South Alabama Jaguars vs James Madison Dukes Prediction, 1/22/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: South Alabama Jaguars vs James Madison Dukes

Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026

Location: Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, VA

TV: ESPN+

The South Alabama Jaguars (13-6) are traveling to Atlantic Union Bank Center on Thursday where they will play the James Madison Dukes (9-10).

The South Alabama Jaguars played Louisiana and went home with a loss by a final score of 59-56 in their last contest. South Alabama finished the contest with a 43.4% FG percentage (23 of 53) and converted 7 of 15 three-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Jaguars converted 3 of their 10 tries for a percentage of 30.0%. Concerning getting rebounds, they compiled 30 with 6 of them being offensive. They also recorded 9 assists for the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 6 turnovers and having 5 steals. In reference to defending, South Alabama allowed 38.2% from the field on 21 of 55 shooting. Louisiana doled out 14 assists and had 6 steals in the game. Moreover, Louisiana snagged 27 rebounds (5 offensive, 22 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Louisiana walked away from this one shooting 50.0% from the free throw line by burying 2 of 4 tries. They also converted 15 out of their 42 attempts from 3-point range. When discussing personal fouls, the Jaguars finished with 7 while Louisiana finished the game with 9 personal fouls.

Chaze Harris is a player who was a major contributor in the game. He racked up 18 points on 9 out of 15 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 35 minutes played and also grabbed 1 board. He ended up going 60.0% from the field and also dished out 3 dimes.

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South Alabama will take the court with a win-loss record of 13-6 for the season. They have an average of 73.9 points per game (251st in Division 1) while connecting on 46.7% from the field. The Jaguars are hitting 33.1% on shots beyond the perimeter (120 of 362) and 67.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, South Alabama is pulling down 36.6 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 214 assists on the campaign, which has them ranked 335th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 9.7 times per game and as a squad are committing 11.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Jaguars have forced 12.7 turnovers every game and they draw 17.3 fouls. They are currently ranked 344th in college hoops in giving up assists with 313 conceded on the season. The Jaguars are allowing a FG percentage of 37.9% (449 of 1,185) and they relinquish 36.5 boards per game as a squad. They surrender 30.9% on shots from distance while they are 52nd in Division 1 in opponents PPG (68.0).

The last time they took the hardwood, the James Madison Dukes took a loss by a final score of 77-72 when they played Marshall. The Dukes were able to pull down 20 defensive boards and 13 offensive boards for a total of 33 for the contest. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while recording 7 steals for this game. Marshall earned 18 personal fouls for this contest which took the Dukes to the charity stripe for 20 attempts. They were able to knock down 13 of those for a percentage of 65.0%. Concerning three-point attempts, James Madison converted 11 of 28 tries (39.3%). When the final whistle was blown, the Dukes went 24 for 61 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 39.3%. The Dukes permitted Marshall to knock down 24 out of their 59 attempts from the field which left them shooting 40.7% in this contest. They went 30.0% from distance by hitting 6 of 20 and ended up going 23 out of 28 at the free throw line (82.1%). When it comes to rebounds, James Madison allowed Marshall to grab 41 in all (16 on the offensive side).

Cliff Davis ended up being a factor for the Dukes for the game. He knocked down 6 of 15 for the contest giving him a field goal percentage of 40.0%, and had 6 rebounds. He racked up 20 points in his 33 minutes on the court and accounted for 1 assist in the game.

James Madison has a win-loss mark of 9-10 so far this year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Dukes are hitting on 43.8% from the field, which has them ranked 263rd in the nation. James Madison has totaled 1,409 points on the year (74.2 per contest) and they grab 36.2 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.1 times per contest (266th in D-1) and they turn it over 11.6 times per game. The Dukes are responsible for committing 19.8 fouls every game and they hit 71.1% from the free throw line.

The James Madison defense surrenders 34.1% on shots from distance (148 of 434) and opponents are converting on 72.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They have given up 12.6 dimes and 36.6 boards per contest, which ranks them 115th and 288th in college. The Dukes defensively are ranked 270th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 76.7. They are forcing their opponents into 9.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 43.8% from the field (189th in the country).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take South Alabama

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