Home ‘F— you, Tony’: What UVA Basketball fans need to know (and remember) about JMU
Sports News

‘F— you, Tony’: What UVA Basketball fans need to know (and remember) about JMU

Chris Graham
tony bennett
Tony Bennett. Photo: UVA Athletics

KenPom.com projects JMU to win the Sun Belt this year, and that’s not nothing – the Sun Belt has two teams in the KenPom Top 100 (JMU and Marshall), and the conference ranks 14th among the 33 in the metrics site’s power rankings.

In the here and now, Madison is 7-2, the losses being an 80-64 setback at North Carolina that saw the Dukes claw their way back from a 19-point halftime deficit to make it interesting for a while in the second half, and an 81-79 defeat to Valparaiso that is nothing short of inexcusable – KenPom has the Beacons ranked 279th, and they’re just 3-6 on the season.

So, this JMU team has a decent ceiling for a mid-major – they’ll be the favorite from their conference for an NCAA Tournament bid, and probably a 12 or 13 seed if they can win the Sun Belt Tournament in March.

But the floor might be low, too.

Seriously, Valpo.

The rotation

JMU leads the nation in scoring, at 93.3 points per game, the numbers skewed a bit by the 123 the Dukes put up in a win over D3 Valley Forge, and the 100 they scored in a win over Coastal Georgia, which plays in NAIA.

So maybe you also need to take the 52.7 percent shooting from the field number you see on the JMU stat sheet with a grain of salt.

Madison also shoots 42.2 percent from three this season, for what that’s worth, given the schedule.

In the one game on the schedule against a KenPom Top 100 team, UNC, the Dukes shot 34.8 percent from the floor and were 7-of-27 (25.9 percent) from three.

JMU coach Mark Byington, who took over the program in 2021 after a nice run at Georgia Southern that included a 2019 NCAA Tournament appearance, goes nine-deep with his rotation, all averaging double-digits in minutes.

The lineup features four guys scoring in double figures – 6’4” guard Takal Molson (12.6 ppg, 54.1% FG, 47.4% 3FG), 6’6” forward Terrence Edwards (12.3 ppg, 64.6% FG, 66.7% 3FG), 6’0” point guard Vado Morse (12.0 ppg, 37.6% FG, 39.2% 3FG), and 6’8” center Mezie Offurum (11.0 ppg, 5.7 rebs/g, 67.8% FG).

The rest of the rotation:

  • 6’4” guard Noah Freidel (9.8 ppg, 34.5% FG, 28.8% 3FG)
  • 6’8” center Julien Wooden (9.4 ppg, 58.2% FG, 58.3% 3FG)
  • 6’7” forward Alonzo Sule (8.2 ppg, 56.3% FG)
  • 6’7” forward Justin Amadi (7.4 ppg, 73.0% FG)
  • 6’2” point guard Xavier Brown (4.4 ppg, 64.0% FG, 50.0% 3FG)

In the UNC game

JMU put four guys into double figures in the loss at Carolina – Molson (19 points, six rebounds, 7-of-16 FG, 3-of-6 3FG), Offurum (12 points, eight rebounds, 5-of-6 FG), Wooden (11 points, 4-of-7 FG, 1-of-1 3FG) and Morse (10 points, 3-of-17 FG, 2-of-8 3FG).

Madison committed nine turnovers on its 75 possessions, and was outrebounded 50-34.

Analytics

JMU: offense 1.080 PPP (63rd nationally), defense 0.986 PPP (97th nationally), tempo 73.1 possessions/g (16th nationally)

Virginia: offense 1.160 PPP (eight nationally), defense 0.910 PPP (20th nationally), tempo 60.6 possessions/g (361st nationally)

Data: KenPom.com

Last year

JMU won in Harrisonburg, 52-49. Virginia led 10-2 at the second media timeout, but the Dukes closed out the first half on a 22-4 run to go into the break up 10, and led by as many as 13 early in the second half.

Virginia rallied to take the lead on an Armaan Franklin jumper with 1:27 to go, but a pair of buckets by Molson closed out the upset.

Before the closing sequence, JMU fans serenaded UVA coach Tony Bennett with an “f— you, Tony” chant as he argued a call with officials late in the game.

Bennett, of Five Pillars fame, doesn’t seem the vengeful sort, but if he were …

Forecast

KenPom: Virginia 76-62, 89% win probability

Bart Torvik: Virginia 72-62, 86% win probability

ESPN BPI: Virginia +8.3, 79.2% win probability

Vegas: UVA +12, over/under 134.5 (projected score: 73-61)

Video

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

Latest News

How to Bet On the Daytona 500 in California
Sports

How to Bet On the Daytona 500 in California

ron sanchez uva basketball vt
Basketball, Sports

The tweak UVA Basketball coach Ron Sanchez would need if he were to get the job full time

One lesson Ron Sanchez could take with him into next year, if he, indeed, ends up getting the UVA Basketball job on a full-time basis after the season, would be, succession planning.

george mason
Basketball, Sports

George Mason rallies, beats Saint Joseph’s, to stay atop A-10 standings

George Mason took the lead for good on a Brayden O’Connor bucket with 1:18 to go, then got a couple of stops on defense to complete the 58-57 win over Saint Joseph’s, to maintain the lead in the A-10.

isaac mckneely uva basketball
Basketball, Sports

Five Observations: UVA Basketball gets more good offense in road win

Daytona 500 Odds, Picks, & How To Bet
NASCAR

Daytona 500 Odds, Picks, & How To Bet

uva basketball
Basketball, Sports

Live Coverage: UVA Basketball grits out 73-70 win at Virginia Tech

How To Bet On The Daytona 500 in Florida
Sports News

How To Bet On The Daytona 500 in Florida