Once Upon A Time in America Betting Show
Marshall (11-2 SU, 8-2 ATS, 1-0 SBC) will host James Madison (9-4 SU, 8-2 ATS, 1-0 SBC) in the second Sun Belt Conference game for both programs at 2pmET from Huntington, WV.
Marshall came from Conference USA, while the Dukes were longtime members of the CAA.
JMU finished 15-14 overall last season and went 6-12 in the Colonial so they weren't coming into this league with a lot of momentum. A big reason they joined the Sun Belt was due to their football program, which was moving from FCS to FBS and was a transition team this year. The football program was a consistent contender for the championship game, while the basketball program has been a .500 or less team over the last five years. That should change with a brand new arena that seats 8,500.
Man felt so good to be back out there w my brothers and in front of everybody?? All love???? https://t.co/0Qj5Ng6ZRK
— Terell Strickland (@tjstrick11) December 18, 2022
Thrid-year coach Mark Byington returned four starters, so they didn't lack experience. The Dukes played well against some tough opponents, including losing at Virginia 55-50 on Dec. 6 and getting 12.5 points. They won two straight games over LIU (115-79) and Division III Gallaudet (106-43) at home. But their last game before the holiday break proved disastrous as they fell at Coppin State 107-100 in double overtime in Baltimore. The Dukes bounced back on Thursday to beat Georgia State 64-47 on the road to open up conference play. Tyree Ihenacho led JMU with 15 points but the team shot just 35% from the field and 3-of-14 from beyond the arc. Yet, they held the Panthers to just 29% from the field and 19% (4-21) from long range.
James Madison is ranked 84th on KenPom and that's despite owning a strength of schedule of just 308. The Dukes love to push the tempo as they rank first in the nation with 93.2 points per game and seventh in fiel d goal percentage with 50.7% shooting (38.8% 3pt). They also rank 14th in rebounding margin at 8.8. Defensively, they are allowing just 66.6 points per game on 40.4% shooting (30.3% 3pt).