College Hoops Top 50

Things haven’t been this good for James Madison in more than 200 years. It’s not just that the Dukes have a formidable football team, or that the hoops squad went into the Izzone and knocked off Michigan State in one of the most seismic upsets the Spartans have seen in years. The best part is that JMU appears to have legitimate staying power on the hardwood: and the fun may just be getting started. 

If you’re going by numeric patterns, James Madison is set to go Dancing this winter. The Dukes have only been to the NCAA Tournament three times in the past four decades. At the end of the 1982-83 season, they made it; then in 1993-94, and again in 2012-13. So, logically…

If you’re going by talent and proven productivity which teams are capable of trotting onto the floor instead, well, the Dukes are looking fairly solid from that perspective also – and they’ve already been proving it. 

The Dukes have a strong, high major-type of starting lineup, and the group is headed by two strong, high major-type stars. Terrence ‘Fatt’ Edwards is playing his fourth season in Harrisonburg, and it’s around him that head coach Mark Byington has assembled this year’s crew. Last year’s Sun Belt 6th Man of the Year, Edwards still managed to lead the team in scoring average despite ranking fifth on the team in minutes per game. This year, Edwards has taken his role as top scorer to a whole new level. 

His breakout last year came in part because Edwards became a solid, reliable outside shooter, and the veteran wing has kept up the marksmanship to start this season. Though never a large volume shooter from downtown, Edwards has knocked down 46.2% of his 91 triple tries since the start of last year. It also came because Edwards doesn’t just have the skill to get to the spots he likes – he’s also become adept at getting to the foul line. Edwards does his best work close to the rim, and last season made 63.6% of his attempts there, per Bart Torvik. Long capable of setting up his friends, Edwards has also taken his playmaking to a new level this year, playing smoothly off of newly-arrived point guard Michael Green III. Edwards plays with confidence, and his teammates emulate that belief in their abilities. 

As a scoring facilitator with two productive forwards around him to share the scoring burden, Edwards fits perfectly as the main attraction in Byington’s fast-paced, shot-making offense. The Dukes have ranked in the top 40 of the country’s teams in scoring average and free throw attempts in two of his three seasons as coach, and this year, JMU appears poised to do even better than that. 

The most experienced of those aforementioned productive forwards is TJ Bickerstaff. A former Drexel and Boston College transfer, Bickerstaff had started 63 collegiate games before choosing JMU for his final season. Over his previous three seasons, Bickerstaff averaged 6.9 points and 6.0 rebounds, with occasional scoring outbursts and stretches of production as a jump shooter. Now, given opportunity and with comfortable offense around him, Edwards is flourishing. His 21 points and 14 rebounds were key at the Izzone, and Bickerstaff offers both the size and athleticism up front to provide Byington with mismatch options. Bickerstaff has scored 14 or more points in five of the Dukes’ first six games, and it’s clear that he’s going to be a major part of this group’s continued success. Thus far, Bickerstaff has been focusing his efforts in the paint as much as possible, and is not only shooting it well, but earning lots of trips to the charity stripe in his own right. During his two seasons at BC, Bickerstaff ranked 13th and then 10th in the ACC in offensive boards despite averaging just 21.5 minutes per game, and he racked up 48 putback tries across that same span, per Hoop-Math. By providing quality post scoring plus great energy on the boards and cheap points, Bickerstaff is doing everything a team could ask from a primary post scorer. 

Providing contrast and plenty of skill up front is Julien Wooden, who like Edwards has played all of his games for the Dukes and has steadily helped to raise the program’s profile. A stretch big who has become a dangerous deep threat, Wooden scores efficiently both inside and out. Over his first few years, Wooden established that he could offer a genuine floor-stretching presence. Last winter, Wooden was the best deep threat has been yet, hitting 40.9% of his tries from downtown. Wooden has tipped off his graduate season by continuing to knock down jumpers, and he’s reeled off five straight games of scoring in double figures following the Michigan State game. His efficiency has increased from all three levels since the start of last season, and now Byington knows that he can rely upon the veteran scoring forward. Though Wooden is not a monster on the glass, his length helps defensively, and Byington will hope to see more and more from his most experienced player. 

Green, who has previously competed for Bryant and Robert Morris, brings even more of the experience which is so popular right now across college basketball. He arrived in Harrisonburg having started 68 career games, along with averages of 28.8 minutes, 10.7 points, and 3.6 assists per contest. Byington felt as though he landed just the right fit to lead his team’s offense when Green arrived, and so far the fifth-year guard has looked exactly the part. Since the start of last year, Green has posted a 152:74 assist to turnover ratio, and has been splashing triples at a 37.4% rate. More than his deep range, Green has largely made his best contributions from mid-range, skillfully crafting looks off the bounce. Across two years at RMU, Green made a reliable 44.0% of his in-between tries, per Bart Torvik. The former Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year is a solid defender, makes his free throws, and provides the steady hand which should keep the Dukes’ talented scorers well-fed. “I wanted to be somewhere where it’s a winning program and winning culture with a good group of guys as teammates that’s ready to compete for a championship,” Green told North Virginia Daily this summer. So far, he’s helping to put JMU on track to accomplish those goals. 

