The UNC Wilmington Seahawks (14-5) head to James Madison to take on the Dukes (16-5) in what should be a high-scoring game. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 28.
The Dukes enter this game hoping for similar success after blowing out Elon 82-64 in their last matchup. Paulius Satkus played a pivotal role with 14 points and eight rebounds. The Seahawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 77-71 win against Drexel in their last game. Chris Flemmings led the game in scoring by registering 21 points on 6-for-12 shooting.
It’s a matchup of two different tempos, as the up-and-down Seahawks (ranked 29th in the nation in possessions per game) square off against the grind-it-out Dukes (265th).
James Madison is a four-point favorite against UNC Wilmington and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 148 points. The Dukes have gone 16-5 Straight Up (SU) and 10-8 Against The Spread (ATS). The Dukes prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 10th in the nation with a .290 opponent field-goal percentage from three-point range. Teams usually don’t get many offensive rebounds against the Dukes, who are one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the country with an average of 28.3 per game. James Madison will look to take advantage of the Seahawks and their propensity to foul. UNC Wilmington ranks 348th in the nation in fouls, averaging 24.2 per game.
As for their opponent, the Seahawks have records of 7-8 ATS and 14-5 SU. Taking care of the basketball is something the Seahawks do very well, averaging just 11.3 turnovers per game.
These conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, UNC Wilmington came out on top, but the win was not enough to overtake James Madison in their recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the most recent meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. UNC Wilmington held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, James Madison never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – NC-Wil, ATS Winner – NC-Wil, O/U – Over
Notes
James Madison is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of James Madison’s last 8 games.
James Madison is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of James Madison’s last 12 games when playing UNC Wilmington.
James Madison is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against UNC Wilmington.
James Madison and UNC Wilmington both hold winning records of 6-2 against the Colonial Athletic Conference this season.
UNC Wilmington averages 78.3 points per away game (ranked 31st). James Madison allows 64.3 points per home game (ranked 88th).
The James Madison Dukes rank 53rd for their offensive rating of 112.7. The UNC Wilmington Seahawks have a defensive rating of 98.7 (ranked 93rd).
UNC Wilmington beats James Madison in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Seahawks average 73.6 possessions and 1.128 points per possession, while the Dukes average 67.6 possessions with 1.127 points per possession.
James Madison has an average effective field goal percentage of 53.9%. UNC Wilmington is a losing 1-2 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, James Madison attempts 24.0 three pointers and UNC Wilmington attempts 21.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The James Madison Dukes sit at 12-5 and the UNC Wilmington Seahawks are 9-3.
UNC Wilmington, the 38th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.1 per game. James Madison does worse, ranked 265th with 2.7.
James Madison ranks 31st in defensive rebounding. When it comes to offensive rebounds, UNC Wilmington ranks 81st.
On average, James Madison forces a turnover rate of 15.9%. When UNC Wilmington turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a fantastic 7-1 record.
