JMU women’s basketball will play in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Sun Belt title in dominating fashion. Where will they play and who will they play against? That’s the major question, and we’ll learn the answer Sunday.

Before the official bracket comes out, let’s check out some of the latest projections.

ESPN’s Charlie Creme

ESPN’s bracketologist gives the Dukes a No. 12 seed and a trip to Morgantown, West Virginia. There’s a lot to like about this draw, as the Dukes would play an opening game in a location reasonably close to Harrisonburg. JMU could draw a decent crowd for their upset bid.

Creme’s opening opponent for the Dukes? Kenny Brooks’ Kentucky. The storylines write themselves!

It’d be an interesting matchup against a good SEC team, if that comes to fruition. The winner would face either West Virginia or Green Bay in the second round.

Her Hoop Stats’ Megan Gauer

Gauer sends the Dukes to College Park, Maryland, as a 12 seed. That’s another ideal draw.

JMU would open against North Carolina, with the winner facing the winner of Maryland-Louisiana Tech (a future Sun Belt program) in the next round. The Dukes have three wins over Power Conference opponents this year, so their opening-round opponent shouldn’t intimidate them.

The IX Sports’ Matthew Walter

Like Creme, Walter sends JMU to Morgantown. In Walter’s bracket, the No. 12 seed Dukes would open with Minnesota.

Most projections have the Dukes in the 11 or 12 seed range, which seems fair given the team’s respectable NET ranking but lack of Quad 1 and Quad 2 wins. The Dukes getting a 13 seed would feel like a significant snub, but anything in the 10, 11 or 12 seed range should sit reasonably well with the Dukes.

College Sports Madness

JMU is a 12 seed heading to Morgantown here, too. The Dukes open with Notre Dame in this bracket, a rematch of a regular-season game won by the Irish, 78-65. JMU turned it over 19 times in that home loss, but Ashanti Barnes scored 22 points and added 13 rebounds. Peyton McDaniel was held to 10 points in the defeat.

This is likely an oversight by this bracketologist, as the NCAA Tournament selection committee aims to avoid first-round nonconference rematches. We wouldn’t expect JMU to play Notre Dame in the opening round as a result.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications