James Madison Dukes vs Appalachian State Mountaineers Prediction, 1/15/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: James Madison Dukes vs Appalachian State Mountaineers

Date: Thursday, January 15, 2026

Location: Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, NC

TV: ESPN+

Holmes Convocation Center is the location where the Appalachian State Mountaineers (10-8) will try to defeat the James Madison Dukes (9-8) on Thursday.

The James Madison Dukes took the court against Old Dominion and notched a win by a score of 70-69 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Dukes left the arena with 17 and Old Dominion finished the game with 19 personal fouls. They converted 9 of 23 tries from beyond the perimeter. Old Dominion ended up shooting 70.0% from the charity stripe by burying 14 of their 20 tries. Furthermore, Old Dominion pulled down 27 rebounds (6 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Old Dominion distributed 8 dimes and had 11 steals for the matchup. When talking about the defense, James Madison allowed 37.1% from the floor on 23 of 62 shooting. They also recorded 11 assists in this contest while forcing 6 turnovers and earning 3 steals. Pertaining to pulling down boards, they earned 40 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Dukes converted 20 of 25 attempts for a percentage of 80.0%. James Madison wrapped up the game having earned a 49.0% field goal percentage (24 out of 49) and converted 2 of their 11 shots from distance.

Justin McBride is someone who was important for this contest. He racked up 29 points on 9 of 17 shooting. He played for 29 minutes and snagged 7 boards. He went 52.9% from the floor and also dished out 1 assist.

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James Madison heads into this game with a win-loss record of 9-8 this year. They average 74.8 pts per game (235th in the country) while connecting on 44.6% from the floor. The Dukes are shooting 34.4% on shots from 3-point land (148 of 430) and 71.6% from the free throw line. As a unit, James Madison is pulling in 36.5 boards per game and has earned 225 dimes so far this season, which ranks 254th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 11.8 times per contest and as a team are committing 20.1 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Dukes are forcing 9.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 16.6 personal fouls. They give up 33.7% on shots from distance while they are 261st in the nation in PPG allowed (76.5). The Dukes defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 43.5% (435 of 1,000) and they concede 36.0 rebounds per game as a group. They rank 128th in the country in giving up assists to the opposition with 214 relinquished so far this year.

In their last game, the Appalachian State Mountaineers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 67-62 against Coastal Carolina. The Mountaineers collected 20 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards totaling 32 in the game. They also gave up possession of the ball 3 times, while earning 3 steals in the matchup. Coastal Carolina committed 17 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Mountaineers to the charity stripe for 17 attempts. They were able to knock down 13 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 76.5%. When talking about shots from beyond the arc, Appalachian State made 7 out of their 24 attempts (29.2%). When all was said and done, the Mountaineers went 21 out of 58 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 36.2%. The Mountaineers permitted Coastal Carolina to make 26 of 52 tries from the field which had them sitting at 50.0% in the game. They finished shooting 45.0% from distance by going 9 out of 20 and finished the contest at 6 of 11 at the charity stripe (54.5%). Concerning team rebounding, Appalachian State permitted Coastal Carolina to snag 29 in total (6 on the offensive glass).

Alonzo Dodd ended up being important for the Mountaineers in this game. He earned 21 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 3 assists for this contest. He made 8 out of 16 in the game giving him a rate of 50.0%, and totaled 6 rebounds.

Appalachian State has a mark of 10-8 for the season. The Mountaineers have committed 16.3 fouls per contest and they hit 61.1% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 12.7 times per contest (291st in D-1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.2 times per game. Appalachian State has earned 1,304 pts on the campaign (72.4 per contest) and they pull in 39.1 boards per game. As an offense, the Mountaineers are connecting on 44.7% from the floor, which has them ranked 224th in college hoops.

The Mountaineers on the defensive end are ranked 35th in the nation in points per game surrendered with 66.7. They are able to force 10.1 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 39.7% from the floor (34th in college). The Appalachian State defense surrenders 30.8% on 3-point shots (135 of 439) and their opposition knocks down 70.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 12.3 assists and 34.8 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 93rd and 201st in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Appalachian State

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