GREENVILLE, North Carolina – East Carolina returns to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Sunday afternoon as the Pirates welcome the Florida Atlantic Owls to a nationally televised contest.

The game begins at 1:00 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2 with Mike Corey (play-by-play) and Sean Harrington (analyst) on the phone. Pirates fans can also tune in to 107.9 WNCT and 94.3 The Game or download the IBX mobile app to hear Daron Vaught call the action.

Sunday’s game also continues the “Holiday Hoops” promotion as fans can get $8 tickets for general admission seats in the lower stand and seats behind the basket in the upper level.

The Pirates are led in scoring by All-AAC Preseason First Team guard RJ Feltons 17.1 points per game and the senior adds 6.5 rebounds per game. CJ Walker He is second in scoring with 16.4 points per game and leads the team in rebounding with 6.9 points per game. Jordan Riley (14.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and Cam Hayes (10.6 ppg, 3.9 apg) round out ECU’s double-digit scoring totals. The quartet of Felton, Walker, Riley and Hayes accounts for 76 percent of the Pirates’ point production.

Rahjai Harris signs autographs
East Carolina running back and 2024 Go Bowling Military Bowl MVP Rahjai Harris will meet fans and sign autographs before the game at Minges Coliseum on Sunday, January 5, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Fans attending the event will receive a commemorative photo of Harris’ remarkable 86-yard touchdown run in the Pirates’ Military Bowl victory, courtesy of Specialty FDR. This is a unique opportunity to celebrate Harris’ extraordinary achievement while preparing for an exciting basketball match.

Out last time

Jordan Riley scored a game-high 20 points, but East Carolina could not overcome a 20-point deficit in the second half as the Pirates lost to South Florida 75-69 in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams at the Yuengling Center on New Year’s Eve. CJ Walker And RJ Felton The Pirates scored 16 and 13 points respectively (8-6, 0-1 AAC), who have lost five of their last six games after nearly erasing their largest deficit for a win since 1981.

Looking for the owls
Florida Atlantic comes to Greenville on the back of a two-game losing streak, having lost 90-62 at home to No. 21 Memphis. Kaleb Glenn leads the Owls with 13.2 points per game (18th in the AAC). The Owls’ offense is the second-best in the nation, averaging 83.1 points per game, and Florida Atlantic has scored over 80 points in eight games this year.

Series story
Florida Atlantic leads the all-time series with East Carolina 3-2 after defeating the Pirates 79-64 in Boca Raton. Two of the previous four meetings occurred when both schools were members of Conference USA. The Owls are 2-0 in Minges and last played in Greenville on December 1, 2015, where they earned a 74-48 win.

On this date
The Pirates are 8-6 in games played on Jan. 5, as ECU last played on that date in 2021-22, defeating Tulane 88-80 in overtime in the Pirates’ AAC opener. ECU is 5-2 in home games on Jan. 5.

Next
The Pirates stay home for a midweek matchup against Temple on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.