James Madison vs. Duke March Madness Preview and Prediction
In a No. 12 vs. No. 4 matchup in the NCAA Tournament South Region, the James Madison Dukes face the Duke Blue Devils in second-round action.
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How to Watch James Madison vs. Duke
When: 5:15 pm ET on Sunday, March 24th
Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
Watch: CBS
Odds for James Madison vs. Duke
(odds current at time of publish)
Spread: Duke -7.5
Total: 149.5
DraftKings Betting Splits | Live College Basketball Odds | James Madison vs. Duke Matchup
South Region No. 12 James Madison Dukes
The Dukes got themselves on the map with a road win over Michigan State in the season opener. Terrence Edwards Jr. and TJ Bickerstaff, two of the better players on this James Madison team, combined to score 45 in that contest. That one showed the world that this Dukes team can beat high-level teams, making them dangerous entering March Madness. They also went on to go 30-3 the rest of the season, so this has been a dominant basketball team all year. One thing that’s interesting about James Madison is that the team can really shoot the 3-ball, and the Dukes also defend it very well. Doing both of those things is important in today’s game. James Madison is also a top-35 team in both EFG% and EFG% defense. And the Dukes are good about avoiding turnovers offensively, and also forcing them defensively. Don’t sleep on this program.
South Region No. 4 Duke Blue Devils
Duke still has a lot to prove under head coach Jon Scheyer, and the Blue Devils entered March Madness after a disappointing loss to NC State in the ACC Tournament. But Duke was a very good team for most of the regular season, posting elite numbers when it comes to points per possession on offense and very good marks on defense. The Blue Devils have a remarkable big man in Kyle Filipowski, who is capable of beating defenses in a number of different ways. And Duke can match anybody when it comes to guard play, as Jared McCain, Tyrese Proctor and Jeremy Roach make up a legitimate three-headed monster in the backcourt. So, this team is going to be very dangerous in the tournament. Scheyer just has to push the right buttons, which is something he has never done before.
James Madison vs. Duke Preview & Prediction
The upset that everybody expects to happen doesn’t always happen, but James Madison validated a lot of opinions. The Dukes handled Wisconsin, leading by 13 at the break in an 11-point win over the Badgers. The Dukes now face Duke in the second round, as the Blue Devils held Vermont to just 18 points in the second half of a 17-point triumph.
Many felt like James Madison could be the double-digit Cinderella of this year’s field and they’re looking to make it to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. In fact, the win over Wisconsin was JMU’s first Round of 64 win since 1983. They won a First Four matchup in 2013 over Long Island before losing by 21 to Indiana.
So, the Dukes have a little extra confidence rolling into a stiffer test against the Blue Devils, who entered the Big Dance as a top-10 team by adjusted offensive efficiency and the top 30 in adjusted defensive efficiency. This is a really good shot-making team that finished in the top 20 in 3P% and top 40 in 2P%. James Madison was the second-best defense by 3P%, but we have a massive strength of schedule gap here that has to be considered.
Of course, we also had a big SOS gap between JMU and Wisconsin that didn’t seem to matter one bit, as highly sought-after head coach Mark Byington led his team to a pretty comfortable victory. Duke will look to join Appalachian State and Southern Miss as the only teams to topple James Madison.
Estimated Score: Duke 78, James Madison 70
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