Temple vs East Carolina Pick – Basketball Predictions & Odds 1/18/23

The East Carolina Pirates and Temple Owls meet Wednesday in college basketball action at the Liacouras Center. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

The East Carolina Pirates Preview

The East Carolina Pirates are averaging 69.6 points on 40.9 percent shooting and allowing 69.3 points on 43.3 percent shooting. Javon Small is averaging 15.8 points and 4.8 rebounds, while Brandon Johnson is averaging 12.7 points and 2.1 assists. RJ Felton is the third double-digit scorer and Ezra Ausar is grabbing 3.9 rebounds. The East Carolina Pirates are shooting 31.9 percent from beyond the arc and 67.9 percent from the free throw line. The East Carolina Pirates are allowing 33.8 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 33.5 rebounds per game.

The Temple Owls Preview

The Temple Owls are averaging 69.1 points on 42.3 percent shooting and allowing 68.8 points on 42.4 percent shooting. Khalif Battle is averaging 17.4 points and 3.7 rebounds, while Damian Dunn is averaging 14.8 points and 3.6 rebounds. Jamille Reynolds is the third double-digit scorer and Zach Hicks is grabbing 5.1 rebounds. The Temple Owls are shooting 31.7 percent from beyond the arc and 76.6 percent from the free throw line. The Temple Owls are allowing 30.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 32.6 rebounds per game.

Trends

The Pirates are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games following a ATS loss. The Owls are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The under is 6-2 in Pirates last 8 overall. The under is 7-3 in Owls last 10 overall.

Randy’s Free Pick

The Temple Owls aren’t world beaters, but ECU has been in a serious funk over the last week and things won’t improve on the road, where they lose by an average of 12.4 points. For Temple to be this big of a favorite tells you exactly what oddsmakers think of East Carolina. Give me the Owls.