Week 15 Men's Basketball Preview: James Madison

After a close victory over the Toledo Rockets this past Saturday, James Madison has another homestand this week. They are trying to make up ground in the Sun Belt Conference as they are currently 12th in the conference with six games left to go.

Georgia State vs James Madison

JMU will look to start the homestand strong as they welcome the Georgia State Panthers to town. Georgia State has played decent against other Sun Belt teams with a record of 6-6. The biggest issue for Georgia State has been its performance against non-conference opponents with a 3-10 record. Georgia State is currently on a four-game losing streak, with its last defeat being a one-point loss to Northern Illinois in the MAC-SBC Challenge.

A major deficiency for Georgia State this season has been its offense. Out of 365 eligible teams, they rank 303rd in points, 323rd in offensive rating, and 364th in field goal percentage. Despite that, they do have the leading scorer in the Sun Belt Conference in Jelani Hamilton. Hamilton averages 18.0 points per game, despite his struggles during their losing streak. Over the past four games, Hamilton has averaged only 12.5 points, shooting 23% from the field and 19% from three. That is the complete opposite of his previous 16 games, where he averaged 19.4 points and shot 44% from the floor and 39% from beyond the arc. Him finding a rhythm will be important for Georgia State.

Georgia State has been a middle-of-the-pack defensive group all year, and JMU has been a below-average offense as they have struggled. JMU did get back leading scorer Justin McBride, who returned from an ankle injury in the last game. He looked rusty in the game, but his presence on the court made life easier for James Madison, who struggled in his two-game absence.

A big key for JMU’s defense will be to keep Georgia State off the free-throw line. Georgia State is currently the best free-throw shooting team in the conference at 79%.

Tipoff: Thursday, Feb 12 at 7:00 p.m. EST

TV: ESPN+

Radio: WRAS-FM 88.5 (TuneIn) & JMU Network

Appalachian State vs James Madison

The second matchup of the week will certainly be a tough out for JMU, as the Appalachian State Mountaineers will be coming to their building. App State has had an excellent season with a 17-9 record on the season, and 9-4 against the Sun Belt.

App State is currently on a six-game win streak, and they have been led by its stout defense, which has been an incredible unit all season long. Over the winning streak, they have given up an average of 54.2 points per game. For the season, they allow 64.1 points per game, which ranks 10th in all of college basketball, and opponents only shoot 38% from the field against them and 30% from the three-point line.

This is the second matchup of the season between these teams, with App State winning 80-65 back on January 15. James Madison, this time around, will look to slow down App State’s backcourt as Kasen Jennings and Alonzo Dodd scored 23 apiece. For the season, Jennings averages 15.0 and Dodd scores 13.3 points. They also get help from their starting center, Luke Wilson, who averages 10.2 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game, which is fourth in the Sun Belt.

McBride will look for a bounce-back performance as he scored six points and shot 2-15 in that matchup. JMU was led by Cliff Davis, who had 15, and Bradley Douglas with 10.

JMU will have some confidence going into this game off the fact that they beat Troy two weeks ago, and Troy sits atop the conference.

Tipoff: Saturday, Feb 14 at 4:00 p.m. EST

TV: ESPN+

Radio: Flagship 97.3 (North Wilkesboro) (App State)