Marshall Thundering Herd (13-19) vs. James Madison Dukes (27-3)
March 9, 2024 8:30 pm EDT
The Line: James Madison Dukes -11; Over/Under: +154.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Marshall Thundering Herd and the James Madison Dukes meet in college basketball action from the Pensacola Bay Center on Saturday. Who comes out on top in Saturday’s Sun Belt quarterfinal? Let’s dive in and find out with our Marshall vs. James Madison Prediction.
Marshall Team Preview
The Marshall Thundering Herd come into the quarters after knocking off Georgia State in the second round by a final score of 86-74. Kevon Voyles leads the Herd in scoring with 15.1 PPG along with 3.7 RPG while Obinna Anochili-Killen has 14.4 PPG with 5.9 RPG. Kamdyn Curfman has 13.4 PPG with 2.6 APG while Nate Martin has 10.7 PPG with a team-high 10.1 RPG and 2.8 APG to lead the Herd on the glass and in assists and to cap off the scoring in double figures for Marshall so far this year. As a team, Marshall is averaging 74.1 PPG on 40.8% shooting from the field, 31% from three and 71.2% from the foul line this season.
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James Madison Team Preview
The James Madison Dukes come into the Sun Belt Tournament as the 2-seed, finishing the year with an overall record of 28-3 including a 15-3 mark in Sun Belt conference play. 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.
Marshall vs. James Madison Prediction
I’m on JMU here. The Dukes have been arguably the best team in the Sun Belt although they don’t have a Sun Belt regular season championship to show for it and they put the boots to Marshall in the two meetings they had this season. I just don’t think the Herd have the horses to hang with the Dukes for a full 40 minutes so give me the Dukes to get the win and cover and advance to the next round.
