Pirates Host N.C. Wesleyan In Season Opener
November 08, 2013 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 8, 2013
 vs.  |
| East Carolina vs. N.C. Wesleyan Nov. 8, 2013 | 8 p.m. EST Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum | Greenville, N.C. |
 Watch |  Live Stats |  Game Notes |  Tickets |  Gameday Central |
| GREENVILLE, N.C. --- East Carolina opens its 82nd overall season and 50th Division I campaign on Friday, Nov. 8 when it hosts N.C. Wesleyan inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum at 8 p.m. EST. The Pirates are one of five teams that will begin the season on a winning steak after winning their final five games of the 2012-13 campaign en route to winning the CIT championship. The Pirates have won their season opener in each of the 13 seasons and have won their home opener in 11 consecutive seasons. ECU has won 19 straight games against non-Division I opponents, the last of which came 310 days ago when the Pirates defeated N.C. Wesleyan 91-60, its fourth straight win in the series. A win over the Battling Bishops would give ECU its seventh consecutive home win and move the Pirates to eight wins shy of 400 victories at Minges Coliseum. A year ago, the Pirates won a school record 17 home games and are 38-16 at home the last three seasons. Seniors Akeem Richmond and Petar Torlak along with junior Paris Roberts-Campbell are the captains of this year's team. Richmond is the Pirates' only returning double-digit scorer and Roberts-Campbell is the lone returning starter. Richmond is among the top 3-point shooters in the country after ranking among the top 25 in the 3-point field goals made (16th/3.0) and 3-point field goal percentage (24th/.420). His 293 career 3-pointers are second-most among all active players. ECU returns just 29 percent of its scoring and only 21 percent of its rebounding from a 2012-13 team that finished 23-13 overall, 9-7 in Conference USA and ranked 18th in the nation in scoring. The 23 wins ranked as tied for the most in school history. The Pirates shared the basketball better than most teams in country last season, ranking second in the NCAA in assists per game (17.2) with Miguel Paul handing out 7.2 dimes a night, seventh-best in Division I. This season ball distribution will fall on the shoulders of sophomore Prince Williams and junior college transfer Antonio Robinson. List at 6-foot-5 and 6-4, respectively, the duo gives ECU a new type of physical and tall point guard. Sophomores Marshall Guilmette and Michael Zangari are expected to see a substantial increase in playing time in the paint following the departure of its entire starting frontcourt. Freshmen Brandan Stith and Caleb White are also expected to play a significant part in the rotation inside the paint. The Pirates will play two of their first three games at home before journeying over to Durham on Nov. 18 to compete in the 2013 NIT Tip-Off.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
