Image courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications 

By Bennett Conlin (This content was originally published in our newsletter)

A detailed preview – For a thorough preview of the Ann Arbor Regional, check out my article posted on our website earlier this week. We also preview the Regional in our podcast. 

The basics – If you want a condensed version of our deep dive, you’ve come to the right place. 

• Michigan, DePaul and St. Francis are the three other teams in the Regional. Michigan poses a legit threat to the Dukes, while DePaul and St. Francis aren’t real threats to advance to the Super Regional. DePaul is a more complete team than St. Francis, though. 
• Michigan is 85-6 at home since the start of the 2015 season. 
• Statistically, JMU looks like the team to beat. 
• The bottom of JMU’s lineup is an X-factor. 

Keys to advancing

For JMU, this tournament is all about beating Michigan. The Dukes need to find a way to scrap by the Wolverines. If the Dukes can lean on Megan Good in the circle and the middle of their order, a Super Regional appearance may be on the horizon. Keep an eye on Good’s play during the tournament. She’s the best player at the Regional. 

Up first – The Dukes face DePaul today at 2 p.m. The winner faces the winner of Michigan-St. Francis tomorrow. 

Bonus note: The weather for Sunday looks iffy. This could throw off the flow of the Regional final.