Two truths define JMU men’s basketball’s season.

It wasn’t abysmal. It also wasn’t good enough.

The Dukes, who lost to Southern Miss in their second game of the Sun Belt Tournament last Thursday, finished the season 18-15 overall and 9-9 in the SBC. They lost by a generous six to the Eagles, as the game was controlled by Southern Miss.

Nobody is hanging a banner for JMU’s ninth-place league finish. The Dukes came five wins shy of an NCAA Tournament berth in the conference tournament. Ew.

But JMU also turned a 4-8 start in Sun Belt games into a 9-9 finish. The Dukes won seven of their final nine games. There were signs of progress from players with remaining eligibility, namely freshmen Preston Fowler and Christian Brown.

The Dukes also have the resources to contend for the conference crown annually. Coming up five wins short of the Big Dance isn’t good enough, and going 9-9 in league play is the definition of average.

So what went wrong and what’s next?

What went wrong?

Perhaps JMU’s 2025-26 shortcomings can be attributed to roster turnover. After being led by guards Mark Freeman, Bryce Lindsay, and Xavier Brown, the Dukes lost them all. They reloaded with some key transfers like Cliff Davis and Justin McBride, but the roster looked drastically different this season than last.

It takes time for a team to jell. The Dukes played their best basketball at the end of the season, and a glass-half-full look suggests key player retention this offseason could lead to success next year.

The glaring issue, though, was the defense.

Preston Spradlin came to JMU with a recent history of building elite defenses at Morehead State. It’s been the opposite at JMU.

The Dukes ranked inside the top 100 nationally in offensive efficiency last season, per KenPom data. This year, they were 168th. With over 350 teams in Division I college basketball, that’s decent!

As for the defense, it ranked 249th last season and 257th this year. That’s not nearly good enough to make the NCAA Tournament.
For comparison, JMU’s elite 2023-24 team ranked 72nd in offensive efficiency and 74th defensively. The Dukes were good on both ends and overwhelmed mid-major and low-major competition.

Some of the flaws in recent years could be strategy based. The Dukes don’t try to force turnovers. This means teams put up a decent amount of shot attempts per game. When the Dukes didn’t foul, this strategy actually worked well. JMU’s defense ranks in the top 100 nationally in 2-point and 3-point field goal defense.

But they fouled way too much this season. JMU ranked 308th nationally in free-throw rate defense, which measures how often opponents get to the free-throw line relative to their field-goal attempts. It essentially says JMU fouled far too often, giving chances for free points.

To play JMU’s current style, the Dukes need to defend without fouling. It’s exactly what Illinois does and why it’s a national title contender.

The Fighting Illini rank dead last nationally in turnover creation, but they lead the country in free-throw rate defense and rank 27th nationally in defensive efficiency. Illinois forces teams into tough shots, and then it rebounds those misses very well. The team also blocks shots efficiently.

If a team isn’t going to attempt to create turnovers, they have to make up for it by defending without fouling and forcing tough looks that they need to rebound. JMU was an average rebounding team that fouled too much.

It begs the question of whether the defensive approach makes sense for a team relying on transfers each season. Can Spradlin teach his unique defensive style well enough in 6-9 months with mid-major talent? If not, retaining players who know the system and style becomes crucial. It takes all five players bought in and playing well to effectively defend teams for 40 minutes without fouling.

Byington found success at JMU by forcing turnovers with undersized and athletic players. The Dukes ranked 18th nationally in steal percentage when they made the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24. This year’s team ranked 325th, focusing on a different style of defense.

Spradlin’s style can work — Morehead State finished 129th or better in defensive efficiency in three of his final four seasons there — but it’s way easier when the entire roster doesn’t flip in the offseason.

What’s next?

For starters, Spradlin will be back. He just finished Year 2 of a six-year contract, and he won a share of the SBC regular-season title in Year 1. He’s not on the hot seat, despite no postseason appearances in two seasons.

Spradlin will be back for Year 3, and while he’s not on the hot seat for the decision-makers who matter, he is under increasing pressure from fans.

Mark Byington needed four seasons to make an NCAA Tournament at JMU, but the Dukes picked up major nonconference results before getting there. In Byington’s first three seasons, JMU secured notable wins over George Mason and Virginia. Spradlin’s signature nonconference win? According to KenPom, it’s a win over Jacksonville State a season ago.

Spradlin is 0-2 against George Mason, and the Dukes have struggled to add marquee nonconference games. That’s not Spradlin’s fault, but when there aren’t chances for big wins in November and December, it puts added pressure on conference tournament results. Spradlin is just 1-2 in SBC tournament games. That’s the same conference tournament record Byington had through his first three seasons at JMU, but the Dukes’ nonconference success helped mask those woes.

The key for Spradlin entering Year 3 is retention. JMU’s 2023-24 team returned Terrence Edwards, Julien Wooden, and Noah Freidel. The Dukes supplemented a great group of returners with transfers like T.J. Bickerstaff.

Can Spradlin keep McBride in Harrisonburg? He would enter the season as one of the favorites to win the league’s POTY award if he returns. But he’ll likely command a lucrative deal this offseason. Keeping him feels like a pipe dream, especially since he’s played at a different school in each of first three college seasons.

What about Fowler and Brown? Will Eddie Ricks want another season under Spradlin or will the underutilized wing look elsewhere to wrap up his solid college career? All three, especially Ricks and Brown, have high defensive upside.

Other less heralded players include injured guards Paul Lewis and Paul Jones. Forward/center Eli Wilborn adds nice depth inside, too. Can JMU convince him to stay? He has good rebounding and defensive ability that are critical to JMU’s style of play.

Of that group of seven players, JMU needs to keep at least four to avoid another major rebuild. The Dukes need to be better in the portal — we’ve heard from sources close to the program that some players on the 2025-26 roster were overpaid for how much they actually contributed — but they can’t afford to build an entire team from the portal again. On the plus side, some of the players graduating come off the books. Spradlin has money to work with to retain and add new guys.

JMU needs cohesiveness next season. Spradlin hasn’t been bad for two years. He hasn’t been great either. To be great, the Dukes would benefit from bringing back some of their best players and building around them. It’s especially critical given the program’s desire to improve defensively with a very specific style of play.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications