The Houston Cougars will hit the floor running against the visiting East Carolina Pirates Saturday, looking to improve their record and boost wagering bankrolls in the process.

The Cougars sport records of 9-9 and 3-6 ATS heading into this battle, while the Pirates have 9-8 and 4-5 ATS marks on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 4-3-2 for the Cougars and 4-5 for the Pirates.



View East Carolina vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Pirates are listed as 1.5-point underdogs at many online sportsbooks.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Power Rankings at Odds Shark show No. 16-rated East Carolina taking on the No. 149-rated Cougars in this contest. The scores prediction computer here indicates a possible 78-72 win for the Pirates on Saturday.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Houston's No. 65-ranked offense, averaging 74.1 PPG, against a Pirates defense that ranks No. 91 at 63.6 PPG. The Cougars field goal percentage has averaged 47.3% so far, more than the Pirates marksmen have achieved on the year, 43.2% per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, East Carolina owns the country's No. 76-rated mark, allowing 66 points per game on the highway. Houston, on the other hand, rates No. 80 in scoring at home.

East Carolina lost its last outing, a 70-56 result against Texas El Paso on January 18. They failed to cover in that game as a 5.5-point underdog. The Pirates endured a 70-56 loss at the hands of the Miners on Wednesday, despite a 14-point effort from Maurice Kemp at Haskins Center.

Houston was a 70-54 loser in their most recent outing on the road against Southern Methodist. They failed to cover the 6.5-point spread as underdogs. The Cougars got 11 points from Kirk Van Slyke, but it was Southern Methodist that prevailed in a 70-54 final on Wednesday at Moody Coliseum.


East Carolina Pirates Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 3-7
Before playing Southern Miss are 4-6
After playing Texas El Paso are 3-3
After a loss are 4-6

Houston Cougars Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 8-2
Before playing Texas El Paso are 6-4
After playing Southern Methodist are 7-3
After a loss are 2-8

A few Pirates at Cougars trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of East Carolina's last 5 games on the road
East Carolina is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
East Carolina is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
East Carolina is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against East Carolina
Houston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games when playing East Carolina
Houston is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing East Carolina


Next up:
East Carolina home to Southern Miss, Wednesday, January 25
Houston home to Texas El Paso, Saturday, January 28