Halftime Report
East Carolina has overcome an early deficit to take the lead back in this one. After one quarter, neither squad has the contest in the bag, but East Carolina leads 39-37 over Jax. State.
East Carolina entered the match having won four straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it five, or will Jax. State step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
East Carolina Pirates @ Jax. State Gamecocks
Current Records: East Carolina 4-0, Jax. State 3-1
How To Watch
What to Know
East Carolina has played every game this season on their home court, but they’ll have to hit the road on Thursday. They will face off against the Jax. State Gamecocks at 3:30 p.m. ET at Ocean Center. Coming in fresh off a victory as the underdog, the Pirates will stroll into this one as the favorite.
On Saturday, East Carolina needed a bit of extra time to put away George Mason. They slipped by the Patriots 78-77.
RJ Felton was the offensive standout of the contest as he posted 27 points in addition to eight rebounds and four steals. His afternoon made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least 22.4 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayshayne Woodard, who scored 11 points plus seven rebounds and five steals.
East Carolina smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 24 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least 13 offensive rebounds in six consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Jax. State strolled past Coastal Carolina with points to spare on Sunday, taking the game 71-53. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Gamecocks.
Among those leading the charge was Jaron Pierre Jr., who went 11 for 19 en route to 31 points. Pierre Jr. is crushing it when it comes to points: he’s scored at least 21 every time he’s taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Koree Cotton, who went 5 for 8 en route to 13 points plus six rebounds.
East Carolina’s win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-0. As for Jax. State, their victory bumped their record up to 3-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: East Carolina has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 51.8 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Jax. State struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 45. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
Odds
East Carolina is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Jax. State, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Pirates as a 3.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 133.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.