Southern Methodist @ East Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 2, 2019 ) East Carolina 54, Southern Methodist 82

Southern Methodist has taken care of business in its first two American Athletic Conference games against teams towards the bottom of the standings, in line with its non-conference schedule that saw them lose only twice. The Mustangs likely will not get their first big AAC challenge Saturday when they visit East Carolina to take on a Pirates team that is under .500 with multiple bad losses to mid-major opponents.

Depth on offense has driven the Mustangs all season and particularly of late, as four players have reached double figures in each of the last nine games. That run coincides with the debut of transfer point guard Kendric Davis, who averages a team-high 16.6 points and 7.3 assists, good enough for seventh-best in the nation. While SMU will have no problem scoring, it will have to stop Pirates forward Jayden Gardner, who leads the AAC with 21.4 points per game and has eclipsed 20 points in seven straight games. East Carolina has picked things up of late, picking up a conference win against South Florida, nearly upsetting Wichita State and winning five straight games at Williams Arena.

TIME: 2 p.m. ET. TV: ESPNU.

ABOUT SOUTHERN METHODIST (12-2, 2-0 AAC): Forward Isiaha Mike, who was the leading scorer up until Davis’ emergence, still averages 15.6 points, despite scoring a combined 16 in his last two games, and can still step out and hit a 3-pointer. Junior college guard Tyson Jolly has also taken a back seat to Davis but has still been effective, averaging over 15 points and cashing in just over 50 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc in the last four games. While sophomore forward Feron Hunt has been a presence on the glass, averaging 7.9 rebounds while notching four double-doubles, he is picking things up offensively, coming off a career-high 20 points against Central Florida and boasting a 58.6 field goal percentage.

ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (7-8, 1-1): After scoring in double digits in five of his previous seven games, guard Tremont Robinson-White laid an egg against South Florida, failing to score in 22 minutes. Fellow junior college transfer Tyrie Jackson had been trending in the right direction, scoring nine points in 31 minutes against USF after a brutal scoreless effort against Wichita State, though the guard was helped off the court with a leg injury. One of the more underlooked passers in the conference is freshman Tristen Newton, ranking seventh with 3.7 dishes per game while his 2.1 assist-turnover ratio leads the way.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. SMU is first in the AAC and fifth in the nation with a 78.6 free-throw percentage.

2. Davis has five or more assists in all but one game for SMU, which is 9-0 when holding opponents below 40 percent shooting.

3. Gardner is one of 11 players in the country to have 10 or more 20-point games.

PREDICTION: SMU 85, East Carolina 69