James Madison Dukes vs Troy Trojans Prediction, 1/29/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: James Madison Dukes vs Troy Trojans

Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026

Location: Trojan Arena in Troy, AL

TV: ESPN+

The Troy Trojans (15-6) are hosting the James Madison Dukes (10-11) at Trojan Arena on Thursday.

The James Madison Dukes played Texas State and went home with a win by a final score of 82-57 in their last contest. James Madison finished having earned a 52.6% field goal percentage (30 of 57) and converted 14 of their 32 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Dukes made 8 of 11 attempts for a percentage of 72.7%. When discussing hauling in rebounds, they earned 36 with 10 of them being offensive. They also recorded 20 assists in the matchup while forcing 7 turnovers and getting 5 steals. When it comes to defense, James Madison allowed the other team to shoot 33.3% from the floor on 19 of 57 shooting. Texas State earned 9 dimes and had 7 steals in this contest. Additionally, Texas State snagged 22 rebounds (8 offensive, 14 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Texas State went 71.4% from the free throw line by converting 15 of 21 tries. They made 4 of their 17 attempts from long range. In relation to fouls, the Dukes walked away with 15 and Texas State accounted for 12 fouls.

Cliff Davis is a guy who came through in the game. He ended up with 18 points on 6 out of 9 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 25 mins played but finished the game without a rebound. He ended up going 66.7% from the field and distributed 2 dimes.

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James Madison will take the court with a mark of 10-11 on the season. They have an average of 75.0 points per contest (222nd in D-1) while connecting on 44.2% from the floor. The Dukes are connecting on 35.8% on 3-point shots (201 of 562) and 71.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, James Madison is pulling in 36.4 boards per game and has accounted for 287 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 197th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 11.8 times per game and as a team they are committing 20.0 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Dukes are forcing their opponents into 8.9 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16.3 fouls. They are ranked 125th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 258 conceded on the campaign. The Dukes are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 43.4% (537 of 1,238) and they concede 36.2 rebounds per contest as a team. They give up 34.0% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 253rd in college hoops in PPG from their opponents (76.4).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Troy Trojans got the victory with a final of 83-78 against Georgia Southern. With respect to rebounding, Troy permitted Georgia Southern to pull down 21 overall (6 offensive). They finished the game shooting 34.4% from three-point range by connecting on 11 of 32 and ended up going 13 of 17 from the free throw line (76.5%). The Trojans allowed Georgia Southern to convert 27 of their 56 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 48.2% in the game. Overall, the Trojans ended up shooting 28 for 57 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.1%. Concerning shots from downtown, Troy converted 9 of 25 tries (36.0%). They were able to knock down 18 of them for a clip of 75.0%. Georgia Southern earned 17 personal fouls in the game which got the Trojans to the free throw line for a total of 24 tries. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while recording 5 steals for the matchup. The Trojans earned 21 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 33 for the matchup.

Victor Valdes was important for the Trojans for this contest. He made 6 of 14 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 42.9%, and had 3 rebounds. He had 22 points in his 29 mins on the hardwood and totaled 3 assists for this contest.

Troy has a mark of 15-6 so far this season. The Trojans are responsible for committing 17.5 personal fouls per contest and they hit 73.2% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 16.8 times per game (52nd in D-1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.5 times per contest. Troy has accumulated 1,817 pts for the year (86.5 per game) and they pull in 39.7 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Trojans are hitting on 46.2% from the field, which ranks them 133rd in the nation.

The Trojans on defense are ranked 248th in college in points per game surrendered with 76.3. They have forced 14.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 43.4% from the field (166th in D-1). The Troy defense gives up 33.4% on shots from 3-point land (165 of 494) and their opponents are making 68.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 13.6 dimes and 35.8 rebounds per game, which ranks them 201st and 265th in D-1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Troy

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