Check out our free Wichita State vs East Carolina pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Greenville. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
Wichita State vs East Carolina Pick & Preview: Sunday, January 29th Betting Odds
Shockers vs Pirates Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: Wichita State Shockers at East Carolina Pirates
- Where: Greenville at Minges Coliseum
- Date: Sunday, January 29th
- Betting Odds: Wichita State -2.5, WICHST -147 | ECAR +120 O/U 132.0
Shockers Preview:
Wichita State heads into this matchup having played 20 games and have an overall record sitting at 10-10. On the road, the Shockers will be playing their 6th game of the season, having gone 3-3. So far, the Shockers have been favored 10 times, going 6-4 straight up. In today’s matchup, the oddsmakers have Wichita State as -2.5 point favorites.
Wichita State’s leading scorer this season is Jaykwon Walton, who is averaging 13.33 points per contest. So far, Walton has accounted for 17.78% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 5.61 rebounds per game and 1.78 assists. Craig Porter Jr is the second leading scorer for the Shockers, averaging 12.11 points per game. Between him and Jr, they are accounting for 34.8% of the team’s scoring.
Offensive production has been hard to come by for Wichita State this season, as they are currently ranked 288th in college basketball at 68.5 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Shockers’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 31.1%, placing them 414th in the NCAA.
Pirates Preview:
Through 21 games, the East Carolina Pirates have an overall record of 11-10. Currently, the Pirates have been the home team 12 times, sitting with a record of 8-4. So far, the Pirates have been the underdog 11 times, going 4-7 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +2.5 underdogs on the spread.
One thing working against East Carolina in this game is the fact that they will be without their leading scorer, Javon Small. In his 18, he is averaging 15.78 per game. This will be a significant blow to the team as he currently leads the Pirates’ in made 3-point shots. Overall, he has knocked down 33.3% of his looks from outside. Brandon Johnson will be looking to take on an even bigger scoring role, as he is the Pirates’ 2nd leading scorer at 12.9 points per contest. In addition to his scoring, Johnson is adding 8.95 rebounds per game and 2.05 assists.
Offensive production has been hard to come by for East Carolina this season, as they are currently ranked 276th in college basketball at 68.8 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Pirates’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 32.7%, placing them 334th in the NCAA.
Free Spread Prediction: East Carolina Pirates +2.5
Heading into this matchup between the Wichita State Shockers and East Carolina Pirates we have a strong lean on taking the points with East Carolina at +2.5. Both team’s are going to come into this game looking to get up looks from outside, as they are both average team’s in terms of 3-pointers made per game. Look for East Carolina to benefit from facing another squad looking to turn this into a 3-point shooting contest. When looking at the line, we see tremendous value in taking the East Carolina Pirates at +2.5. Go ahead and lock this bet in before tip-off.
