Tulsa @ East Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 3, 2019 ) East Carolina 78, Tulsa 91

Two teams that entered the season with low expectations in the American Athletic Conference will look to get their third win in league play when East Carolina hosts Tulsa on Wednesday. East Carolina’s early AAC success has been the most surprising, upsetting Southern Methodist and pushing Wichita State to its limit after finishing the non-conference slate under .500.

The Pirates have struggled defensively, allowing over 70 points a game -- worst in the American -- and the defense has directly correlated to wins by holding opponents under 40 percent field goal shooting in all eight wins. But what keeps East Carolina in games is AAC Player of the Year candidate Jayden Gardner, who is the only player in the conference and one of 25 in the country to average 20 points while eclipsing the 20-point plateau 11 times, including the last eight games. Tulsa had been trending in the wrong direction, losing its last three non-conference games and getting blown out by Cincinnati before the improbable win against Houston. The Golden Hurricane made 40 percent of their 3-point attempts after laying a goose egg from beyond the arc against Cincy.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: None

ABOUT TULSA (10-6, 2-1 AAC): Since being inserted into the starting lineup five games ago, junior forward Jeriah Horne has averaged 15.8 points, highlighted by a season-high 28 points against Colorado State. After averaging just two points in his previous two games, including a scoreless effort against Temple, junior guard Darien Jackson came alive for a career-high 19 points against Houston. Despite scoring outbursts from other players, junior college transfer Brandon Rachal has been the team’s most consistent scorer, eclipsing double figures in 13 of 16 games and averaging a team-best 14.6 points overall.

ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (8-8, 2-1): After a disappointing scoreless performance against South Florida, junior college transfer Tremont Robinson-White scored 11 points and shot 80 percent shooting from the floor against SMU, his fourth time reaching double figures in the last five games. While freshman point guard Tristen Newton has been a factor for his ball-handling ability, with his 2.1 assist-turnover ratio leading the AAC, he had his best offensive performance in weeks against SMU, scoring 11 points on three 3-pointers, including the game-winner. Junior swingman J.J. Miles has made a 3-pointer in all seven games since returning from injury, shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc in that time.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. East Carolina has shot better from the floor in the second half than the first half in each of the last five games.

2. Tulsa is 11-2 against East Carolina since the inception of the AAC in 2013-2014 and has won the last five matchups.

3. Gardner leads the nation in free throws attempted (135) and is third in free throws made (100).

PREDICTION: East Carolina 72, Tulsa 70