Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Richmond (Exh.) on October 25, 2025 at TBD
MBB
TBD
James Madison
at Richmond (Exh.)
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Sunday, March 9
Pensacola, Fla.
8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CT)
James Madison University
vs
Troy
Men's Basketball Set For Sun Belt Semifinals
3/6/2025 9:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
No. 2 James Madison Dukes (20-11, 13-5Â SBC) vs. No. 3 Troy (21-10, 13-5 SBC)
March 9, 2025 – 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CT)
Pensacola, Fla. -- Pensacola Bay Center
Game Links
Live Stats · ESPN+ · Tickets · JMU Game Notes
Sun Belt Championship Central · Sun Belt Tournament Bracket (PDF)
JMUSports.com · @JMUMBasketball · #GoDukes
- James Madison men's basketball has earned a bye to the semifinals of the 2025 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men's Basketball Championship and will play either Troy or the winner of Game Eight on Sunday, March 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CT) at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla.Â
- The Dukes enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed after finishing the regular season with a 20-11 overall record and a 13-5 mark in conference play. JMU finished in a four-way tie for the regular-season championship with South Alabama, Troy, and Arkansas State.Â
- The game will stream on ESPN+ with Matt Stewart (PxP) and Victor Howell (color). Dave Riggert will call the game on the radio on WSVA 92.1 FM and 550 AM, along with the Varsity Network App. Coverage will begin 30 minutes before tip.Â
- JMU is the reigning Sun Belt Conference tournament champions after winning three games (Marshall, Texas State, Arkansas State) in three days to take home the crown in 2024.Â
- In its two previous appearances in the tournament, the Dukes have a combined record of 4-1 and have appeared in the semifinals in each of their first two years in the league along with this season.Â
- The Dukes have won their conference tournament five times in program history: 1981, 1983, 1994, 2013, and 2024. The first four titles came in the Colonial Athletic Association.Â
- With a win in the semifinals, JMU would advance to the conference championship for the second consecutive season and aim for its second consecutive trip to the Division I NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, where they defeated No. 5 seed Wisconsin 72-61 for its first win in the round of 64 the NCAA tournament since 1983.Â
- The 11-point margin of victory was the first double-digit win ever by a Sun Belt Conference member since the tournament expanded to 64 teams. It was also the first SBC NCAA win since No. 12 Little Rock topped No. 5 Purdue in 2016.
- In 2023-24, the Dukes beat Arkansas State, 91-71, to win its first conference tournament title since the 2013 season while members of the Colonial Athletic Association.Â
- After earning a bye to the semifinals as a top-two seed, the Dukes are making their third straight appearance in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Championship. It is the first time the program has appeared in three straight semifinals since doing it in 1992-95 in the CAA.
- On Monday, March 3, Mark Freeman and Bryce Lindsay took home three major awards as the Sun Belt Conference announced its end-of-year laurels. Freeman took home Newcomer of the Year while Lindsay was named Freshman and Sixth Man of the Year.Â
- Lindsay - also named Third Team All-Sun Belt - became just the second player in program history to be named Freshman of the Year while also being named all-conference, joining William Davis in the 1988-89 season.
- The native of Baltimore, Md., finished the regular season averaging 13.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while leading the Sun Belt in three-point percentage (.415) and finishing second in made threes (86).
- With his selection to the first team, Freeman became just the seventh JMU player since 2000 to take home a first-team nod. It is the guard's second time making First Team All-Conference in his career after he was named First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference in 2022-23 at Morehead State.
- Conference games are where Freeman shined, as he averaged 17.2 points per game to lead the Dukes to a 13-5 league record and a 10-game winning streak in conference play.
- He was the only player in the Sun Belt to record five 25-point games against league opponents and had a season-high 31 points at Marshall (Jan. 9) and also 30 versus Southern Miss (Jan. 2), making him the first JMU player since Mosley in 2017-18 with two 30-point games in the same season.
- James Madison men's basketball finished the regular season at 20-11, the program's third straight season with 20-plus wins. It is the first time JMU has won 20 or more games in three straight seasons since 1992-94 under Lefty Driesell.Â
- In the past three seasons since joining the Sun Belt, the Dukes are 74-26 (.740), the best winning percentage and total wins by any Sun Belt school.Â
- JMU secured a share of the Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship - its first regular-season title since 2021 and 11th in program history.Â
- After starting conference play 3-4, JMU rattled off 10 consecutive conference wins between Jan. 22 and Feb. 28 - the third 10-game winning streak against league foes in program history after also doing it in the 1989-90 and 2023-24 seasons. In their past three seasons, the Dukes are 40-14 (.740) in league play.Â
- In his first season as the head coach at James Madison, Preston Spradlin became just the second first-year coach in program history to win at least 20 games, joining Matt Brady (21) in the 2008-09 season.Â
- As a head coach overall, Spradlin has won 20+ games in each of the last five seasons, dating back to his time at Morehead State. Since the 2020-21 season, Spradlin is 114-51 (.690) overall with three regular-season conference championships (2 OVC, 1 Sun Belt) and conference tournament titles (2020-21, 2023-24).Â
- With the Dukes clinching at least a share of the Sun Belt regular season title, Spradlin has now won three straight regular-season crowns dating back to his time at Morehead State. He took the Eagles to the NCAA tournament twice; in 2020-21 and 2023-24.Â
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballJMU Athletics | The Energy of March
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