The James Madison Dukes (20-10) will try to slow down the Colonial Athletic’s top shooting team when they take on the William & Mary Tribe (19-9) at JMU Convocation Center. The game begins at 2:30 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27 and will air on NBS.
The Dukes lost a tough one against Towson 69-67 on Thursday. Ron Curry was the game’s leading scorer, putting up 20 points. The Tribe, meanwhile, are coming off a 75-65 win over Elon on Thursday. Terry Tarpey had a solid game for William & Mary, recording 18 points, seven rebounds, and one steal.
Omar Prewitt has upped his play over the last five games for the Tribe, averaging 21.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.2 three-pointers.
From an eFG% perspective, this will be a battle of strength versus strength when the Tribe have the ball. Their upper-echelon offense ranks 19th in the nation in that metric at 55.3%, while James Madison is 28th-best in the nation in eFG% defense (45.6%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Tribe won the first game 68-62. Prewitt was a top performer in the victory with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, five steals, and two three-pointers.
The Dukes enter the game with records of 20-10 Straight Up (SU) and 15-12 Against The Spread (ATS). The Dukes are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 8.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. James Madison has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where it racks up an average of 39.2 rebounds per game. The James Madison defense has been struggling to keep points off the board during its most recent matchups. The Dukes have given up an average of 76.6 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 68.4 PPG.
On the other side, the Tribe head into the game with records of 15-7 ATS and 19-9 SU. They sport the 48th-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 75.3 points per game. The Tribe rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the eighth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.54. The Tribe have established a reputation of cleaning up the defensive glass with 28.7 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the top teams in the nation.
The Tribe’s win over James Madison in their last clash brought their SU record in their most recent games to 6-4. At 5-5, they are even ATS. James Madison and William & Mary each held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) one time in their last five meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – W&M, ATS Winner – W&M
Notes
“James Madison is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games “.
“James Madison is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games “.
“James Madison is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“James Madison is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games at home”.
“James Madison is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing William & Mary”.
“James Madison is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing William & Mary”.
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of James Madison’s last 8 games when playing William & Mary”.
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of James Madison’s last 7 games when playing at home against William & Mary”.
William & Mary sits at 11-6 SU against its conference rivals, while James Madison is 10-7 SU.
William & Mary scores 75.3 points per away game (ranked 48th). James Madison ranks a poor 120th in points allowed at home, allowing 67.9 points.
The William & Mary Tribe rank 35th for their offensive rating of 113.9. The James Madison Dukes have a defensive rating of 100.0 (ranked 99th).
William & Mary has an average field goal percentage of 48.4% (ranked 20th). James Madison is a losing 1-2 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
James Madison attempts an average of 23.0 three pointers per game and William & Mary attempts 21.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the James Madison Dukes have a solid 15-8 record while the William & Mary Tribe have a 9-7 record.
The eighth-ranked team in the category, William & Mary has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.54 this season. James Madison ranks lower at 162nd with an A/TO of 1.08.
James Madison, the 50th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 39.2 rebounds per game. William & Mary does worse, ranked 124th with 37.2.
William & Mary ranks 324th in offensive rebounds, while James Madison ranks at 17th in defensive rebounds.
On average, James Madison forces a turnover rate of 15.9%. When William & Mary turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 8-5 record.
