Look Back at the 2021-22 JMU Men's Basketball Season

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Despite plenty of obstacles, the 2021-22 James Madison men's basketball campaign saw a number of important stepping stones for the program as the Dukes continue to build themselves up in their new home.

As the country prepares for a month of March Madness and brackets, take a look back at the 2021-22 season for the Dukes.

Sustained Excellence
Despite ranking among the 75 least experienced teams in the country, the Dukes continued to build, finishing the year 15-14 to clinch back-to-back winning seasons at JMU for the first time since the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns and just the second time since the 1999-2000 season.

The stage is also set for the future: the Dukes' talented and crucial group of redshirt freshmen - Justin Amadi, Terrence Edwards, Terell Strickland and Tyree Ihenacho - combined to make 52 of the Dukes' 145 possible starts this season and all four were among JMU's top eight in minutes per game.

Overcoming Early Adversity
Even before the season, the Dukes faced their first bout of difficulty, with the knowledge that they would eventually be one of just two teams in the country not permitted by their league to compete for a conference championship. Despite that, JMU won nine of its first 11 games, its best start since the 1986-87 season.

Historic Win over Virginia
The Dukes and JMU fans everywhere had circled Dec. 7 on the calendar, as JMU welcomed in-state power Virginia to the Atlantic Union Bank Center for the first time and to Harrisonburg for the first time since Nov. 14, 2014.

In front of a sold-out crowd of 8,439 fans - the most to ever attend a basketball game in Harrisonburg - the Dukes used outstanding defense and clutch shots down the stretch to knock off the Cavaliers for the first time ever in a 52-49 victory.

After holding Virginia to just 14 points in the first half, the Dukes had to withstand a charge in the second half that saw the Cavaliers take the lead back with just under four minutes to play. JMU responded immediately, with graduate students Charles Falden and Takal Molson combining to knock down jumpers on three straight possessions to power the Dukes to the historic win.

Sweeping the State
With the state of Virginia full of strong collegiate basketball, the Dukes re-asserted themselves as a program to be reckoned with in the Commonwealth, as JMU won all six games it played against Division I opponents from inside Virginia.

In addition to the win over the Cavaliers, the Dukes picked up hard-fought victories over historic rivals Old Dominion and George Mason and capped non-conference play with a comeback win over Radford. JMU then took both games in the season series against league foe William & Mary, completing their sweep of the state.

Further Challenges
At the end of the non-conference slate, the Dukes were confronted with further challenges: between final exams, the holiday break and a series of activity pauses due to COVID-19, JMU went 29 days (Dec. 11 to Jan. 9) without playing a game - the second-longest pause in all of Division I this season.

In the span of less than a week in January, the Dukes were also confronted by the loss of both Molson and Strickland, crucial members of the rotation, to season-ending injuries. Molson was averaging 14 points in league contests prior to his injury, while Strickland was shooting 56.3% from the floor as a guard and was averaging more than a steal per game.

All told, players in the Dukes' core rotation missed a total of 48 games due to injury across the 2021-22 season.

Home Court Advantage
After opening the new Atlantic Union Bank Center for the 2020-21 season with CoVID-19 safety restrictions in place, both the Dukes and the JMU faithful were excited to enter this year with the new home of JMU Basketball operating at full capacity.

Fans responded with enthusiasm, with home games in Harrisonburg averaging 4,353 fans - including more than a thousand students per contest - most in the CAA and a number that already ranks second among schools set to be in the Sun Belt for the 2022-23 season.

Standout Performances
The Dukes continued to find success at the individual level as well, with redshirt junior Vado Morse earning Second Team All-CAA honors after leading the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game and 18.7 points per league contest.

Amadi continued a stellar start to his career, averaging 9.7 points and 5.4 boards in his second collegiate season. His 64.2% shooting clip from the field this season ranks fifth all-time at JMU after he set the program record last season. His 66.2% rate for his young career is currently more than 4% higher than the JMU record for career field-goal percentage.

Calendar

Players Mentioned

Justin Amadi

Terrence Edwards Jr.

Charles Falden

Tyree Ihenacho

Takal Molson

Vado Morse

Terell Strickland

JMU Footer

Scoreboard

Calendar

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Louisiana on February 4, 2026 , Loss , 61, to, 64

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Toledo on February 7, 2026 , Win , 73, to, 71

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Georgia State on February 12, 2026 , Win , 81, to, 79 , (OT)

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus App State on February 14, 2026 , Win , 69, to, 58

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Coastal Carolina on February 18, 2026 , Win , 67, to, 65

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Georgia State on February 21, 2026 , Win , 80, to, 65

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Georgia Southern on February 25, 2026 , Win , 82, to, 66

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Coastal Carolina on February 27, 2026 , Loss , 68, to, 69

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus No. 12 Louisiana on March 4, 2026 , Win , 87, to, 72

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus No. 8 Southern Miss on March 5, 2026 , Loss , 80, to, 86

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