Men's Hoops Set for Boardwalk Battle

James Madison Dukes (2-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) vs. UIC Flames (4-0, 0-0 Missouri Valley)
Nov 21, 2024 – 11 a.m.
Daytona Beach, Fla. – Ocean Center

James Madison Dukes vs. La Salle / UC San Diego
Nov 22, 2024 – 11 a.m / 3:30 p.m.
Daytona Beach, Fla. – Ocean Center

James Madison Dukes vs. TBD
Nov 23, 2024 - TBD
Daytona Beach, Fla. – Ocean Center

Game Links
Live Stats · Audio Broadcast · Livestream (BallerTV)
JMU Game Notes · Tickets
JMUSports.com · @JMUM Basketball · #GoDukes

MEN'S HOOPS SET FOR INAUGURAL BOARDWALK BATTLE

James Madison continues its season in Daytona Beach, Fla., at the Inaugural Boardwalk Battle, set for Nov. 21-23. The Dukes will play three games at the Ocean Center as part of the tournament, opening with UIC on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 11 a.m.
The winner of JMU-UIC will advance to the semifinals to face the winner of La Salle vs. UC San Diego, while the loser will move to the consolation bracket.
East Carolina, Jax State, La Salle, Stetson, Toledo, UC San Diego, and UIC will join the Dukes in the Sunshine State. Each team in the Boardwalk Battle will play three games as part of the action.
Each game apart of the Boardwalk Battle will be streamed on BallerTV (subscription required). Corey Spector will provide radio coverage through the Varsity Network App and WSVA 92.1 FM | 550 AM.
Tickets to the 2024 Boardwalk Battle can be purchased through TicketMaster.com or on the day of the competition at the Ocean Center box office. The full bracket to the Boardwalk Battle can be found on boardwalkbattle.net.

LAST TIME OUT

JMU fell in a road contest to former CAA rival Towson, 67-63. Mark Freeman led the Dukes with 20 points, the 16th time in his career he has scored 20 or more.
Xavier Brown scored 16 points and picked up four assists, while Elijah Hutchins-Everett had a career-high four blocks and added 10 points.
Dylan Williamson scored 22 points - including the final eight - to lead Towson to the victory. He buried a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left to give the Tigers a 65-60 lead, one they would not relinquish.

SCOUTING UIC

UIC enters this week with a 3-1 record and wins over St. Francis (Ill.), Yale, and Satin Mary's (Mn.). The Flames also dropped an 83-74 contest at Big Ten opponent Northwestern on Nov. 12.
The Flames are led by Head Coach Rob Ehsan, who is in his first year at UIC. He previously spent four years as the head coach at UAB (2016-20), where he accumulated a 76-57 (.571) record.
During his time with the Blazers, his teams finished with 20 wins twice and led UAB to the Conference USA Semifinals for the first time since 2015 in 2018-19.

DYNAMIC BACKCOURT DUO

Through four games, the backcourt pairing of Xavier Brown and Mark Freeman is averaging 29.1 points per contest for the Dukes.
Against Towson, the pair combined for 36 points and eight assists to lead the Dukes' scoring. Freeman had 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while Brown had 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Through the first week of the season, Brown's 17.3 points per game ranks fourth in the Sun Belt Conference.
Freeman dished out seven assists in the win vs. Mary Baldwin, the most by any JMU player this season.

DOMINATING THE BOARDS

Through four games, JMU has outrebounded its opponents by a combined margin of +14.8, the best average in the Sun Belt and 10th nationally.
The Dukes had a season-high 48 rebounds vs. Mary Baldwin on Nov. 12 and have outrebounded their opponents in every game, along with 50 offensive rebounds (12.5/game).
Against Ohio on Nov. 4 to open the season, the Dukes outrebounded the Bobcats 41-23 and corralled 13 offensive rebounds. Against Norfolk State (11/9), JMU had 19 offensive rebounds and held a 40-26 lead on the glass. JMU overpowered Mary Baldwin on the boards 48-25 and held a 35-31 edge on the glass against Towson.
Elijah Hutchins-Everett leads the Dukes in total rebounds (30), rebounds per game (7.5), and offensive rebounds (13).

SCOUTING LA SALLE

La Salle sits at 4-0 with wins over American, Lafayette, Cornell, and Drexel. They will play UC San Diego at 1 p.m. on Nov. 21, with the winner facing the winner of the JMU-UIC game.
La Salle was picked to finish 15th in the preseason Atlantic-10 Coaches Poll.
Through four games, Corey McKeithan leads the Explorers with 18 points per contest. Jahlil White (14.0), Demetrius Lilley (10.8), and Daeshon Shepherd (10.8) are also averaging double figures, with Lilley also leading the team in rebounding (9.0).
La Salle is averaging 77.5 points per game and is second in the A10 in opponent three-point percentage (27.1).
The Explorers are led by Head Coach Fran Dunphy, who played at La Salle from 1967-70 and spent four years on the staff from 1985-88. He also served as the head coach at Temple from 2006-19, where he led the Owls to the NCAA Tournament seven times and had a record of 270-162 (.625). He also served as the Head Coach at Penn from 1989-06, where he took the Quakers to the tournament nine times.

SCOUTING UC SAN DIEGO

UC San Diego sits at 2-2 with wins over Pepperdine (94-76) and Sacramento State (64-54). They dropped a 63-58 contest to San Diego State and an 84-71 decision to Seattle U.
The Tritons are led by Head Coach Eric Olen, who is the all-time wins leader in Triton history. Olen was named Big West Coach of the Year in 2023-24 and was a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award, given annually to the nation's top Division I mid-major coach.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones leads UCSD with 19.8 points per game, and Tyler McGhie is scoring 18.0 points through four games. Hayden Gray leads the team in steals (3.75) per game, and Tait-Jones and Milos Vicentic are tied for the team lead in rebounds (5/game).

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Players Mentioned

Xavier Brown

Mark Freeman

Elijah Hutchins-Everett

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Calendar

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Richmond (Exh.) on October 25, 2025 at TBD

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Akron on November 3, 2025 at TBD

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Washington and Lee on November 5, 2025 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Coppin State on November 9, 2025 at 1 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Longwood on November 12, 2025 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at LIU on November 15, 2025 at TBD

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Towson on November 18, 2025 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus FIU on November 24, 2025 at TBD

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Omaha on November 25, 2025 at TBD

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at George Mason on November 29, 2025 at TBD

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