Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, East Carolina looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 33-27 lead against North Texas.
East Carolina 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
North Texas Mean Green @ East Carolina Pirates
Current Records: North Texas 11-4, East Carolina 9-8
How To Watch
What to Know
East Carolina 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 North Texas Mean Green will face off in an American Athletic battle at 7:00 p.m. ET at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The Pirates are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 76.4 points per game this season.
Last Saturday, East Carolina was within striking distance but couldn’t close the gap as they fell 74-70 to Memphis. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for the Pirates in their matchups with the Tigers: they’ve now lost four in a row.
East Carolina’s defeat shouldn’t obscure the performances of C.J. Walker, who scored 23 points along with seven rebounds, and RJ Felton, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 13 rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Walker a new career-high in three-point shooting accuracy (66.7%).
Even though they lost, East Carolina smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in six consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, North Texas got the win against Rice on Wednesday by a conclusive 81-59.
North Texas can attribute much of their success to Brenen Lorient, who went 5 for 8 en route to 19 points plus five rebounds and two blocks, and Atin Wright, who went 7 for 12 en route to 21 points. Lorient continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he’s played. Another player making a difference was Grant Newell, who earned ten points.
East Carolina’s loss dropped their record down to 9-8. As for North Texas, their win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-4.
Tuesday’s matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy game: East Carolina has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 39.8 rebounds per game. It’s a different story for North Texas, though, as they’ve been averaging only 32.3. Given East Carolina’s sizable advantage in that area, North Texas will need to find a way to close that gap.
East Carolina lost to North Texas at home by a decisive 84-69 margin in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Will East Carolina have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Odds
North Texas is a 3.5-point favorite against East Carolina, 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 Mean Green as a 4.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 128.5 points.
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Series History
North Texas has won both of the games they’ve played against East Carolina in the last year.
- Mar 03, 2024 – North Texas 84 vs. East Carolina 69
- Jan 17, 2024 – North Texas 60 vs. East Carolina 59
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