James Madison (12) vs. Duke (4) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Blue Devils are 7-point favourites on the college basketball odds.
James Madison vs. Duke NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The winner of this game faces either No. 1 Houston or No. 9 Texas A&M in the Sweet 16. The South bracket got so much easier for the likes of Duke, in theory, with double-digit seeds James Madison, NC State and Oakland winning in Round 1. The Blue Devils are +400 to win the South and the Dukes +3500. Academically, these schools are a lot alike. Basketball history-wise, not so much.
It’s the first-ever matchup between the schools. Making its sixth appearance ever in the NCAA Tournament, JMU is 5-5 all-time in the tournament. It is 0-3 in second-round games, having dropped matchups to Notre Dame (1981), and North Carolina in consecutive seasons (1982 and ’83). This is nothing new for blue blood Duke, looking for its first trip to the Sweet 16 since reaching the Final Four in Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final 2021-22 season.
These schools have never met even though they really aren’t that far apart campus-wise (210 miles or so).
James Madison Dukes (12)
We picked James Madison to knock off No. 5 Wisconsin in Round 1, and the Sun Belt Tournament champions really weren’t pushed that hard in a 72-61 victory, the school’s national-best 14th straight victory. It marked the highest seed a James Madison team has ever beaten in the Dance. The Dukes forced a very well-coached Badgers team into 19 turnovers, which included a whopping 14 steals – a JMU postseason record. The Dukes had a 27-10 advantage in points off turnovers. The margin of victory was the first double-digit win ever by a Sun Belt Conference team since the tournament expanded to 64 teams. It was also the first Sun Belt win in the Dance since No. 12 Little Rock upset No. 5 Purdue in 2016. Terrence Edwards Jr., the Sun Belt Player of the Year, had 14 points and five rebounds. James Madison hasn’t faced an ACC team since 1983.
Duke Blue Devils (4)
Duke entered the Dance on a two-game skid but took care of No. 13 Vermont in Round 1, 64-47. It was the Blue Devils’ eighth straight Round of 64 win. Vermont’s 47 points were a season low and 25.3 points below the Catamounts’ season average. Duke has now held 28 of its 33 opponents to below their scoring average. It also out-rebounded Vermont 38-26 and is 20-2 this season when pulling down more boards than its opponent. Mark Mitchell had had 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting as Duke improved to 33-4 in his two-season career when scoring at least 10. Arguably the team’s best player, Kyle Filipowski, had only three points but also 12 rebounds. Duke is now 120-40 (.750) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, the best winning percentage in tournament history by a team with a minimum of 20 games played.
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