North Texas Mean Green vs East Carolina Pirates Betting Pick & Prediction 1/17/24

Making on a bet on this NCAA game featuring the Mean Green versus the Pirates? Tip off is at at 7:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on ESPN+. The game will be played at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, NC. The Mean Green are the favored team in this American Athletic conference contest against the Pirates. The game’s over/under currently sits at 125 points.

NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN VS EAST CAROLINA PIRATES BETTING PICK

The Pick: East Carolina Pirates +3.5

This game will be played at Minges Coliseum at 7:00 ET on Wednesday, January 17th.

WHY BET THE EAST CAROLINA PIRATES:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-66 in favor of the Pirates.
• Not only will East Carolina pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +3.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 125 points, and we like the over with a projected 142 points.

Can North Texas Live Up to the Hype on the Road?

North Texas has been a strong road team this season, going 2-2 away from home. Their average scoring margin on the road is +7.2, and they have won seven of their last 10 road games.

Overall, the Mean Green are 10-5 this season, including a 3-0 mark in American Athletic Conference play. They have won four straight games, and their record as the favorite is 7-1.

North Texas has been solid against the spread this season, going 9-4, and they have been even better vs. the spread when they are the favorite, going 6-2. Their ATS record on the road is 3-1 this season, and over their last 10 road games, they are 8-2 vs. the spread.

North Texas’ over/under record for the season sits at 6-6-1 and today’s line of 125 is lower than the average over/under line in their games this season (128.6). Their average scoring total in their games this year is 127.2 and their games have finished with more points than today’s line in 9 of their 15 games. Over their last three games, their over/under record is 1-2.

In their recent matchup, the North Texas offense ended with 69 points against Temple. They finished with an overall field goal percentage of 47.2% and made 8 threes. Jason Edwards is leading the team in scoring at 16.9 points per contest. Aaron Scott has also been a key contributor with a PPG average of 12.3 going into the game.

Coming into today’s game, the North Texas defense is giving up an average of 58.4 points per contest. Against Temple in their most recent game, the North Texas defense gave up a total of 51 points while allowing Temple to hit 47% of their shots.

Will the Pirates Win at Home?

East Carolina enters this game with an overall record of 9-8, including a 2-2 mark in American Athletic Conference play. The Pirates are 7-5 at home this season, and they have gone 6-4 in their last 10 games at home.

As an underdog, East Carolina has gone 2-5 this season, and they are 9-8 overall. In their last game, the Pirates lost to SMU by a score of 75-64.

East Carolina’s ATS record this season is currently 7-8-1, but they have gone just 4-7-1 vs. the spread at home. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Pirates are 6-4 ATS.

Today’s over/under line of 125 is lower than the average over/under line in East Carolina’s games this season (143.4). So far, their over/under record is 7-9. Over their last three games, their games have averaged 130 points compared to their season average of 141.1 points per game.

Against SMU, the East Carolina had a tough time putting up points compared to their season average of 72.2 points per game. They scored 64 points and posted a field goal percentage of 37.1% in the game. In terms of offense, the Pirates have a season-long field goal percentage of 43%, putting them 266th in the NCAA. Regarding three-pointers, they are ranked 349th in percentage and 287th in three-pointers made.

At present, the Pirates’ defense is nationally ranked 110th, allowing 69.6 points per game. East Carolina will look once again to perform well on defense, holding SMU to just 37% shooting in their most recent game.