East Carolina University
UCF
GAMEDAY: Pirates Set To Open Tournament Play Versus UCF
March 07, 2018 | Men's Basketball
| Game 30: vs. UCF (American Athletic Conference Championship - First Round) | |
| Date: | Thursday, March 8, 2018 |
| Time: | 9 p.m. (ET) |
| Location: | Orlando, Fla. (Amway Center) |
| Live Game Coverage: | TV: ESPNU Radio: WNCT 107.9 FM | TuneIn Radio Online | Sirius XM (Sirius 138, XM 202) Video Stream: WatchESPN |
| Internet Options: | Live Stats |
| Game Notes: | ECU | UCF | The American |
ORLANDO, Fla. – The 11th-seeded Pirates will open play in the 2018 American Athletic Conference Championship by taking on sixth-seeded UCF Thursday at 9 p.m. at the Amway Arena.
Â
The winner of the ECU-UCF game will take on third-seeded Houston in Friday's quarterfinal round at 9 p.m. Both games will be televised on ESPNU and will be streamed live on WatchESPN.
Â
ECU enters the game with a record of 10-19 overall and 4-14 in The American. The Pirates come into the tournament on a five-game losing streak after dropping their regular season finale at Memphis, 90-70, on Sunday.
The Pirates are led offensively by senior guard B.J. Tyson, averaging 15.0 points per game. Tyson is the second all-time leading scorer in The American with 1,556 career points. He has scored 20 or more points in three of the last six games and seven times overall this year.
Junior Isaac Fleming (12.9) and freshman Shawn Williams (12.2), who was voted the conference's Rookie-of-the-Year, are each averaging over 12 points per game. Fleming has scored double figures in 10 of the last 11 games, while Williams has dropped double-digit points in 12 of the last 13 contests.
Williams is shooting over 42 percent outside the arc during that stretch, knocking down 47-of-111 3-point attempts.
Fleming ranks second in the conference in assists with 5.0 dimes per game.
Â
UCF enters Thursday's game with a record of 18-12 overall and 9-9 in league play. The Knights ended the regular season with a win over Tulane Sunday to snap a three-game losing streak.
UCF is led in scoring by B.J. Taylor, averaging 15.5 points per game. A.J. Davis ranks second on the team with 12.4 points per game.
Davis leads the Knights and ranks second in the conference in rebounding with 8.0 boards per game. Over the last seven games he has averaged 18.9 ppg, while shooting 57.7 percent from the field and 58.1 percent from three-point range.
UCF ranks second in the conference in scoring defense and field goal percent defense. The Knights have held 12 opponents to less than 60 points this season, five to less than 50 and three to less than 40 points.
ECU and UCF are meeting for the 29th time, with the Knights holding a 19-9 series lead. UCF won the lone regular season meeting, posting a 59-39 victory in Greenville on New Year's Eve.
The Pirates have a 2-1 record against UCF in conference tournament play, including a first round overtime victory at the 2015 American conference tournament in Hartford, Conn.
Â
