Total Take As James Madison Looks To Upset Duke

James Madison vs. Duke, 5:15 ET

After today, there will be just sixteen teams remaining, and we will be set for another exciting weekend as college hoops in just a few days. So far, public plays haven't been great, which is unfortunate because the few plays I've done for myself and haven't written about have gone well. In any case, I am hopeful that I can turn that around and deliver some good games for us today. One of the plays that I have for today is on the game between James Madison and Duke as they look to extend their tournament run.

You probably haven't heard of James Madison, but believe it or not, they were ranked at one point this season. They also were able to go 32-3 this season. They started the season against Michigan State on the road and were able to win the game in overtime. That was when Michigan State was ranked fourth in the nation. They reeled off 14 wins in a row to start the season before falling to Southern Mississippi on the road. They only lost two more games all season, both were to Appalachian State. They won the Sun Belt Tournament Championship with only one of the games being even remotely close. In their first game against Wisconsin, they rode a strong first half, winning 33-20, to propel them to victory. They forced Wisconsin into 19 turnovers compared to their 12. They also held Tyler Wahl to just five points and AJ Storr to only 13 points. Their team had four double-digit scorers but didn't shoot that well in this game. They did have three guys in foul trouble in this game and still managed to navigate that to escape with a win. In order to win this one, they will need to be aggressive once again on defense and make things difficult for Duke's Kyle Filipowski. 

HARRISONBURG, VA - JANUARY 11:  T.J. Bickerstaff #3 of the James Madison Dukes is introduced before a college basketball game against the South Alabama Jaguars at the Atlantic Union Bank Center on January 11, 2024 in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

I've said this all season, but Duke, to me, seems like the team that gets more credit because of the name on the front of the jersey as opposed to their actual performance. Sure they are sitting at 25-8 for the season, but they lost their tournament opener to North Carolina State. They've lost twice to North Carolina, once to Wake Forest, once at home to both Pittsburgh and Arizona, and back-to-back games against Arkansas and Georgia Tech. Those aren't all concerning losses, but some of them are and, to me, means that they are susceptible to falling apart at times. They played Vermont in the opener and made light work of their opponent as they won the game 64-47. It was a fairly close game at halftime with the Blue Devils heading into the locker room up just five points. They seemed to make some solid defensive adjustments in the second half as they held Vermont to just 18 points. My concern is that the starters played more than I personally would've liked for them to play in this game. Their bench combined for just 19 minutes spread across five players. All starters played at least 34 minutes. They should be in fine condition to play that long, but that can bear an impact on the next game.

I do think Duke will win this game and I don't expect it to be particularly close as I think their inside-out game will give them a clear edge. Filipowski only took one field goal in 37 minutes so Duke can win even if James Madison can neutralize him, but I don't think they can. I think this will likely be a lower scoring game though and will play the total under 148.5. As far as the side, I do think Duke can win this game by eight or more, but I don't have as much confidence. This is a pretty strong James Madison team. I'm going to just play the under. 

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