Anyone care for some AAC Hoops? We’ve got a showdown happening in Philadelphia as the Temple Owls host the East Carolina Pirates in what is a massive revenge spot.
These two teams already met once, where East Carolina took down the Owls at home by just one point. That has basically been the Pirates shining moment this season, as nothing else seems to go their way against quality opponents. Sure, the Pirates are on a three game winning streak, but the Owls will be a much tougher opponent than they are used to.
Like I said, Temple is in a revenge spot at home. They just went into OT with Charlotte on Wednesday, but I believe they may have been looking forward to this one. Regardless, can they come out focused and take down a team that has already gotten the best of them?
East Carolina Pirates vs Temple Owls: AAC Showdown
Jamal Mashburn Jr leads the Owls with over 21 points per game
Matchup Information – East Carolina vs Temple
- Venue & Location: Liacouras Center (Philadelphia, PA)
- Date: Saturday, February 1st, 2025
- Tip Off: 2:00pm Eastern
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Betting Odds
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Spread
- East Carolina +2.5 (-105)
- Temple -2.5 (-115)
Total
- Over 145 (-110)
- Under 145 (-110)
Owls Look for Revenge at Home
Temple comes into this game a perfect 8-0 at home this season. Now, they have lost two of their last three, but with a team that ranks 10th in getting to the free throw line at home, I’ve got some faith in them. The Owls are actually a very fast team this year, ranking 63rd in possessions per game.
As far as advanced analytics go, they aren’t anything too crazy, but they simply get the job done. East Carolina is playing out of their minds right now, winning three straight games. However, they haven’t faced a quality team since Temple. They have three straight wins over teams ranked north of 150, but against teams ranked inside of 150, they struggle.
Temple is currently 137th in Bart Torvik, and they could be a tough task for ECU. In their last few games against Top 150 teams, ECU lost to North Texas by 9, lost to Memphis by 4, beat Temple by 1 and lost tot FAU by 2. Now all of those games had close margins, but ultimately, the Pirates could not get the job done.
With revenge in mind, and the fact that Temple is simply the better team, I’ll be backing them at home.
East Carolina Pirates vs Temple Owls Best Bets
Steve Settle leads the Owls in rebounds this year
East Carolina vs Temple Prediction: Temple Wins & Covers, Over 145
Best Bets: Temple ML (-142) BetOnline
Don’t be afraid, Pay the Juiceman. Temple is going to do whatever it takes to win this game at home and stay perfect in front of their fans. In their loss at East Carolina, the Owls actually led by 9 at halftime, only to give up 48 points in the 2nd half. At home, they won’t let that happen again.
Temple has a couple extra days to prepare for their next contest as well, so I could see ECU getting caught looking ahead to their next matchup. Overall, I have no problem backing who I feel is the better team on this number. With short spreads, I tend to pay some extra juice in order to only need an outright win. I do think Temple can cover, but I’d rather back the Owls to simply get the job done.
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