Sports

AAC Tournament: East Carolina vs. South Florida odds, picks and predictions

Drew Phelps

Staff Writer

The East Carolina Pirates (15-17) battle the South Florida Bulls (23-6) Friday in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Tip from Dickies Arena is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET (ESPN2/ESPN+). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the East Carolina vs. South Floridaodds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.

The 8th-seeded Pirates beat the No. 9 Tulsa Golden Hurricanes 84-79 Thursday in the 2nd round. They covered the spread as 3.5-point favorites, and the Over (137.5) cashed. Sophomore F Ezra Ausar had 28 points and 10 rebounds for his 3rd double-double of the season.

The Pirates have never advanced to the AAC tournament final. East Carolina has not been to the Big Dance since winning the SoCon Tournament in 1972.

The Bulls had their 15-game win streak snapped with a 76-70 loss to Tulsa Saturday in their regular season finale. They lost outright as 5.5-point favorites, and the Under (148.5) cashed. That loss knocked them out of the top 25, but they were still able to capture the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.

First-time All-American Athletic Conference player G Chris Youngblood finished the season averaging 15.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. South Florida has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2012.

The Bulls beat East Carolina 71-60 in Greenville Jan. 31. South Florida covered the spread as a 1-point underdog, and the Under (135) cashed.

- Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

Stream select live college basketball games and full replays:Get ESPN+

East Carolina vs. South Florida odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:25 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): East Carolina +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | South Florida -275 (bet $275 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): East Carolina +6.5 (-110) | South Florida -6.5 (-110)
Over/Under (O/U): 136.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)

East Carolina vs. South Florida picks and predictions

Prediction

South Florida 73, East Carolina 64

Moneyline

PASS.

You should avoid betting South Florida (-275), as the juice is a bit more than I like. Bet the spread and/or total instead.

Against the spread

BET SOUTH FLORIDA -6.5 (-110).

The Bulls' loss at the end of the regular season to Tulsa has to sting. They had all the momentum in the world and it was ripped out from under them right before the tournament. I actually think that was a good thing for them because it was a wake up call. They have to know that these games don't come easy and you still have to work for them.

The Bulls are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10, while East Carolina has failed to cover in 4 of its last 6. South Florida took care of business in the Jan. 31 meeting, and I know it'll do it again Friday.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

Over/Under

PASS.

I do not see any advantage either way on this bet. These teams are 4-6 going over the total in the last 10 meetings.

The windows are open, North Carolina!

Online sports betting is LIVE!

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow @DrewPhelps05 on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X andlike us on Facebook.

College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:

Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / Iowa / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC / Wisconsin /

College Sports Wire: Men's hoops / Women's hoops / High School

Featured Weekly Ad