The 2024 NCAA Tournament will tip off this week and in the South Region, the No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers will face the No. 12 James Madison Dukes in the South Region. The game will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on Friday.
Wisconsin Badgers
NET: 18
KenPom Overall: 17
KenPom O: 14
KenPom D: 39
Record: 22-13
Strength of Schedule: 6
Conference: Big Ten
Conference Record: 11-9
Quad 1 Record: 5-9
The Wisconsin Badgers are going dancing again after missing last year’s tournament. The Badgers finished with the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They held Big Ten No. 1 Purdue within a few points twice in the regular season, but never quite got over the hump in those ranked conference matchups.
However, wins over Marquette and Northwestern were key elements in the Badgers’ path to an at-large bid. Guard AJ Storr led Wisconsin in scoring with 16.2 points per game, and the Badgers ranked 18th in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom.
James Madison Dukes
NET: 52
KenPom Overall: 59
KenPom O: 56
KenPom D: 79
Record: 31-3
Strength of Schedule: 293
Conference: Sun Belt
Conference Record: 15-3
Quad 1 Record: 1-1
The James Madison Dukes opened their season with a shocking upset over Michigan State, and are now headed to their first NCAA Tournament since 2013. They won the Sun Belt Conference Championship over Arkansas State, 91-71. They entered the conference tournament as a No. 2 seed and also defeated Texas State and Marshall on their way to the title.
The Dukes had a top-scoring offense this season, putting up 83 points per game (13th in the nation). Defensively, they grabbed 8.8 steals per game (15th in the nation). They were led by guard Terrence Edwards Jr and forward TJ Bickerstaff, who combined to average over 30 points per game.
2024 March Madness: Wisconsin vs. JMU odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Wisconsin -5.5, JMU +5.5
Over/Under: 143.5
Moneyline: Wisconsin -250, JMU +205