Central Florida @ East Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 18, 2017 ) Central Florida 61, East Carolina 58

Two teams looking to avoid consecutive losses to start American Athletic Conference play clash on New Year's Eve as Central Florida visits East Carolina on Sunday. Both teams struggled offensively in their conference openers.

Despite averaging 70.5 points per game on the season, East Carolina was limited to 53 in a loss at Tulsa on Thursday - the second time in three contests the Pirates have been held to fewer than 54. East Carolina will be facing a UCF team that has held opponents to fewer than 60 points five times this season, including three of the past four games. The Knights are coming off a performance in which they held SMU 20 points below its season average, but were unable to muster up enough offense. UCF enters the game averaging just 66.3 points per game.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPNews

ABOUT CENTRAL FLORIDA (9-4, 0-1 AAC): Behind their strong defensive mindset, the Knights know how to hold on to a lead this season. UCF is a perfect 8-0 when leading with 10 minutes left to play in the second half and 9-0 when in front with five minutes remaining. All four of the Knights' losses this season have come when they have trailed at the five-minute mark.

ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (6-6, 0-1): The Pirates have proven to be comeback artists this season with four of their six victories coming after being down by 10 or more points during the game. East Carolina has erased deficits of 17, 12 and 10 on two occasions. The 12-point halftime deficit against Grambling State marked the third-largest halftime comeback in school history since 1968.

TIP-INS

1. UCF G B.J. Taylor is expected to miss his 13th consecutive contest with a foot injury suffered in the season opener, but coach Johnny Dawkins said he is on schedule to return for the Knights' next game on Jan. 3.

2. East Carolina G B.J. Tyson needs eight made field goals to move into a tie for ninth on the team's all-time list and is three made free throws from moving into the top 10 in program history.

3. UCF is 9-0 this season when scoring at least 60 points while 0-4 when producing under 60. Dating back to March 10, the Knights have won 13 consecutive games when scoring at least 60 and lost six in a row when failing to reach the mark.

PREDICTION: Central Florida 66, East Carolina 59