Appalachian State Mountaineers vs James Madison Dukes Prediction, 1/18/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Appalachian State Mountaineers vs James Madison Dukes

Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025

Location: Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, VA

TV: ESPN+

The James Madison Dukes (9-8) will compete against the Appalachian State Mountaineers (9-7) at Atlantic Union Bank Center on Saturday.

The Appalachian State Mountaineers faced off with James Madison and went home with a win by a final score of 86-66 in their last game. Appalachian State finished with a 53.8% field goal percentage (28 of 52) and knocked down 10 out of their 17 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Mountaineers converted 20 of 28 attempts for a rate of 71.4%. In the matter of hauling in rebounds, they earned 32 with 5 of them being offensive. They also doled out 14 assists in this contest while forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and earning 9 steals. Concerning defending, Appalachian State allowed the other team to go 34.8% from the field on 23 of 66 shooting. James Madison recorded 8 dimes and had 6 steals in this matchup. Additionally, James Madison collected 35 boards (14 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. James Madison ended up shooting 77.8% at the free throw line by knocking down 14 of 18 shots. They made 6 of their 24 shots from distance. In reference to fouls, the Mountaineers ended up finishing with 15 while James Madison recorded 20 fouls.

CJ Huntley is one player who played a role for the contest. He ended up going 66.7% from the floor but didn't record a dime. He was on the court for 37 mins and pulled down 8 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 21 points on 8 of 12 shooting.

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Appalachian State comes into this one with a win-loss record of 9-7 on the season. They currently have an average of 70.8 pts per contest (273rd in the nation) while connecting on 45.8% from the floor. The Mountaineers are shooting 36.9% on shots beyond the perimeter (133 of 360) and 65.0% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Appalachian State is grabbing 37.7 boards per contest and has accumulated 215 assists on the campaign, which is 269th in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 11.9 times per contest and as a team they are committing 14.5 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Mountaineers have forced 10.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.7 fouls. They rank 27th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 176 surrendered on the year. The Mountaineers defensively are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 38.5% (375 of 974) and they surrender 35.4 boards per contest as a squad. They surrender 28.3% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 25th in college in PPG allowed (64.2).

The last time they took the hardwood, the James Madison Dukes walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 86-66 against Appalachian State. Concerning attacking the glass, James Madison allowed Appalachian State to grab 32 in all (5 offensive). They went 58.8% from 3-point land by hitting 10 of 17 and ended up shooting 20 out of 28 at the charity stripe (71.4%). The Dukes allowed Appalachian State to convert 28 out of their 52 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 53.8% in this game. Overall, the Dukes finished shooting 23 out of 66 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 34.8%. Concerning three-point shots, James Madison buried 6 of 24 attempts (25.0%). They were able to convert 14 of those for a rate of 77.8%. Appalachian State committed 15 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Dukes to the free throw line for a total of 18 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while recording 6 steals for the matchup. The Dukes earned 21 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 35 for the game.

Elijah Hutchins-Everett ended up being a major contributor for the Dukes for this contest. He scored 19 points in his 26 mins of playing time and had 2 dimes for the game. He converted 8 of 13 for the contest for a rate of 61.5%, and accounted for 9 rebounds.

James Madison has a win-loss record of 9-8 on the year. The Dukes are committing 15.9 fouls every game and they shoot 71.7% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 12.5 times per contest (277th in the country) and they turn the ball over 12.2 times per game. James Madison has totaled 1,264 points on the season (74.4 per contest) and they pull in 37.9 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Dukes are shooting 44.5% from the field, which is ranked 212th in the nation.

The James Madison defense concedes 33.0% on 3-pointers (115 of 349) and their opposition knocks down 68.8% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 11.1 assists and 31.5 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 50th and 42nd in D-1. The Dukes on the defensive end are ranked 159th in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 70.8. They are forcing 10.3 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 44.6% from the field (257th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Appalachian State

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