Week 17 Men's Basketball Preview: James Madison

The James Madison Dukes have been on a roll and have won games in all types of ways, whether it be down to the wire or winning handily. They are currently on a five-game winning streak, their longest of the season. They end the regular season still trying to climb their way up the Sun Belt standings, and their two final opponents are close to them in the standings.

Georgia Southern at James Madison

James Madison will start their week welcoming the Georgia Southern Eagles to town. While JMU has been on a winning streak, the Eagles have been heading in the opposite direction. The Eagles have lost five of their last six games, with their latest defeat coming on the road to Appalachian State.

Georgia Southern has been able to rely heavily on its offense this season, averaging 80 points per game as a team, which ranks 89th in NCAA basketball, and that is largely thanks to the trio of Tavarus Webb, Tyren Moore, and Alden Applewhite. The three of them are the only ones in double digits with scoring, with Webb averaging 15.9, Moore with 14.8, and Applewhite at 12.9.

During the winning streak for the Dukes, they have been led by Cliff Davis. The team’s second leading scorer on the season has averaged 20.8 points over their last five wins. He’s doing the scoring efficiently, shooting 49.3% from the field and 42.1% from downtown.

The last time these two teams faced was back on Dec 20, and Georgia Southern picked up the 96-92 victory in overtime. The Eagles were led by Nakavieon White, who led them in scoring with 25. Bradley Douglas led JMU.

Georgia State is now 15-14 on the season and 7-9 against the Sun Belt, while James Madison is 16-13 on the year and 8-8 against the Sun Belt, so both teams have had very similar seasons, despite one team having more success lately.

Tipoff: Wednesday, Wed 25 at 8:00 p.m. EST

TV: ESPN+

Radio: JMU Network & The Varsity Network

Coastal Carolina at James Madison

Coastal Carolina and James Madison just played each other last week in a game that went down to the wire. The Dukes escaped Conway with a 67-65 victory. After Joshua Beadle missed big free throws at the end.

Despite missing the free throws at the end, Beadle did everything within his power to ensure Coastal Carolina picked up the victory. Beadle ended with 31 points on 10-17 shooting and 9-11 from the free throw line. That was Beadles second game of the season with 30+ points. A big key for Coastal Carolina will be getting more from RaSheed Jones and AJ Dancler. Both combined for 18 points on 7-26 from the field.

Beadle has had an excellent year for Coastal Carolina, as he is currently the fifth leading scorer in the Sun Belt conference, averaging 17.5 points per game.

While Coastal Carolina will need better production from the others, so will JMU. The Dukes only had one player crack double figures, with Davis scoring 22. JMU’s leading scorer, Justin McBride only ended the game with eight.

Davis has been one of the premier shooters in the Sun Belt, currently the second best three-point shooter in the conference. McBride is still a top ten scorer in the conference, even though he has been in single digits his last two games.

Coastal Carolina will have another opportunity to end its losing streak against James Madison. The Dukes are 8-0 in the program’s history against the Chanticleers.

Tipoff: Friday, Feb 27 at 8:00 p.m. EST

TV: ESPN+

Radio: JMU Network & WCCU Radio