East Carolina Pirates vs Wichita State Shockers Prediction, 1/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: East Carolina Pirates vs Wichita State Shockers

Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Location: Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, KS

TV: ESPN+

Charles Koch Arena is the location where the Wichita State Shockers (10-8) will try to beat the East Carolina Pirates (5-12) on Wednesday.

The East Carolina Pirates faced Charlotte and took a loss by a final of 73-70 in their last game. East Carolina finished having earned a 42.6% field goal percentage (26 of 61) and buried 6 out of their 16 shots from beyond the arc. From the free throw line, the Pirates made 12 of 18 attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. In the matter of grabbing boards, they compiled 22 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 13 assists for the contest while forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In the matter of defending, East Carolina let their opponent shoot 54.2% from the field on 26 out of 48 shooting. Charlotte doled out 14 assists and had 1 steal in this contest. Moreover, Charlotte collected 33 boards (6 offensive, 27 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Charlotte finished the game shooting 84.6% from the free throw line by knocking down 11 of their 13 shots. They also converted 10 of their 21 shots from long range. Concerning fouls, the Pirates left the arena with 12 and Charlotte recorded 19 fouls.

Jordan Riley is one guy who was a factor in the matchup. He finished the contest at 39.1% from the floor and also distributed 4 assists. He played for 38 mins played and also collected 3 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 23 points on 9 of 23 shooting.

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East Carolina heads into this contest with a mark of 5-12 for the year. They turn it over 13.5 times per contest and as a team they commit 17.1 fouls every game. As a unit, East Carolina is pulling down 36.9 boards per contest and has tallied 188 dimes so far this season, which is 355th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Pirates are shooting 26.0% on shots from 3-point land (82 of 315) and 68.8% from the free throw line. They average 68.5 points per outing (330th in the nation) while hitting 40.4% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Pirates are forcing 11.9 turnovers per game while drawing 19.6 personal fouls. They are 197th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 247 relinquished so far this season. The Pirates are giving up a field goal percentage of 45.1% (455 of 1,009) and they surrender 35.4 boards per game as a team. They are giving up 36.4% on 3-point shots and they are 281st in the country in PPG from their opponents (77.3).

When they last stepped on the court, the Wichita State Shockers went home victorious with a score of 86-85 against South Florida. The Shockers snagged 26 defensive rebounds and 17 offensive rebounds for a total of 43 in the game. They also coughed up the ball 11 times, while getting 7 steals for the contest. South Florida earned 15 fouls for the matchup which took the Shockers to the free throw line for a total of 23 attempts. They were able to knock down 14 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 60.9%. Concerning shooting from beyond the arc, Wichita State converted 12 of their 23 attempts (52.2%). When the game finished, the Shockers ended up going 30 for 72 from the floor which gave them a rate of 41.7%. The Shockers allowed South Florida to bury 28 of their 72 tries from the floor which had them shooting 38.9% for this contest. They finished 42.9% from beyond the arc by connecting on 12 out of 28 and ended up going 17 of 22 from the free throw line (77.3%). In the matter of rebounds, Wichita State allowed South Florida to get 33 overall (10 offensive).

Kenyon Giles ended up being a factor for the Shockers for the game. He buried 8 of 22 in the game for a rate of 36.4%, and had 2 rebounds. He totaled 22 points in his 43 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 assists for the contest.

Wichita State has a win-loss mark of 10-8 for the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Shockers are connecting on 44.7% from the field, which is ranked 228th in college hoops. Wichita State has accumulated 1,397 pts so far this season (77.6 per game) and they grab 40.3 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 11.6 times per contest (334th in the nation) and they turn it over 10.3 times per contest. The Shockers are committing 17.2 fouls per game and they hit 70.0% from the charity stripe.

The Shockers are ranked 86th in the country in PPG surrendered with 69.8. They have forced 10.8 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 42.7% from the field (136th in college). The Wichita State defense allows 31.1% on 3-pointers (116 of 373) and their opponents are knocking down 70.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 12.1 dimes and 32.6 boards every game, which ranks them 83rd and 75th in those defensive categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take East Carolina

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