Texas State Bobcats vs James Madison Dukes Prediction, 1/24/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Texas State Bobcats vs James Madison Dukes

Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026

Location: Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, VA

TV: ESPN+

The James Madison Dukes (9-11) will try to defeat the Texas State Bobcats (11-10) at Atlantic Union Bank Center on Saturday.

The Texas State Bobcats faced off with Coastal Carolina and took a loss by a final of 72-70 in their last contest. Regarding personal fouls, the Bobcats ended up finishing with 23 and Coastal Carolina finished the game with 19 personal fouls. They buried 6 of 26 tries from long range. Coastal Carolina finished the contest at 75.9% at the free throw line by knocking down 22 of 29 attempts. Furthermore, Coastal Carolina grabbed 35 rebounds (7 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't have a block. Coastal Carolina totaled 4 dimes and had 1 steal in this matchup. In the matter of the defense, Texas State allowed 41.5% from the floor on 22 out of 53 shooting. They also distributed 5 assists in the matchup as well as creating 9 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In reference to hauling in rebounds, they earned a total of 38 with 11 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Bobcats made 19 of their 21 shots for a percentage of 90.5%. Texas State wrapped up the contest with a 37.9% FG percentage (25 out of 66) and buried 1 out of their 13 shots from beyond the arc.

Mark Drone is one guy who was a contributor for the game. He ended up with 24 points on 9 out of 21 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 23 minutes and totaled 5 boards. He finished the contest at 42.9% from the field and earned 1 assist.

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Texas State enters this game with a win-loss mark of 11-10 this season. They lose possession via turnover 13.7 times per game and as a group they commit 18.5 fouls every game. As a team, Texas State is pulling in 36.8 boards per game and is sitting with 271 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 208th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Bobcats are shooting 31.9% on 3-point shots (98 of 307) and 75.1% from the free throw line. They average 73.9 pts per contest (252nd in Division 1) while hitting 46.3% from the field.

Defensively, the Bobcats are able to force 13.8 turnovers every game while drawing 16.8 fouls. They are ranked 66th in the country in giving up assists with 227 surrendered so far this season. The Bobcats defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 44.0% (509 of 1,157) and they relinquish 31.3 boards per game as a group. They are conceding 34.6% on shots from downtown and they rank 112th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (71.0).

The last time they took the court, the James Madison Dukes took a loss by a final score of 90-83 against South Alabama. The Dukes collected 29 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 36 in this game. They turned it over 17 times, while recording 3 steals for the matchup. South Alabama earned 16 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Dukes to the free throw line for 25 shots. They were able to bury 19 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 76.0%. In the matter of shots from distance, James Madison converted 16 of their 42 tries (38.1%). When the game finished, the Dukes finished 24 out of 55 from the floor which had them shooting 43.6%. The Dukes permitted South Alabama to convert 28 of 63 attempts from the field which had them shooting 44.4% for this contest. They wrapped up this game 38.5% from three-point range by shooting 10 of 26 and ended up going 24 out of 39 from the free throw line (61.5%). Concerning cleaning the glass, James Madison permitted South Alabama to collect 34 overall (9 offensive).

Justin McBride was important for the Dukes in this matchup. He accumulated 30 points in his 33 mins of playing time and earned 1 assist for the matchup. He knocked down 9 out of 12 for the game for a field goal rate of 75.0%, and had 12 rebounds.

James Madison has a mark of 9-11 this season. The Dukes are responsible for committing 20.2 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 71.4% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 13.4 times per contest (247th in Division 1) and they lose possession via turnover 11.9 times per game. James Madison has tallied 1,492 points for the season (74.6 per contest) and they collect 36.3 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Dukes are shooting 43.8% from the floor, which is ranked 267th in Division 1.

The James Madison defense surrenders 34.3% on shots from beyond the arc (158 of 460) and their opposition makes 71.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 12.5 assists and 36.7 boards on a nightly basis, ranking them 105th and 295th in college hoops. The Dukes on the defensive side of the court are 280th in the nation in PPG given up with 77.4. They are able to force 9.0 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.9% from the floor (192nd in Division 1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Texas State

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