East Carolina University
UCF
ECU Faces UCF In AAC First Round
March 10, 2021 | Men's Basketball
| Game 19: East Carolina vs. UCF | |
| Date | Time | March 11, 2021 | 7 p.m. ET // 6 p.m. CT |
| Location | Fort Worth, Texas (Dickies Arena) |
| Game Program | Tournament Program |
| Live Game Coverage |
TV: ESPN2 | Stream: Watch ESPN Radio: WNCT 107.9 // WRHD 94.3 FM | TuneIn Radio Online |
| Live Stats | Statbroadcast |
| Statistics | ECU | UCF |
| Game Notes | ECU | UCF | The American |
| Social Media | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | #OnePirateNation |
East Carolina opens the 2021 American Athletic Conference Championship on Thursday with a first round matchup against No. 6 seed UCF at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. UCF won both head-to-head matchups during the regular season and have won 11 in a row overall against the Pirates.
The teams faced off a week ago in Greenville with the Knights holding off a late East Carolina charge for a 64-60 win. ECU fell behind by 13 in the game's first seven minutes and despite rallying to cut its deficit to two twice in the final six minutes, the Pirates were unable to overcome their slow start. UCF shot 43.1 percent from the field while holding the Pirates to 34.5 percent shooting.
That same storyline played out in the first meeting of the season in Orlando as trailed by 17 at halftime, 42-25, and mounted a fierce second half rally to pull within three, 62-59, with 4:24 remaining, but was unable to recover, falling by seven, 71-64.
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Jayden Gardner averaged 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the two games with Tremont Robinson-White scoring 18 on the road and Tristen Newton 18 at home.
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Gardner is averaging a league-best 18.3 points per game this season along with 8.3 rebounds. Newton has scored double figures in each of the Pirates' last two games since returning from an extended pause, while Brandon Suggs has also been a key contributor, averaging 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
UCF enters the tournament on a four-game winning streak and has won six of its last eight games overall. During their current winning streak, the Knights have been scoring an average of 75.5 points per game - 8.3 more points per game than their season average (67.2).
UCF is the only team in the American Athletic Conference with three players in the Top 18 in the league in scoring. Darius Perry ranks seventh with 14.6 points per game, Brandon Mahan is 13th with 12.5, and Darian Green is 16th at 11.7 points per contest.
Green has averaged 17.0 points and made 16-of-32 3-point attempts against the Pirates in four career games.
The Knights own the highest 3-point field goal shooting percentage (.361) in the conference, while  ECU is shooting just 30.9
East Carolina's last victory over UCF was in the first round of the 2015 American Basketball Championship in Hartford, Conn., earning an 81-80 overtime win to complete a three-game season sweep of the Knights.
That was one of four all-time postseason tournament meetings in the series with both teams winning a pair of games.
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