The Dukes have plenty more experience coming from Noah Freidel, who has proven to be a solid secondary scorer who teams have to guard. A former three-year starter and primary threat at South Dakota State, Fridel has settled into an artillerist’s role for JMU. Like Wooden, Friedel is spending his final season of eligibility with the Dukes, and he’s an even more accomplished deep threat than his veteran buddies. The proud owner of 224 made three’s for his career, Freidel is a 37.3% shooter from the land of trey across his four-plus collegiate seasons. He’s also a smart player who makes the correct reads and gets to the right places defensively. Bryant Randleman provides real contrast to Freidel and Green, with playmaking talent and 99 career starts at High Point to add into Byington’s equation. A 99-game starter for the Panthers, Randleman is yet another proven option, and he plays a dribble-drive game which will give opponents a different look while creating buckets for himself and good opportunities for the Dukes’ shooters. He’s also a good, opportunistic defender who has racked up 136 thefts across his 118 career games, and Randleman should remain a steady presence who brings genuine two-way value to this team. 

Byington also added former College of Charleston forward Raekwon Horton this summer. A versatile and energetic frontcourt player who will fight for rebounds and come up with buckets by virtue of his hustle, Horton fits the Dukes. He will get out and go in transition, plays tough defense, and while Horton is a guy who knows how to finish around the rim, he can also knock down a triple. An athletic player who can guard a larger range of players than most of JMU’s players, Horton has seen a consistent role because he fits into nearly any lineup. Though JMU is by and large an older outfit that likes to get up and down the floor, there are some impact youngsters who help balance this team. Guard Xavier Brown has skills which can help him get to the hoops, make jumpers and set up his teammates – but he most enjoys locking people up. “A lot of guys have different roles, and people take on their roles, and I just enjoy mine. I love stopping people. I love to see the frustration on somebody’s face because they can’t get to where they want to get to. In practice I love guarding Fatt because he’s going to push me,” Brown told the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record. Brown is earning a greater share of the minutes this year after filling in as a reserve last year, and the sophomore has made some standout plays already in limiting good shots chances and creating turnovers. 

With Bickerstaff as the team’s clear top big man, Byington still needs reliable support for the post and some production when the super-senior needs a rest. Jalen Carey is only a freshman, but he’s already shown the aptitude, attitude, and physicality to hang in the paint despite his youth. An effective rim protector, Carey offers the largest frame on this team, and does good work on the glass. Carey is not just a lumbering dude, though – he has skill with the ball in his hands, and made a triple I’m his second career game, as the Dukes earned an overtime victory which was nearly as exciting as their trip to Michigan State. Jarrell Roberson hasn’t played much, but the 6’9″ forward is mobile and should earn more opportunities during conference play. Given that Byington likes his team to be in attack-mode, he rotates consistently in order to keep his guys fresh. As such, Quincy Allen, a 4-star prep prospect who had to take a redshirt two years ago following hip surgery, will have opportunities to show his stuff. After playing for Colorado last year, Allen, a Maryland native, transferred back closer to home, and joined a team that’s going places. Allen chipped in a career-high 13 points in the Dukes’ win over Howard on Sunday, and has real potential as a shooter. Along with his length and athleticism, Byington thinks he’s found a gem in Allen. “Quincy is an extremely talented player and has something to prove,” Byington told the News-Record after signing Allen. “That will be a great combination for us.” 

As a team with plenty of shot-makers who can quick-punch opponents with a flurry if three’s, JMU has already shown that they can score against anybody. Bickerstaff providing a real interior option combined the Dukes’ habit of earning free throws mean that their offense isn’t just about getting up a great quantity of shots: there is genuine quality which will keep serveling JMU well against good defenses. 

More than the measurables, they’ve shown the fortitude and skill to withstand big runs from their opponents while continuing to make the key plays that bring success in close games. “We’re not scared of names,” Bickerstaff declared after knocking off Michigan State. “We go hard.”

JMU has placed a target on their backs with this season’s loud and proud success, and these Dukes will be getting peoples’ best shot every tilt the rest of the year. That’s alright, though. James Madison was built to win this season, and they’re not shy about having big goals. “This can’t be our biggest game of the year,” Byington explained to reporters after the Dukes’ win in East Lansing. “It’s great for these guys, but we have to get better.” These Dukes have already earned their moment in the spotlight, and they’re good enough to remain under the bright lights right through March.