GREENVILLE č The Pirates will try for their first-ever Conference USA tournament victory today when they take on Central Florida for the third time this year at 1 p.m. at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.

There is a lot to suggest that East Carolina (16-14, 8-8) may be able to pull of that milestone as it heads into the C-USA tourney with a winning record for the first time since joining the conference in 2001. The eighth-seeded Pirates have also swept the season series with the ninth-seeded Knights (19-10, 6-10) as they won the first match up on the road 74-62, then topped them at home 68-61.

Despite having the higher seed, ECU’s first-year coach Jeff Lebo said his team is better suited to play the  underdog role because of the degree of difficulty in trying to beat a conference team three times in one season.

“I think we are at a little bit of a disadvantage playing Central Florida who is a very, very talented team and is playing better now then when we beat them twice,” Lebo said. “I think psychology the advantage goes to them. I think we are confident going into the tournament, but confidence doesn’t mean anything to me unless you play well.”

Lebo continued.

“I think from a psychological standpoint with the kids, I think having somebody that beat you before is a little bit of an advantage psychologically in some ways,” Lebo said. “Look at the game I watched the other night where it was the College of Charleston and Wofford. Charleston had beaten them twice during the year, and then the third time in the conference championship Wofford beat them. So I think sometimes it can work against you a little bit.”

The Pirates are led by the trio of third team all-Conference USA guard Jontae Sherrod, who is eighth in the conference in scoring with 15.9 points per game, along with F/C Darrius Morrow, who is the team’s leading rebounder (5.3 rpg) and is posting 12 points per contest, and point guard Brock Young who is dishing out 4.4 assists and scoring 9.9 points a night.

Those three have contributed on fairly consistent basis this season, but Lebo said he will need the team’s other key players to step up.

“We will have to get some production out of Corvonn Gaines, Erin Straughn and Jamar Abrams,” Lebo said. “That is going to be crucial for us.”

Abrams may be the biggest X-factor for the Pirates. Abrams is third on the team in scoring with 10.3 points per night and when he is shooting the long ball effectively the Pirates offense can be very tough to defend.

The Knights started out the season on a torrid pace having won their first 14 games to crack the top 25 rankings earlier this year. From that point on UCF did a 180 as it lost eight straight games, including the team’s 74-62 defeat at home at the hands of ECU.

The erratic Knights surged towards the end of the season having won five of their last seven games. UCF received a boost when guard A.J. Rompza (6.1 ppg) returned to the lineup from injury. With the return of Rompza, Lebo said this UCF team is a different one then the one his Pirates have faced twice already.

“They are playing better. Rompza was hurt and missed some games. He’s back and is such a big part of what they do,” Lebo said. “His numbers don’t jump out at you but his leadership and toughness on the floor is really important for them. He is back and playing and that makes them a different team now.”

The Knights are led by the trio of Marcus Jordan, Keith Clanton and Isaac Sosa. Jordan, a sophomore guard and the son of NBA legend Michael Jordan, is the team’s leading scorer with 15.9 points per game. Clanton is a big and athletic sophomore forward who is posting 13.9 points per night to go along with his 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a game. Sosa, the team’s third-leading scorer with 8.6 points a night, is a junior guard with a veteran presence.

“I think we have to a good job on Sosa, he is the key for them. We can’t let him get three or four threes against us in this game, “ Lebo said. “Jordan and Clanton are guys that are going to score, they take a lot of shots. But, we have to do a good job of keeping Marcus off the foul line. He gets a ton of points from the foul line.”