INDIANAPOLIS — James Madison is back in the big dance, as it drew the No. 12 seed in the South Region, where it will face No. 5 Wisconsin in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Tipoff time and television network from the Barclays Center will be announced at a later time. It will also be available to watch on the NCAA March Madness Live app and on Paramount+ with the SHOWTIME plan.
JMU is making its first appearance in the NCAA Championship in 11 years, having last won a conference tournament title in 2013. It will be the Dukes' sixth time competing in the tournament at the Division I level and the eighth time overall.
JMU (31-3) earned its automatic bid to the NCAA Championship after capturing its first Sun Belt Conference Championship on Monday, March 11 with a 91-71 victory over Arkansas State in Pensacola, Fla. The win set a Sun Belt record for most wins in a season, breaking Little Rock's 2015-16 record of 30.
The Dukes enter the NCAA Championship tied for the most wins in America, matching UConn's 31-3 mark, as well as a nation-leading, 13-game active win streak. JMU also started the season on a 14-game win streak.
JMU scored 84.4 points per game, which ranks ninth nationally, and is eighth in the Division I with a +15.2 scoring margin. The Dukes also rank fifth around the country in three-point percentage defense (.288), 14th in turnover margin (+3.7) and 16th in steals per game (9.0).
They are led by Terrence Edwards Jr., who was voted Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. Edwards Jr. averages 17.4 points per game to go with 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists. T.J. Bickerstaff, who was named Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year and a Second Team All-SBC selection, scores 13.4 points per game and leads the Dukes with 8.5 boards per game. Noah Freidel, a Third Team All-Sun Belt pick, averages 12.1 points per game and 5.4 rebounds and has knocked down a team-best 77 3-pointers this season.
The Dukes are coached by Mark Byington, who's in his fourth year at the helm. He will be making his NCAA Championship debut as a full-time collegiate coach and holds a career 219-136 record (.617) as a head coach. Since taking over the JMU program in 2020, he's guided the Dukes to an 81-35 record (.698).
Wisconsin (22-13) enters the tournament after finishing runner-up in the 2024 Big Ten Championship, where it fell 93-87 to Illinois. This will be the first meeting ever between the Dukes and Badgers.
