James Madison Dukes
Colonial Athletic Association (24-7, 14-4)
The Colonial Athletic Association was a competitive conference all season, with six teams finishing at .500 or above in the standings in the CAA and seven teams finishing .500 or better overall. James Madison was safely above that threshold, and the Dukes are very close to approaching their 26-8 mark of last year. The Dukes were second in the CAA during the regular season behind the Elena Delle Donne-led Delaware squad.
Big Wins: 11/20 Middle Tennessee State (60-46), 1/03 Duquesne (56-49), 1/19 at Hofstra (81-63)
Bad Losses: 12/4 at Towson (58-65), 2/19 at Northeastern (61-50)
Coach: Kenny Brooks (10 years at JMU)
Why They Can Surprise:
With the exception of a couple double-digit losses to Drexel and Northeastern, James Madison has hung in tight with every team it lost to this season. This includes the team’s 72-65 loss to Delaware, which won the CAA regular-season title. James Madison spreads its offense out around three players, Jasmine Gill, Tarik Hislop and Kirby Burkholder. If one of the three scorers has a bad day, the other two can help pick up the slack. Like with most good teams on this list, the Dukes offense isn’t a one-trick pony show. Hislop is one of four players to have 100 or more field goals this season (Burkholder, Gill and Lauren Whitehurst are the others), and different individuals lead the team in 3-point shooting (Burkholder), free throws (Hislop) and rebounding (Nikki Newman). That diverse attack has helped James Madison to a strong record.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The loss to Delaware was the only time this year that the Dukes faced a ranked squad. Although James Madison has 24 victories heading into the tournament, aside from Delaware the Dukes really haven’t faced a lot of tough competition. James Madison’s offense, though diverse, doesn’t score a lot of points. Its 63.2 points per game are barely enough to make the top 150 in Division I. The team also turns the ball over much more (451) than dishes it out (359). Although James Madison’s 55.6 per game scoring defense is 42nd in the nation, if a team can’t score more points than it allows, a loss will follow. That’s basic college basketball, not to mention sports in general.
Probable Starters:
Nikki Newman, Junior, Guard/Forward, 5.3 ppg, 2.5 apg, 7.7 rpg
Lauren Whitehurst, Senior, Forward, 9.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg
Jasmine Gill, Junior, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Kirby Burkholder, Sophomore, Guard, 10.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg
Tarik Hislop, Junior, Guard, 14.7 ppg, 3.6 apg
Key Roleplayers:
Toia Giggetts, Freshman, Forward, 4.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Kiara Francisco, Senior, Guard/Forward, 5.2 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 63.2 (150th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 55.6 (45, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 36.6 (268, 12)
Field-Goal Defense: 33.7 (7, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.0 (240, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: N/A
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.0 (220, 8)
Rebound Margin: 4.3 (59, 3)
Assists Per Game: 12.0 (207, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.2 (53, 3)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
James Madison 2011 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Oklahoma
James Madison 2009 NIT First Round win over American
James Madison 2009 NIT Second Round loss to Richmond
James Madison 2008 NIT First Round win over Radford
James Madison 2008 NIT Second Round win over Indiana
James Madison 2008 NIT Third Round loss to Kentucky
James Madison 2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Pittsburgh
James Madison 2006 NIT First Round loss to Charlotte
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
