The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles will look to snap a five-game losing streak when they take on the host East Carolina Pirates in nonconference action on Tuesday. The Golden Eagles (4-7), who finished 8-17 overall last season, are 2-14 on the road since the beginning of the 2020-21 season. The Pirates (8-3), who were 8-11 overall a year ago, are 14-6 at home over the past two seasons, including 7-0 this year. Southern Miss has won the last 11 meetings with ECU and has a 16-7 edge in the all-time series.
The game from Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, N.C., is scheduled to tip off at noon ET. USM is averaging 60.8 points per game, while ECU averages 73. The Pirates are 12.5-point favorites in the latest Southern Mississippi vs. East Carolina odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 133.5. Before making any East Carolina vs. Southern Miss picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Southern Miss vs. ECU, and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for ECU vs. Southern Miss:
- Southern Mississippi vs. East Carolina spread: East Carolina -12.5
- Southern Mississippi vs. East Carolina over-under: 133.5 points
- Southern Mississippi vs. East Carolina money line: ECU -800, Southern Miss +550
- USM: The under is 5-0 in the Golden Eagles' last five Tuesday games
- ECU: The Pirates are 9-21 against the spread in their last 30 home games vs. a team with a losing road record
Why East Carolina can cover
Sophomore forward Brandon Suggs will look to get back on track after a solid start to the season. He has registered seven double-digit scoring games, including seven in his first nine games of the year. His best game was a 25-point performance on 9 of 15 shooting from the floor in a 70-68 win over Coppin State on Nov. 27. For the season, Suggs is averaging 10.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, two assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Playing well of late is senior guard J.J. Miles, who has reached double figures in each of the last three games. He scored 11 points in the loss to Liberty on Friday. Prior to that, he poured in 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds in an 82-71 victory over North Carolina A&T. For the season, Miles is averaging 9.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
Why Southern Miss can cover
The Golden Eagles are without their top player, Tae Hardy, who is out for the year after suffering a shoulder injury in a 74-62 loss at Montana on Nov. 26. Helping pick up the slack has been junior forward Isaih Moore, who is averaging 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and one block per game. He is hitting on 57 percent of his shots from the floor. He has scored in double figures in nine games and has registered three double-doubles.
Junior forward Tyler Stevenson has also made his presence felt. He has scored in double figures in seven games, including two straight and seven of the past eight. His best game was at Montana, when he registered his third double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. He scored 11 in Saturday's loss to Louisiana Monroe. For the year, he is averaging 11.7 points, and a team-high 8.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.
How to make Southern Mississippi vs. East Carolina picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, projecting 134 combined points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the model's East Carolina vs. Southern Miss pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Southern Mississippi vs. ECU? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Southern Mississippi vs. East Carolina spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up nearly $2,200 on its college basketball picks the last five years, and find out.