Opening night of the 2022-2023 college basketball season saw some surprises and upsets, look no further than Oklahoma dropping one to Sam Houston, #14 TCU barely edging Arkansas-Pine Bluff 73-72, a pair of AAC schools taking bad losses in UCF & USF and #1 UNC getting more than they bargained for, in future Pirate opponent, UNCW. Let’s take a look at how every ECU non-conference opponent performed in the season opener last night.
PRESBYTERIAN
Carolina University 42 Presbyterian 76
Plays ECU: Sat. Nov. 12th, 4:00 PM, Minges Coliseum, Greenville, NC.
Game MVP: Presbyterian senior guard Trevon Reddish, 14 PTS 3 AST 3 REB 3 STL
Taking on a relatively unknown DII program out of the NCCAA in the Carolina University Bruins, Presbyterian did pretty much what was expected, not trailing at any point in the ballgame. The Blue Hoses dominated the stat sheet grabbing 47 rebounds to the Bruins’s 31, as well as forcing 22 turnovers and giving up the ball 10 times. Bizarrely, something to keep an eye on, Presbyterian was abysmal from three-point range only nailing 4 out of 22 of their three-pointers (18.2% 3FG), something a defensive-minded Pirate team should be able to capitalize on. Nobody stood out in this contest with the game’s leading scorer being Blue Hose senior guard Trevon Reddish with 14 points along with 3 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Indiana State
Green Bay 53 Indiana State 80
Plays ECU: Mon. Nov. 21st, Hertz Arena, Estero, FL.
Game MVP: Indiana St. senior guard Courvoisier McCauley, 23 PTS, 10 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK
The Sycamore’s were money from three (14-29, 48.3%) and were lights out defensively against Horizon League foe, Green Bay. The Phoenix could not buy a bucket, shooting 38.5% FG & 27.8% 3FG. Green Bay also only saw one double-digit scorer in junior guard Davin Zeigler (19 PTS), while being outrebounded 32-24.
Old Dominion
Maryland-Eastern Shore 65 Old Dominion 84
Plays ECU: Sat. Nov. 26th, 7:00 PM, Chartway Arena, Norfolk, VA.
Game MVP: ODU junior guard Mekhi Long, 25 points 10 REB 2 AST 1 STL
A back and forth competitive ballgame for the Monarchs battling MEAC member, Maryland Eastern-Shore. ODU had their hands full in the first half with the RedHawks, as both teams traded blows, and the Monarchs held a 40-33 lead at the half. Neither team won the turnover battle, both being tied at 10 turnovers a piece and the Monarchs struggling to shoot beyond the arc (5-17, 29.4 3FG%) but the difference maker was ODU’s ability to dominate the paint. The Monarchs scored 40 points in the paint to MES’s 18 and outrebounded the RedHawks, 44 to 23. ODU’s lengthy 6’7 junior guard Mekhi Long was much to blame for the ODU’s ability to score inside, drawing fouls and shooting a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe and putting on a dunk clinic as well as using his size at the guard position to grab 10 rebounds, the Pirates will have to account for a Monarch’s squad who predicates themselves on their physicality and their ability to get boards.
Campbell
St Augustine 62 Campbell 79
Plays ECU: Fri. Dec. 2nd, 7:00 PM, Minges Coliseum, Greenville, NC.
Game MVP: Campbell senior forward Jay Pal, 13 PTS 8 REB 4 BLK 1 AST 1 STL
The Camels were very comparable to their DII opponents on the stat sheet and the court. To be fair the Camels, did rotate a lot of guys and ride out their bench but does Campbell pride themselves on defense, shooting, and rebounding? Who knows? Nothing stood out, as Campbell played to the level of their opponent with the score being very misleading. St Augustine was better statistically in three-point percentage and field goal percentage. Turnovers and rebounding played a role in the win for Campbell as they barely edged in those categories 36-30 REB & 13-16 TOs but the ultimate difference maker was the Camels’ D1 depth and bench over their lesser opponent.
UNCW
UNCW 56 UNC 69
Plays ECU: Tue. Dec. 6th, 7:00 PM, Trask Coliseum, Wilmington, NC.
Game MVP: UNC junior guard R.J. Davis, 17 PTS 4 REB 1 AST 1 STL
UNCW may have not won the game, but they might’ve been the most impressive Pirate non-conference foe and likely have knocked off that number 1 next to UNC’s name. Who would’ve thought the Seahawks would outrebound, get more second-chance points opportunities and offensive boards than a team with the likes of senior forward Armando Bacot, the preseason ACC Player of the Year and the supposed best team in the country? What ultimately plagued UNCW, was a downright horrid night shooting, where the Seahawks posted 17-58 FG (29.3%) & 4-16 3FG (25%). The moment might’ve been too bright, too early for UNCW, as the Seahawks when given multiple opportunities couldn’t seem to get out of their own way.
Coppin State
Coppin State 59 Charlotte 82
Plays ECU: Sun. Dec. 11th, 2:00 PM, Minges Coliseum, Greenville, NC.
Game MVP: Charlotte junior guard Jackson Threadgill, 16 PTS 4 AST 2 REB 1 STL
Late in the first half, all signs pointed to this potentially being a very competitive matchup as the Eagles only trailed by 8 with roughly 2 minutes until halftime, but the poor shot selection and undisciplined basketball ultimately plagued Coppin State. 20 personal fouls, only 6 assists collectively, and 3-22 3FG (13.6%) tell the whole story for why this game got ugly quickly and Charlotte took over.
High Point
Pfeiffer 71 High Point 111
Plays ECU: Wed. Dec. 21st, 6:00 PM, Minges Coliseum, Greenville, NC.
Game MVP: High Point junior guard Jaden House, 23 PTS 1 REB 1 AST 1 STL
23 combined turnovers, 22 personal fouls, 23.1 3FG% & 38.4 FG% for Pfeiffer and it’s not too puzzling to figure out why this game became what it did. High Point saw 4 double-digit scorers in the win as well as leading in just about every statistical category you want to lead in.
Ben Byrum, Producer – 94.3 The/The Patrick Johnson Show