By Mariana Smithfield

HARRISONBURG, Va. – JMU makes its return to the big dance as the No. 12 seed in the South Region, as it faces No. 5 seed Wisconsin in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Friday, March 22 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Tipoff from Barclays Center is set for a 9:40 p.m. and will be nationally televised on CBS. Fans can also watch live on March Madness Live and on Paramount Plus with the SHOWTIME plan.

Pregame radio coverage on the Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network begins at 9 p.m. Additional radio coverage is available on Westwood One through SiriusXM 201 or 208.

JMU’s run through the NCAA Championship is presented by Augusta Health.

DUKES DANCIN’ IN BROOKLYN, FACE BADGERS FOR FIRST TIME

• JMU and Wisconsin will match up for the first time ever in basketball Friday night.
• JMU is making its sixth appearance in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and eighth overall berth, joining its pair of Division II runs.
• The Dukes are 4-5 all-time in the DI tournament, advancing through the First Four in 2013 and moving to the Second Round in 1981, 1982 and 1983.
• This is the first time JMU has been a No. 12 seed.
• Last time in the tournament, JMU defeated Long Island, 68-55, in the First Four before falling to No. 1 Indiana, 83-62, in the First Round in Dayton, Ohio.
• JMU also owns NCAA Championship against West Virginia (#7 in 1983), Ohio State (#8 in 1982) and Georgetown (#7 in 1981).
• The  Dukes have faced one team twice – North Carolina in 1981 and 1982.
• Friday will mark the third all-time meeting for JMU against a Big Ten foe in the championship.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

• The JMU-Wisconsin winner will face the winner of No. 4 Duke and No. 13 Vermont on Sunday, March 24.
• A win would put JMU in the round of 32 for the fourth time ever and first time since 1983.
• It would also be the highest seed JMU has ever defeated in the NCAA Championship and its second win this season over a Big Ten squad, having defeated then-#4 Michigan State, 79-76 in overtime in the season opener.

SCOUTING THE BADGERS

• No. 5 seed Wisconsin enters Friday’s NCAA first round with a 22-13 overall record.
• The Badgers advanced to the Big Ten Conference Championship final, falling 93-87 to Illinois. That came a day after they knocked off top-seeded Purdue, 76-75, in the semifinals.
• UW finished fifth in the Big Ten regular-season standings with an 11-9 league mark.
• Wisconsin turned in a strong conference tournament despite dropping eight of its final 11 regular-season games.
• Four Badgers were named All-Big Ten, as they’re led by Second Team honoree AJ Storr, who averaged 16.9 points and 3.9 rebounds.
• Two earned Honorable Mention status, including All-Defensive Team member Chucky Hepburn, who scores 9.3 points with 3.4 boards, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals. John Blackwell also averages 8.1 points and 3.2 rebounds, while Steven Crowl (11.2 ppg) and Tyler Wahl (10.8 ppg) average double figures.
• Wisconsin scores 75.1 points per game while conceding 69.9 per outing. It ranks third in the Big Ten in both rebounding margin (3.2) and fewest turnovers (9.7).

COMMON OPPONENTS

• JMU and Wisconsin have two common opponents in 2023-24, as both combined to go 3-0 against Michigan State and Arkansas State.
• The Dukes opened the season with a 79-76 overtime win at Michigan State.
• UW opened Big Ten play with a 70-57 win in East Lansing and later downed the Spartans, 81-66, at home.
• Both faced Arkansas State, as JMU took a 77-73 win in Jonesboro while rolling to a 91-71 victory in the Sun Belt title game in Pensacola, Fla.
• Wisconsin began the season at home with A-State, posting its season high in points in a 105-76 triumph.

NATION’S LONGEST WIN STREAK

• JMU opens NCAA Championship play with the longest active win streak in America, at 13 straight games.
• The Dukes haven’t lost since Jan. 27 at Sun Belt regular-season champion App State (82-76).
• The new streak began on Feb. 1 with a 105-67 victory versus Coastal Carolina and since then, JMU has posted eight double-digit wins, which includes four by 20 or more.
• The Dukes are one of four tournament-bound teams riding a double-digit win streak, as Charleston has won 12 in a row, followed by McNeese (11) and Vermont (10).
• JMU also opened the season on a program-record, 14-game win streak, leading to its first AP Top 25 ranking, being as high as #18.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television: CBS
Online: March Madness Live
Listen: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network

• On the radio – WSVA 92.1 FM/550 AM
• Online: The Varsity Network

Broadcast Talent

• CBS – Ian Eagle (pxp), Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst), Tracy Wolfson (sideline)
• JMU Radio: Dave Riggert (pxp)
• Westwood One: Chris Carrino (pxp), Jon Crispin (analyst)

COURTESY JAMES MADISON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin received the No. 5 seed in the South Region of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and will face 12th-seeded James Madison in the first round on Friday in Brooklyn, New York. Tip on Friday is set for 8:40 p.m. (CT) on CBS.

The Badgers are making their 27th trip to “The Big Dance” overall. Wisconsin is one of only five schools to appear in 23 of the last 25 NCAA tournaments, joining Gonzaga (25), Kansas (25), Michigan State (25) and Duke (24).

Wisconsin and James Madison will meet for the first time in program history.

The winner of the first-round NCAA tournament matchup will face the winner between No. 4 seed Duke and No. 13 seed Vermont in the second round on Sunday.

Wisconsin is 40-25 all-time in the NCAA tournament, reaching four Final Fours and 10 Sweet 16s. The Badgers have made the Sweet 16 in six of the last 12 NCAA tournaments, reaching the NCAA tournament’s second weekend in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 during that stretch.

JAMES MADISON DUKES SCOUTING REPORT

*No. 12 seed James Madison finished its regular season with a 31-3 overall record and are coming off a 91-71 win over Arkansas State to win the Sun Belt Conference tournament championship. The Dukes averaged 84.4 points per game this season, while allowing only 69.2 points per game.

Redshirt junior Terrence Edwards Jr. leads the way for the Dukes, averaging 17.4 points per game. T.J. Bickerstaff averages 13.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, while Noah Freidel averages 12.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

WISCONSIN BADGERS HISTORY IN NEW YORK CITY

*The Badgers have been frequent visitors of the Big Apple lately, playing their sixth game in New York since the 2015-16 season. The most recent visit to New York by the Badgers was in 2019 for the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center. It was the team’s first appearance at the arena, with the Badgers falling to both Richmond and New Mexico.

The other three UW visits to New York were in 2018 for the Big Ten tournament (the Badgers played Maryland and Michigan State), 2017 for B1G Super Saturday (Wisconsin played Ohio State in a basketball and hockey double header), and 2015 for the 2K Classic (UW beat both Georgetown and VCU).

COURTESY WISCONSIN ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS