Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs East Carolina Pirates Prediction, 3/5/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs East Carolina Pirates

Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026

Location: Minges Coliseum in Greenville, NC

TV: ESPN+

Minges Coliseum is where the East Carolina Pirates (11-18) will take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (23-6) on Thursday.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane took the court against Tulane and went home with a win by a final score of 90-56 in their last game. In reference to fouls, the Golden Hurricane ended up walking away with 15 while Tulane recorded 14 fouls. They knocked down 6 of 22 attempts from distance. Tulane finished the game shooting 62.5% from the charity stripe by burying 10 of 16 attempts. Moreover, Tulane snagged 23 boards (5 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Tulane totaled 11 assists and had 9 steals for this game. In the matter of defense, Tulsa allowed 37.7% from the floor on 20 out of 53 shooting. They also distributed 20 assists in this contest as well as forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and having 8 steals. In terms of grabbing rebounds, they compiled 38 with 11 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Golden Hurricane made 12 of 15 tries for a rate of 80.0%. Tulsa ended the game having earned a 49.2% FG percentage (32 of 65) and knocked down 14 of their 32 shots from beyond the perimeter.

David Green is a player who came through in this contest. He ended up shooting 66.7% from the floor and also distributed 4 dimes. He played 20 mins and also pulled down 5 rebounds. He accounted for 19 points on 8 out of 12 shooting.

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Tulsa steps onto the court with a record of 23-6 for the season. They are giving up possession 10.5 times per contest and as a team are committing 16.1 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Tulsa is pulling down 38.1 boards per game and has accounted for 452 assists for the year, which ranks 108th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Golden Hurricane are connecting on 39.0% on shots from beyond the arc (306 of 785) and 78.3% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 86.0 pts per contest (16th in college) while shooting 48.4% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Golden Hurricane have forced 10.5 turnovers every game and they draw 18.6 personal fouls. They give up 33.0% on 3-point shots and they are 139th in college hoops in PPG from their opponents (72.5). The Golden Hurricane defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 42.8% (747 of 1,745) and they concede 31.6 rebounds per game as a unit. They are ranked 88th in college in allowing assists with 368 conceded for the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the East Carolina Pirates walked away with a victory by a final of 84-68 when they faced Memphis. When discussing attacking the glass, East Carolina permitted Memphis to collect 25 in total (11 on the offensive side). They finished 31.3% from beyond the arc by shooting 5 out of 16 and finished the game at 13 out of 20 at the charity stripe (65.0%). The Pirates permitted Memphis to convert 25 of their 67 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 37.3% in the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Pirates shot 30 out of 56 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 53.6%. Regarding shots from downtown, East Carolina converted 9 of 18 tries (50.0%). They were able to bury 15 of the free throws for a percentage of 75.0%. Memphis committed 20 personal fouls for the contest which took the Pirates to the charity stripe for a total of 20 shots. They turned it over 15 times, while getting 6 steals for this contest. The Pirates were able to corral 29 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards for a total of 36 for this game.

Jordan Riley was important for the Pirates in the matchup. He had 31 points in his 40 mins of playing time and totaled 3 dimes in this game. He converted 11 out of 19 in this contest giving him a rate of 57.9%, and tallied 12 rebounds.

East Carolina has a win-loss record of 11-18 for the year. On the offensive side of the court, the Pirates are shooting 42.1% from the field, which is 327th in the nation. East Carolina has accumulated 2,068 points so far this year (71.3 per contest) and they pull down 36.4 rebounds per game. They are getting an assist 11.7 times per contest (329th in the country) and they are giving up possession 12.1 times per contest. The Pirates commit 16.2 fouls every game and they hit 70.2% from the charity stripe.

The East Carolina defense allows 34.6% on shots from beyond the arc (241 of 697) and opponents are making 72.6% of their free throw shots. They allow 14.5 dimes and 36.2 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 268th and 291st in college hoops. The Pirates are ranked 249th in college in points per game surrendered with 76.5. They are able to force 11.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 44.5% from the floor (200th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Tulsa

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