The JMU basketball season is off to a hot start, with both the men’s and women’s teams picking up wins over MAC teams as part of the SBC-MAC Challenge.

The men’s team moved to 1-0 in the first game of Preston Spradlin’s tenure, beating Ohio 88-78 at home. The women’s squad moved to 1-0 with a 67-56 road win at Kent State. Both Ohio and Kent State were top-2 preseason picks in the MAC.

Here’s one takeaway from each team’s win.

Sean O’Regan deserves a raise

The JMU women’s basketball coach might be the most underrated coach at the school. He’s been hurt by injury luck and COVID, which cost two of his best teams NCAA chances. The 2019-20 team was loaded, but COVID ended their March Madness dreams. He should probably have three NCAA Tournament appearances to his name, instead of one.

This year’s team could be on the level of the 2020 team, and it showed Monday.

Over the years, the best JMU women’s teams have demolished opponents defensively and on the glass. That’s exactly what the Dukes did Monday against Kent State. They were simply tougher and grittier in the win.

JMU shot just 36.6% from the floor and 16.7% from 3-point range, but the Dukes also outrebounded the Golden Flashes 45-37 (JMU had 19 offensive rebounds) and held them to 0-19 (!!!) shooting from 3-point range. That’s a dominant defense.

Sure, the offense needs to be crisper as the season progresses, but JMU went on the road and beat a good mid-major opponent by 11 points despite shooting under 40%. That’s huge.

Transfer Ro Scott showed the ability to be a potent scorer, dropping a team-high 19. Jamia Hazell scored 15. Ashanti Barnes scored 13 points to go with six rebounds. Peyton McDaniel struggled scoring (2 points), but her rebounding (10) and defense (7 steals) were critical. If your star player finds ways to contribute when she’s having an off night shooting, it shows your program cares deeply about winning. McDaniel didn’t sulk, instead she dominated defensively.

JMU will win a lot of Sun Belt games if it matches Monday’s defensive intensity. If it plays defense like that and gets the offense going? Other Sun Belt teams should be frightened.

If this JMU team stays healthy, the Dukes will play meaningful games in March.

Men’s basketball is building the right way

I prefer the way JMU’s 2024-25 roster is constructed compared to last year’s team. That doesn’t mean this year’s version of JMU will finish 32-4 or win the Sun Belt and an NCAA Tournament game, but new coach Preston Spradlin is onto something with how he’s building the Dukes’ roster.

There’s size at every position, and the backcourt could give teams fits in March.

Last year’s JMU team didn’t have any players over 6’9, while the Dukes have a pair of 6’11 players this year. Elijah Hutchins-Everett showed off his skills Monday, dropping 13 points to go with eight rebounds. Ebenezer Dowuona had two blocks and four rebounds in 12 minutes of action. The duo gives JMU size and athleticism that few mid-majors can match. The Dukes also have elite size at the forward spot, with Morehead State transfer Eddie Ricks (6’7) scoring seven points and adding five rebounds. Wing AJ Smith had 11 points and five rebounds. 

The Dukes lost twice to App State last season, shooting below 45% on 2-point shots in both losses. Monday against Ohio, JMU shot 56.8% from 2-point range — the guards also finished exceptionally well near the rim, more on that in a second — and outrebounded the Bobcats by 17. It’s just a one-game sample size, but the Dukes have a roster capable of bullying mid-majors and hanging with Power Conference opponents.

Aaaand this might be the best JMU backcourt in recent memory. The duo of Mark Freeman and Xavier Brown (39 combined points) is one of the best in the conference. JMU’s backcourt didn’t lack talent last year, but Freeman and Brown (who looks like he really improved his game in the offseason after shooting 34.4% from the field last year) are a different breed. They’ve both played multiple seasons of college basketball, and they’re lightning quick. They can create their own shots with ease and distribute the ball well. They’re effective 3-point shooters with NBA range. They’re also active defensively, combining for four steals in Monday’s win. 

There’s always a scoring threat present when one of those two are on the floor, something that wasn’t always evident last season from the guards. Texas A&M transfer Bryce Lindsey chipped in nine points, too. He’s a scoring threat. JMU relied heavily on its wings and forwards last year to be the team’s reliable scorers. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it can be nice to have “bucket getters” at guard. 

Losing Terrence Edwards on the wing — he had 12 points in his Louisville debut — obviously hurts. Plenty of other departures also hurt, but JMU reloaded in the portal — the Montpelier Collective and the coaching staff deserve major credit for their recruiting efforts. The Dukes have a roster that looks like one of the 100 best in college basketball. Coupled with a notable home-court advantage and a manageable schedule, the Dukes should win a bunch of games this season.

It’s going to be really hard to replicate last year’s success, but a one-game sample suggests maybe JMU hasn’t taken much of a step back. The defense will need to improve over the course of the season — Ohio shot 50% from the floor — but there’s obvious potential here because Spradlin successfully built a roster designed to give opponents problems at every position. He’s making a blueprint for how to win basketball games at JMU in the modern era. 

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications