Charlotte 49ers vs East Carolina Pirates Prediction, 1/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Charlotte 49ers vs East Carolina Pirates

Date: Sunday, January 18, 2026

Location: Minges Coliseum in Greenville, NC

TV: ESPN+

Minges Coliseum is the location where the East Carolina Pirates (5-12) will attempt to beat the Charlotte 49ers (9-9) on Sunday.

The Charlotte 49ers faced Tulsa and went home with a loss by a final score of 86-74 in their last contest. In regard to fouls, the 49ers ended up with 18 and Tulsa totaled 18 fouls. They also made 10 of 21 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Tulsa ended up going 81.8% at the charity stripe by making 18 of their 22 shots. On top of that, Tulsa grabbed 31 rebounds (9 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Tulsa earned 15 dimes and had 5 steals for this game. In relation to the defense, Charlotte allowed the other team to shoot 50.9% from the floor on 29 out of 57 shooting. They also doled out 8 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing 9 turnovers and getting 5 steals. When talking about hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 21 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the 49ers converted 15 of their 17 attempts for a percentage of 88.2%. Charlotte walked away from the contest with a 47.3% FG percentage (26 out of 55) and made 7 of their 21 3-point attempts.

Arden Conyers is someone who played a role for the game. He went 50.0% from the floor but didn't record a dime. He was on the court for 30 mins and grabbed 2 rebounds. He totaled 18 points on 6 of 12 shooting.

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Charlotte steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 9-9 on the season. They have an average of 74.2 points per contest (245th in the nation) while connecting on 45.3% from the field. The 49ers are hitting 35.0% on shots from distance (152 of 434) and 71.0% from the charity stripe. As a team, Charlotte is pulling in 34.8 rebounds per contest and has racked up 235 dimes for the year, which is 231st in D-1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 11.6 times per game and as a team they are committing 17.4 fouls per contest.

Defensively, the 49ers are able to force 10.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.9 personal fouls. They surrender 36.0% from 3-point land and they are 193rd in college in points per game allowed (73.7). The 49ers are giving up a FG percentage of 45.1% (456 of 1,012) and they concede 31.8 rebounds per game as a unit. They rank 155th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 224 surrendered this season.

For their last game, the East Carolina Pirates went home defeated by a final of 82-71 against South Florida. In reference to attacking the glass, East Carolina permitted South Florida to snag 39 in total (10 on the offensive glass). They went 38.7% from beyond the arc by going 12 of 31 and ended up shooting 20 of 26 at the free throw line (76.9%). The Pirates permitted South Florida to convert 25 out of 65 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 38.5% in this contest. At the conclusion of this game, the Pirates finished 25 for 61 from the field which had them at 41.0%. Regarding 3-point shots, East Carolina knocked down 6 of their 21 tries (28.6%). They were able to make 15 of them for a clip of 60.0%. South Florida had 20 fouls in this matchup which took the Pirates to the charity stripe for 25 tries. They turned it over 10 times, while earning 4 steals in this game. The Pirates were able to snag 26 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 for the matchup.

Jordan Riley ended up being important for the Pirates in this contest. He racked up 30 points in his 43 mins of playing time and accounted for 2 dimes in the matchup. He made 12 out of 27 in this game giving him a rate of 44.4%, and had 10 rebounds.

East Carolina has a win-loss mark of 5-12 this year. The Pirates have committed 17.1 fouls per game and they hit 68.8% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 11.1 times per contest (347th in D-1) and they turn it over 13.5 times per contest. East Carolina has earned 1,165 pts so far this year (68.5 per game) and they grab 36.9 boards per game. When it comes to offense, the Pirates are shooting 40.4% from the floor, which ranks them 344th in the nation.

The East Carolina defense allows 36.4% on 3-point attempts (144 of 396) and their opponents are converting on 73.4% of their free throw attempts. They allow 14.5 dimes and 35.4 rebounds per game, which ranks them 262nd and 229th in college. The Pirates defensively are ranked 282nd in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 77.3. They are forcing their opponents into 11.9 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 45.1% from the field (265th in Division 1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Charlotte

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