East Carolina vs UIC Prediction 11-23-24 College Basketball Picks
UIC (4-2) vs. East Carolina (5-1)
November 23, 2024 1:00 pm EDT
The Line: East Carolina Pirates -1; Over/Under: 149.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The UIC Flames and the East Carolina Pirates meet Saturday in college basketball action from Ocean Center. Here’s an East Carolina vs UIC prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best East Carolina vs UIC pick.
UIC Flames Betting Preview
The Flames got off to an uneven start this year, going 3-2 over their first five outings. The opener was a blowout win over St. Francis IL, then came a 91-79 win over Yale before a loss to Northwestern. The next pair for UIC were a win over Saint Mary’s MN and a loss to James Madison.
Matched up against La Salle on Friday, the Flames bounced back with a high-scoring victory. UIC was up 48-39 by halftime then hit 48 more points from there in a 96-83 win. Filip Skobalj led the way on 19 points, and Sasa Ciani doubled up on 10 points and 11 boards.
East Carolina Pirates Betting Preview
Over on the East Carolina side, they kicked off the year on a nice run with four straight wins. The Pirates took out NC Wesleyan, Coastal Carolina, Mount Olive and George Mason in that time before an 86-78 loss to Jacksonville State on Thursday.
East Carolina was able to bounce back from their latest loss with a win over Stetson on Friday. The Pirates were up by six at halftime and eventually powered out the 71-64 result. Leading the team in scoring was RJ Felton with 21 points and eight rebounds.
Why the East Carolina Pirates will win
- East Carolina has won five of its last six games.
- UIC has lost each of its last three games against the American Athletic Conference.
- East Carolina has won the first half in each of its last six games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Why the UIC Flames will win
- UIC has won the first half in each of its last six Saturday games against non-Conference opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- East Carolina ranks T5th among Division 1 teams for free throw attempts per game this season (30.8).
- East Carolina ranks T6th among Division 1 teams for rebounds per game this season (46.0).
- UIC ranks T7th among Division 1 teams for field goals made per game this season (33.3).
- UIC ranks 11th among Division 1 teams for points per game this season (91.7).
East Carolina vs UIC Prediction
I’ll probably take a stab on East Carolina here, but you could argue it either way. The Pirates should have looked better against a struggling Stetson team on Friday. ECU shot just 36.4 percent from the field with a rough 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from 3-point range and 12 turnovers. To their credit however, the Pirates powered out a win with some nice work on the boards and at the line.
As for UIC, they looked pretty good against La Salle on Friday. The Flames shot a nice 52.8 percent from the field with 37 rebounds and 30-of-34 (88.2 percent) from the line. It was quite the turnaround after getting drilled by James Madison on Thursday. UIC and East Carolina will likely both score pretty well here (assuming the Flames can shoot better than they did Friday), so I like a high total in this one.