Tulsa @ East Carolina preview

Tulsa at East Carolina

Last Meeting ( Mar 1, 2018 ) Tulsa 72, East Carolina 58

After losing its first five road games in American Athletic Conference play, Tulsa aims for its second consecutive win away from home when it visits East Carolina on Sunday. The Golden Hurricane are looking for their third straight overall victory, while the Pirates hope to snap their four-game skid.

Tulsa is coming off an 80-57 blowout win at Tulane on Thursday in which Jeriah Horne posted his first career double-double with 20 points and a personal-best 12 rebounds. The Golden Hurricane occupy eighth place in the AAC standings, but they’re just 1 1/2 games out of fifth. The Pirates are near the bottom of the standings after having lost nine of their last 10 games, including Wednesday's 79-69 home setback against Memphis. Tulsa has won nine of the last 10 meetings and leads the all-time series 18-3.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ESPN3

ABOUT TULSA (15-10, 5-7 American): The Golden Hurricane don’t have much size inside, but they have a tough time matching up in the paint. Swingman DaQuan Jeffries (14 points, 5.6 rebounds) is the team’s top scorer and rebounder, with Martins Igbanu (11.8, 5.4) and Sterling Taplin (10.1, 4.3 assists) also averaging double digits in points. Horne (9.8 points) has been a major contributor off the bench, especially recently as he is averaging 11.3 points during conference play and 14.8 over his last five games.

ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (9-15, 2-10): The Pirates are one of the nation’s least efficient teams at the offensive end, which has a lot to do with their shooting 26.6 percent from 3-point range. Freshman Jayden Gardner (17.5 points, 8.6 rebounds) leads the team in scoring and rebounding, but reserve Seth LeDay (10.8 points) posted his fourth double-double of the season in Wednesday’s loss to Memphis. Shawn Williams (11.2 points) has been a bit of a disappointment during his sophomore season, shooting just 32.1 percent from beyond the arc - down from 36.7 percent last campaign.

TIP-INS

1. Taplin (382) needs six assists to tie current Tulsa assistant coach Shea Seals for fifth place on the school’s all-time list.

2. Tulsa has held its last two opponents to season-low shooting percentages, limiting Temple to 30.6 percent and holding Tulane to 27.6 percent.

3. ECU has committed fewer turnovers than the opposition in five straight games and six of its last seven.

PREDICTION: Tulsa 73, East Carolina 69