Thursday’s American Athletic Conference tournament playing their best hoops this season, but they will have to beat a familiar foe in order to advance to the quarterfinals. Seeded sixth in the tourney, the Knights will square off against No. 11-seed East Carolina in Thursday’s last of three first-round games in Fort Worth, Texas.

• UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins and his Knights (10-11, 8-10 AAC) enter the tournament riding a season-best, four-game winning streak. The last of those four victories was over ECU on Thursday in Greenville, N.C. The Knights ended their regular season with a 64-60 win behind Isaiah Adams’ 15 points and Darius Perry’s 14-point, 11-rebound, five-assist output.

• UCF also beat ECU (8-10, 2-10) on Jan. 27, earning a 71-64 victory as Darin Green Jr. poured in 18 points and grabbed six rebounds. The Knights used a dominant first half in Orlando — leading 42-25 at the half — and held on for the win to snap a five-game losing streak. UCF has swept the season series six straight years and currently owns an 11-game winning streak over ECU.

• The fifth-year coach said he expects second-leading scorer Brandon Mahan (12.5 points per game) and C.J. Walker (7.3) to return against the Pirates. A transfer from Texas A&M, Mahan missed last week’s game against ECU, while Walker hasn’t played in UCF’s last two contests.

• In addition to dipping below .500 for the first time this season last Thursday, the Pirates dropped an 82-69 home decision Sunday to Cincinnati after playing just three games last month due to a COVID-19 shutdown.

• Pirates leading scorer and rebounder Jayden Gardner said his team struggled coming out of the layoff in its first game back Thursday against the Knights.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
UCF Knights
Previous Pick
Next Pick