2014-15 JMU MEN'S BASKETBALL
GAME #6
Game Plan
- James Madison takes to the road for the first time in 2014-15 as it heads to Columbus, Ohio, to battle No. 16 Ohio State at Value City Arena.
- This is second ranked opponent the Dukes will face this season, with both coming from Power 5 conferences.
- The game can be seen live nationally on the Big Ten Network or online at BTN2Go, while also being heard on the JMU/nTelos Wireless Broadcast Network.
Scouting Report
- In the third-ever meeting between the two programs, the Dukes enter the game with a 4-1 record while the Buckeyes sport an unblemished 4-0 record.
- The all-time series is tied at 1-1. Ohio State won the last meeting in Columbus, 72-44, on Nov. 12, 2009, but Madison claimed the first game against OSU, a 55-48 triumph in the NCAA Tournament in Charlotte on March 11, 1982.
- The last power conference win for the Dukes occurred in Matt Brady's first season with the team when they took down Seton Hall 70-64 on Dec. 22, 2008.
- The Dukes are off to their best start in four seasons, winning four of their first five, with the lone defeat coming in the opener against then-No. 9 Virginia.
- Last time out, JMU shot 50 percent from the floor and Paulius Satkus produced career highs of 21 points and eight rebounds as JMU fended off Sacred Heart 79-72 Wednesday afternoon.
- For the fourth-straight game, four Dukes scored at least 10 points as Jackson Kent had 15 while Tom Vodanovich and Ron Curry had 12 and 11, respectively.
- The Dukes led by as many as 21 points but Sacred Heart rallied back to within a couple of possessions late in the game but JMU put the contest away, making nine of 10 free throw attempts in the final minute.
- Ohio State is off to a hot start, winning its four games by an average of 33.2 points per game, including a 58-point win over SHU last Sunday.
- The Buckeyes also won Wednesday, downing Campbell 91-64. D'Angelo Russell led the way with 22 points and seven assists.
- Russell leads OSU with 19.0 points, 5.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game while Marc Loving scores 13.0 points and Sam Thompson chips in 11.8 per outing. As a team, the Buckeyes shoot the nation's-best 61 percent, including a 44-percent mark from beyond the arc. Shannon Scott leads the nation when it comes to sharing the basketball, with 11.5 assists per game.
- Following this game, the Dukes return home for a two-game homestand with Campbell (Dec. 2) and Richmond (Dec. 7).
Past Meetings between JMU and Ohio State
2009-10: Ohio State 72, JMU 44 (Nov. 12, 2009)
1981-82: JMU 55, Ohio State 48 (March 11, 1982)
Series Tied 1-1 (OSU Leads 1-0 at Home)