Dukes Hit The Road For App State Rematch Saturday

Saturday, January 27

Boone, N.C.

6 p.m.

James Madison University

App State

1/26/2024 12:06:00 AM | Men's Basketball

James Madison Dukes (18-2, 6-2 SBC) vs. App State Mountaineers (16-4, 7-1 SBC)
January 27, 2024 - 6:00 p.m. EST
Boone, N.C. - Holmes Convocation Center
Game Links:
GAME NOTES · Live Stats · ESPN2 · Audio Broadcast
JMUSports.com · @JMUMBasketball · #GoDukes

TIME FOR A REMATCH

The James Madison men's basketball team (18-2, 5-2 SBC) is heading to Boone, N.C. as it prepares to face the Appalachian State Mountaineers (16-4, 7-1 SBC) in a matchup between the top two teams in the Sun Belt Conference.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and is scheduled for a 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT tip-off on Saturday, January 27, at the Holmes Convocation Center.
JMU holds second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings with a 5-2 record, while App State is first with a 6-1 record.
This game occurs just two weeks after the teams' initial clash in Harrisonburg on January 20th, where the Mountaineers claimed a narrow 59-55 victory.

LAST TIME OUT FOR JMU

JMU secured a decisive 78-62 win over Old Dominion in its second trip of the season to Norfolk on Wednesday.
Julien Wooden led the team with 23 points, while T.J. Bickerstaff recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The Dukes have an 18-2 record, tied for the most wins in the country with No.2 Purdue.

HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY

This will be the 10th meeting between JMU and Appalachian State. The teams split two games last season.
App State currently holds a 6-3 advantage in the history of the matchup.
The Mountaineers and Dukes have consistently showcased strong defensive performances, both ranking in the top 20 nationally in opponent three point percentage. Moreover, the teams' defensive intensity heightens when facing each other. In their three most recent encounters, JMU has shot:

35.9% - Jan 13, 2024 (L, 55-59).... 35.7% - Feb 4, 2023 (W, 63-57).... and 35.1% - Jan 7, 2023 (L, 71-62)

The last time these two teams met, Edwards Jr. led JMU players with 19 points, while Xavier Brown scored 10 points - all in the second half - and recorded a career-high five steals. Bickerstaff led the Dukes with seven rebounds and added six points.
JMU forced 17 App State turnovers in the first half alone, matching the Mountaineers season-high. App State ended the game with a season-high 23 turnovers.

TOP OFFENSE VS. TOP DEFENSE

The Dukes are the number one offense in the SBC (85.5 ppg) and the number two defense in the conference (68.8 ppg).
App State's defense ranks first in the conference (63.7 ppg), and it averages the second-most defensive rebounds in the nation (31.1).
The Mountaineers are second in the country in blocks per game (6.7), with both Justin Abson and Tre'Von Spillers ranking in the Top 100. Abson holds the 7th spot with an average of 2.68 blocks per game, while Spillers ranks 86th.

OTHER NOTES

The Dukes are 4-2 on Saturdays this season, most recently a 67-52 win over Marshall last Saturday.
The duo of Wooden and Bickerstaff are both nearing their 1,000th career point: Wooden enters the game with 993 career points and an average of 10.7 points per game this season, while Bickerstaff has 986 career points and an average of 13.8 points per game this season. Edwards Jr. achieved this milestone against Morgan State in December, and Noah Freidel and Michael Green III accomplished the feat in the 2022-23 season. Once Wooden and Bickerstaff join the 1,000-point club, JMU will be tied with the second-most 1,000-point scorers (5):

Most 1,000 Point Scorers (Active)

Team	Total
St. John's (NY)	6
Auburn	5
TCU	5
Villanova	5
Arkansas	4

Wooden has played in 130 games in his JMU career. He now stands second all-time in program history (1. Andrey Semenov - 132 games played - 2008-14)
JMU's 3-point defense is among the top-15 (28.6%). The Dukes are also 17th in Assists Per Game (17.0 APG) while recording 20+ assists in a game six times this season.

Don't Miss the Action: The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 with Connor Onion and David Padgett providing commentary. Follow @JMUMBasketball on Twitter for live updates. Tune in to 92.1 FM / 550 AM for radio commentary by Dave Riggert. Catch the game live on ESPN2.