Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Tulsa looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 40-33 lead against East Carolina.
Tulsa came into the match with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
East Carolina Pirates @ Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Current Records: East Carolina 10-9, Tulsa 8-10
How To Watch
What to Know
Tulsa will be in front of their home fans on Tuesday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They and the East Carolina Pirates will face off in an American Athletic battle at 8:00 p.m. ET at Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Tulsa is headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 147.5, but even that wound up being too high. They fell 63-56 to South Florida on Saturday.
Despite the loss, Tulsa had strong showings from Justin Amadi, who went 6 for 7 en route to 14 points plus seven rebounds, and Keaston Willis, who earned 12 points along with three steals. Amadi had some trouble finding his footing against Charlotte last Sunday, so this was a step in the right direction.
Meanwhile, East Carolina posted their closest victory since January 24, 2024 on Saturday. They skirted by Wichita State 75-72 thanks to a clutch jump shot from RJ Felton with but a second left in the second quarter.
East Carolina can attribute much of their success to C.J. Walker, who went 10 for 17 en route to 28 points, and Jordan Riley, who earned 16 points plus five steals. The dominant performance also gave Walker a new career-high in threes (three).
Tulsa’s defeat dropped their record down to 8-10. As for East Carolina, their win ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 10-9.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Tulsa has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 38.6 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like East Carolina struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 38.5. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
While only East Carolina took care of their fans the last time they played, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. Going forward, East Carolina is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by four points. This will be their first time playing as the favorites on the road this season.
Odds
East Carolina is a 4-point favorite against Tulsa, 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 140 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
East Carolina has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Tulsa.
- Mar 14, 2024 – East Carolina 84 vs. Tulsa 79
- Jan 07, 2024 – East Carolina 62 vs. Tulsa 57
- Feb 21, 2023 – East Carolina 62 vs. Tulsa 60
- Jan 24, 2023 – East Carolina 76 vs. Tulsa 66
- Feb 26, 2022 – East Carolina 64 vs. Tulsa 59
- Feb 08, 2022 – East Carolina 73 vs. Tulsa 71
- Jan 30, 2021 – Tulsa 77 vs. East Carolina 68
- Feb 12, 2020 – Tulsa 70 vs. East Carolina 56
- Jan 15, 2020 – Tulsa 65 vs. East Carolina 49
- Mar 03, 2019 – Tulsa 91 vs. East Carolina 78
