East Carolina Pirates vs South Carolina Gamecocks Prediction, 12/7/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: East Carolina Pirates vs South Carolina Gamecocks

Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024

Location: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC

TV: ESPN+

Colonial Life Arena is where the South Carolina Gamecocks (5-3) will go up against the East Carolina Pirates (7-2) on Saturday.

The East Carolina Pirates faced UNC Wilmington and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 67-53 in their last game. When it comes to personal fouls, the Pirates finished with 12 and UNC Wilmington totaled 14 personal fouls. They knocked down 7 out of their 22 shots from distance. UNC Wilmington walked away from this one shooting 93.3% when shooting free throws by converting 14 of 15 attempts. Furthermore, UNC Wilmington had 35 rebounds (11 offensive, 24 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. UNC Wilmington distributed 17 assists and had 9 steals in this matchup. In reference to the defense, East Carolina let their opponent shoot 39.7% from the field on 23 of 58 shooting. They also doled out 8 assists for the contest in addition to forcing 13 turnovers and having 10 steals. With regard to rebounding, they collected 30 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Pirates converted 11 of their 15 shots for a percentage of 73.3%. East Carolina ended with a 35.8% FG percentage (19 out of 53) and buried 4 out of their 19 shots from beyond the perimeter.

C.J. Walker is someone who was a major factor in this contest. He walked away with 16 points on 6 out of 12 shooting. He played 32 minutes and also pulled down 1 rebound. He ended up going 50.0% from the field but wasn't able to get an assist.

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East Carolina enters this contest with a record of 7-2 so far this season. They are averaging 79.4 pts per game (110th in the nation) while shooting 43.6% from the field. The Pirates are shooting 29.8% on three-point attempts (57 of 191) and 71.7% from the free throw line. As a unit, East Carolina is pulling down 42.2 boards per game and has earned 113 dimes for the year, which has them ranked 218th in D-1 in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 10.9 times per contest and as a group they commit 17.4 fouls per game.

On defense, the Pirates are able to force 12.8 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.1 personal fouls. They currently rank 287th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 126 surrendered on the campaign. The Pirates defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 39.7% (216 of 544) and they concede 35.6 boards per game as a unit. They concede 32.4% on shots from distance and they rank 133rd in college basketball in PPG allowed (68.9).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the South Carolina Gamecocks went home victorious with a score of 73-51 when they faced Boston College. The Gamecocks recorded 30 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 in this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while earning 3 steals for the matchup. Boston College had 21 fouls for the contest which got the Gamecocks to the free throw line for 25 shots. They were able to bury 17 of the free throws for a rate of 68.0%. In the matter of 3-pointers, South Carolina converted 10 out of 19 tries (52.6%). When the final whistle blew, the Gamecocks shot 23 for 50 from the field which gave them a percentage of 46.0%. The Gamecocks allowed Boston College to bury 19 of their 57 attempts from the field which had them at 33.3% for the matchup. They finished the game shooting 12.5% from three-point range by going 2 of 16 and finished the contest at 11 of 18 at the charity stripe (61.1%). Regarding how they attacked the glass, South Carolina allowed Boston College to snag 33 in all (11 on the offensive side).

Collin Murray-Boyles was important for the Gamecocks for the game. He made 7 out of 14 for the contest for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and accounted for 14 rebounds. He had 16 points in his 28 mins on the court and tallied 2 assists for the matchup.

South Carolina has a record of 5-3 so far this year. The Gamecocks commit 17.1 fouls per contest while shooting 67.2% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 14.0 times per game (197th in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 11.4 times per contest. South Carolina has scored 601 pts on the year (75.1 per contest) and they pull in 37.4 boards per game. As an offense, the Gamecocks are connecting on 45.3% from the field, which ranks 176th in college basketball.

The Gamecocks on defense are ranked 90th in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 67.1. They have forced 10.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 40.0% from the field (68th in the nation). The South Carolina defense surrenders 31.5% on 3-pointers (52 of 165) and opponents are making 66.0% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 10.4 assists and 35.6 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 50th and 219th in those categories on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take South Carolina

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