College

East Carolina athletics director Jon Gilbert received a text message from an ECU football player last Sunday, one day after the Pirates’ season ended with a 49-24 loss to Tulsa at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

East Carolina’s Jake Verity made the most field goals among American Athletic Conference football kickers this season, but he was named second-team All-AAC on Wednesday instead of earning the first-team distinction.

One year later, Jon Gilbert is encouraged yet not satisfied.

East Carolina’s basketball team wanted to focus on defense to stop a three-game losing streak, but after an 85-75 home loss to Coppin State on Tuesday handed the Pirates their fourth straight defeat, more concerns only rose to the surface.

East Carolina basketball wants December to be different.

When East Carolina lost 49-24 to Tulsa last Saturday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, it finalized the Pirates going 1-7 in the American Athletic Conference for the second straight year and three out of four seasons.

The most frustrating thing for East Carolina’s basketball team on Saturday was scoring 89 points at James Madison but still losing by double digits.

Mike Aresco is confident that Saturday’s American Athletic Conference football championship winner, either Memphis or Cincinnati, will receive the Group of Five’s spot to play in a New Year’s Six bowl game.

Welcome another non-Atlantic Coast Conference college football team to the top five.

Some college football postgame news conferences are rooted in reflection. Others are humbling.

East Carolina's football season ended in disappointing fashion Saturday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, falling 49-24 to Tulsa. Here are three answers from the ECU-Tulsa game:

East Carolina's basketball team received a boost with formerly injured point guard Tremont Robinson-White making his season debut Saturday at James Madison, and he scored the first points of the game, but JMU had too much offense for the Pirates and the Dukes won 99-89.

Even as East Carolina’s football offense showed steady improvement throughout the season, the Pirate defense never was able to show the same, and it was visible again in the team’s season finale on Saturday, a sluggish 49-24 blowout loss to Tulsa at home in which the hosts could not get enou…

East Carolina standout freshman receiver C.J. Johnson and Tulsa cornerback Allie Green IV were seen grappling with each other on the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium field early in the second quarter Saturday with the Pirates already facing a double-digit deficit and trying to find their rhythm on offe…

Much like there was no denying Tulsa on Saturday, there was no denying the sour taste East Carolina’s football team was left with Saturday to take into an important offseason.

Beat writer Ronnie Woodward has these three questions, written form plus video at the bottom, for ECU-Tulsa heading into kickoff. Check back after the game for the answers:

The winner of today’s East Carolina-Tulsa football matchup will not have enough wins to go to a bowl game, but motivation stems from both teams wanting to end on a final victory to take into the offseason.

The winner of today’s East Carolina-Tulsa football matchup will not have enough wins to go to a bowl game, but motivation stems from both teams wanting to end on a final victory to take into the offseason.