Texas State Bobcats (17-17) vs. James Madison Dukes (28-3)
March 10, 2024 8:30 pm EDT
The Line: James Madison Dukes -11.5; Over/Under: +141
(Get latest betting odds)
The Texas State Bobcats and James Madison Dukes meet Sunday in the college basketball Sun Belt Tournament Semifinals at the Pensacola Bay Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Texas State vs. James Madison prediction.
Texas State Betting Preview
The Texas State Bobcats come into this one looking to advance to the Sun Belt title game after picking up a 74-68 win over Troy last time out. Jordan Mason leads the Bobcats in scoring with 13.2 PPG along with 3.5 RPG and 2.8 APG while Davion Sykes has 11.2 PPG with 7 RPG in 21 games this season. Brandon Love has 10.2 PPG with 5.5 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Texas State so far this season. Kaden Gumbs also has 9.1 PPG with 4.4 RPG and a team-high 3.5 APG to lead the Bobcats in assists. As a team, Texas State is averaging 69.9 PPG on 44.3% shooting from the field, 32.8% from three and 69.5% from the foul line this season.
James Madison Team Preview
The James Madison Dukes booked their spot in the semis after an 81-64 win over Marshall last time out. Terrence Edwards Jr. leads the Dukes in scoring with 17.6 PPG along with 4.3 RPG and 3.3 APG while T.J. Bickerstaff has 13.9 PPG with a team-high 8.4 RPG to lead the Dukes on the glass this season. Noah Friedel has 11.6 PPG with 5.7 RPG, and Julien Wooden has 10.2 PPG with 3.1 RPG to cap off the scoring in double figures for JMU so far this season. Michael Green III has 7.1 PPG along with 3.5 APG to lead the Dukes in the assist department up to this point in the year. As a team, James Madison is averaging 84.6 PPG on 47.9% shooting from the field, 35.8% from three and 71.1% from the foul line this season.
Texas State vs. James Madison Prediction
I’m on James Madison here. The Dukes are the better team by a fair margin and have been one of the best teams in the Sun Belt statistically through conference play. Texas State on the other hand, has been one of the more inconsistent and I think the Dukes find a way to get the win and cover here.
