Florida vs. East Carolina: Preview, Prediction, Odds, Where to Watch and More

Photo: Florida head coach Todd Golden; Credit: Zach Goodall

Florida remains away from the Stephen C. O'Connell Center for another neutral site bout against East Carolina in Lakeland, Fla., on Thursday.

The Gators are freshly removed from an 11-point victory over Richmond in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic and aim to produce their third-straight win.

You can find an in-depth rundown, prediction and everything else you need to know about the matchup before tip-off below.

Florida Gators (6-3) vs. East Carolina Pirates (6-4)

Where: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Fla.

When: Thursday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. ET

Watch: SEC Network

Radio: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD | FloridaGators.com | The Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 109 or 191 & SXM App

Odds: Florida is a 14.5-point favorite over East Carolina, according to SI Sportsbook. The over/under for the contest is set at 152.5 points.

Series history: This is the first-ever matchup between the Gators and Pirates.

Important stories

The rundown

Following a two-game losing skid at the hands of Baylor and Wake Forest, the Gators rebounded to turn in two straight double-digit-point victories, including a Quad-II win over Richmond in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic on Saturday.

Florida is now slated to take on an inconsistent East Carolina team, sitting at No. 265 in the NET Rankings through 10 contests.

The Pirates are freshly removed from a narrow 68-62 loss at home to another SEC opponent, South Carolina, on Saturday.

They'll look to rebound in Lakeland, Fla., against the surging Gators squad on the back of a well-distributed attack led by guards RJ Felton, Bobby Pettiford Jr. and Quentin Diboundje, and forwards Brandon Johnson and Ezra Ausar.

All five players average over nine points per game for the Pirates this season. Felton turns in the best mark with 16.2 points on 46.6% from the floor, while Johnson and Ausar account for 14.6 and 14.3, respectively.

Gators head coach Todd Golden wasn't remiss on the Pirates' talent when asked for his synopsis of the unit on Wednesday.

"They're talented," Golden told local media. "I think they have a lot of different guys who can score. I think all five of their guys in the starting lineup have had 20-plus point games so far this year."

Their style is similar to Florida's, given the offensive rebounding prowess East Carolina possesses to offer second-chance opportunities. So far this season, the Pirates rank No. 53 in offensive rebounds per contest, while the Gators rank No. 6.

Keeping players like Johnson, averaging 8.4 rebounds a game with two coming offensively, off the glass with UF bigs Micah Handlogten, Tyrese Samuel and Alex Condon maintaining their frequent presence around the cup at both ends of the floor will be paramount for Florida's gameplan.

In fact, the rebounding battle will likely be the driving factor in the contest's ultimate victor, given the reliance both teams have shown winning in that area to substantiate offensive production.

Defensively, East Carolina holds a high line outside the three-point line in an attempt to force opposing guards toward the sideline and stress them into turning the ball over. The unit forces just over 12 turnovers on average.

"On the defensive end, they play very similar to how Texas Tech played a few years ago when Chris Beard was their coach," Golden noted. "Ron Adams is on their staff and they try to keep you on the side, they try to turn you over, they try to make you make decisions on penetration. We have to play off two feet and be strong with the ball around the rim and not let them off the hook."

As a result, Florida's ball security will be stressed to primary ball handlers for Walter Clayton Jr., Zyon Pullin and Riley Kugel.

"We do that, we'll give ourselves a good shot, but they definitely do some things that are unique from some of the teams we've played so far this season."

Brandon's Prediction (3-1): Florida 83, East Carolina 65

Florida's showing against Richmond on Saturday proved to be a statement win, given the early test the talented Spiders team provided.

While still a team the Gators should've downed, the highly ranked mid-major opponent presented a more difficult challenge than the common viewer would realize. That task was more difficult than the one East Carolina displays, given the fundamentally sound nature and contrasting style Richmond imposed.

Despite the Pirates tightly contesting South Carolina in their most recent outing, Florida possesses the firepower to put them down earlier than the Gamecocks were able to.

Per usual, UF's starting five will play a big role, but the steady hand of sixth-man floor general Zyon Pullin will prove to be the difference as the Gators strive to avoid turning the ball over.

If they take care of the basketball and win the battle on the offensive boards, they'll cruise to a victory over a top-heavy East Carolina squad.

I think Florida will do that, producing a comfortable 83-65 victory in Lakeland.

The Gators extend their winning streak to three, and cover, to compound momentum heading into the Jumpman Classic matchup with Michigan in Charlotte on Tuesday.

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