Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs James Madison Dukes Prediction, 1/2/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs James Madison Dukes

Date: Thursday, January 2, 2025

Location: Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, VA

TV: ESPN+

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles (5-7) are traveling to Atlantic Union Bank Center on Thursday where they will try to defeat the James Madison Dukes (7-6).

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles stepped onto the hardwood against Lamar and went home with a loss by a final score of 69-65 in their last contest. Southern Miss walked away from the game having earned a 42.1% FG percentage (24 of 57) and converted 2 out of their 13 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Golden Eagles made 15 of their 25 attempts for a percentage of 60.0%. In reference to rebounding, they earned 29 with 12 of them being offensive. They also distributed 14 dimes in this game while forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and having 3 steals. When discussing defending, Southern Miss let their opponent shoot 39.4% from the floor on 26 of 66 shooting. Lamar totaled 9 assists and had 2 steals for the game. On top of that, Lamar had 28 boards (9 offensive, 19 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Lamar finished 66.7% at the charity stripe by converting 10 of their 15 attempts. They also made 7 of their 22 tries from beyond the arc. Regarding personal fouls, the Golden Eagles ended up walking away with 18 while Lamar recorded 16 personal fouls.

Denijay Harris is a guy who was a contributor for the game. He went 62.5% from the field and dished out 4 assists. He saw the court for 38 minutes and collected 10 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 29 points on 10 of 16 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Parlay Picks

Southern Miss heads into this one with a win-loss record of 5-7 on the year. They average 71.5 pts per contest (278th in the country) on 43.9% from the field. The Golden Eagles are hitting 31.4% on 3-pointers (86 of 274) and 66.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Southern Miss is grabbing 36.8 rebounds per game and has totaled 182 assists this season, which has them ranked 198th in the country in terms of passing. They are turning it over 14.7 times per contest and as a team they are committing 16.5 fouls per game.

Defensively, the Golden Eagles have forced 12.0 turnovers every game and they draw 15.9 personal fouls. They are giving up 33.0% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 309th in college in PPG allowed (76.7). The Golden Eagles are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 45.8% (337 of 736) and they concede 35.8 rebounds per contest as a team. They are 175th in Division 1 in allowing assists to their opponents with 166 relinquished for the season.

The last time they took the court, the James Madison Dukes walked away with a victory by a final of 96-64 when they played Midway. The Dukes were able to corral 39 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 51 in the matchup. They coughed up the ball 12 times, while earning 4 steals for the game. Midway earned 10 fouls for this game which got the Dukes to the free throw line for 16 shots. They were able to knock down 11 of those for a rate of 68.8%. With respect to shooting from downtown, James Madison converted 11 of their 27 attempts (40.7%). Overall, the Dukes shot 37 for 70 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 52.9%. The Dukes permitted Midway to make 22 out of 70 tries from the field which had them shooting 31.4% for the game. They finished the game shooting 23.3% from beyond the perimeter by going 7 of 30 and ended up going 13 of 16 at the free throw line (81.3%). In relation to rebounds, James Madison permitted Midway to grab 27 in total (5 offensive).

Bryce Lindsay was important for the Dukes in this matchup. He had 13 points in his 24 mins of playing time and had 2 assists in this contest. He buried 5 out of 9 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 55.6%, and tallied 1 rebound.

James Madison has a win-loss record of 7-6 for the campaign. In terms of offensive execution, the Dukes are connecting on 45.2% from the field, which ranks 179th in the country. James Madison has accumulated 970 pts this year (74.6 per game) and they grab 37.5 rebounds per contest. They are getting an assist 13.8 times per game (213th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.2 times per contest. The Dukes commit 15.8 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 70.8% from the free throw line.

The Dukes defensively are ranked 139th in college in PPG surrendered with 69.5. They have forced 10.2 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.7% from the field (270th in college hoops). The James Madison defense gives up 29.9% on shots from distance (80 of 268) and their opponents are making 67.9% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 10.8 assists and 30.8 boards every game, which is ranked 48th and 33rd in those categories on the defensive end.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take James Madison and under the total points

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here