UConn senior Kentan Facey puts up a shot against SMU on Saturday, February 25, 2017 at the XL Center in Hartford. (Zhelun Lang/The Daily Campus)
Time and Place: 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 1 at the Minges Coliseum in Greenville, N.C.
Where to Watch: ESPNU, channel 50.2 on the HuskyVision cable listing
Last Meeting: UConn won 72-65 on Jan. 22, 2017 at the XL Center. The Huskies are 7-1 all-time against the Pirates
UConn’s Last Time Out: 69-61 loss to SMU at the XL Center on Feb. 25, 2017
ECU’s Last Time Out: 74-66 loss at Tulsa on Feb. 26, 2017
Projected Starting Lineups
UConn (14-14, 9-7 The American) vs. East Carolina (13-16, 5-11 The American)
G: Christian Vital vs. Jeremy Sheppard
Vital had a standout performance off the bench against SMU, stepping up when Jalen Adams departed with an ankle injury. He scored 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting overall, including 3-for-6 from three. Sheppard did not have similar luck, going 3-for-9 overall from the floor, with only one shot not being a 3-pointer. He only collected nine points.
G: Rodney Purvis vs. Caleb White
Purvis had an abysmal day against SMU on Saturday, going a horrid 4-for-18 from the floor overall and 2-for-12 from three. He scored just 11 points in 39 minutes of play. White had the best performance of any Pirate against Tulsa on Sunday, scoring 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting.
C: Amida Brimah vs. Andre Washington
Brimah continued his offensive ineptitude against SMU, scoring just one point on a single made free throw, though he amassed a team-best 11 boards. Washington scored just six points on 2-for-2 shooting and two made free throws and showed lackluster defense in the post.
F: Kentan Facey vs. Kentrell Barkley
Facey scored a team-high 15 points against SMU on Saturday, shooting an impressive 7-for-12 from the field. He was just shy of a double-double with nine rebounds. Barkley scored 19 points against Tulsa on a slightly worse 5-for-12 performance from the floor, but he sunk seven of 10 free throws.
F: Vance Jackson vs. Deng Riak
Jackson continued his strong offensive performance against SMU, scoring 14 points on 5-for-9 overall shooting before fouling out at the end of the game. Riak was held to just four points on 2-for-3 shooting from the field against Tulsa, but grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds.
Talking Points
Bottom of the barrel: ECU has lost three of their last five games and currently sits at ninth in the conference, above only Tulane and USF. They are the worst in the American in offense (62.6 points per game) and have a 39.8 shooting percentage from the field, also a league-worst.
Fantastic freshman: Jackson and Vital combined for 28 of UConn’s 61 points against SMU on Saturday, with both scoring 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting and tying for the second best offensive performance for that day. With Adams questionable to start against ECU, it’s likely that Vital will get the nod for just his seventh start of the season.
Senior Night festivities: Wednesday’s contest marks the final game for three Pirates, including starters Caleb White and Andre Washington. Washington is five blocks shy of setting an East Carolina single-season record of 92.
Stephanie Sheehan is the associate managing editor for The Daily Campus, covering men’s basketball. She can be reached via email at stephanie.sheehan@uconn.edu. She tweets @steph_sheehan.