Yes, aside from McNeese State, James Madison had the laziest regular-season schedule of any NCAA men’s tournament squad. It is true that the Dukes’ only way to guarantee their participation in this year’s field was to win the Sun Belt Conference championship. However, JMU only does one thing exceptionally well, which is win basketball games.

Guard Michael Green III stated, “I feel like we’ve had confidence, just in the work we put in.” “Like, we know we’re a good team, and we know that we can beat any team in any league, so we prepare for anything.”

The No. 12 Dukes (32-3) crushed the Badgers 72-61 to confirm their impressive record and dispel the notion that they weren’t prepared for the intense competition of the tournament. The Dukes lead No. 5 Wisconsin by double digits at the break.

“Mark Byington, the coach of James Madison, expressed his pride in them without being shocked.” “These men compete, you know. Their goal is to triumph. Their goal when they play is to win. We also knew we belonged because we had heard tidbits about our schedule not being rigorous and about who we are. We are aware of our goodness. We are confident in our ability to compete.”

JMU concluded this season tied for sixth in the Big Ten, one of the finest leagues in Division I, and has never trailed against a team that has only missed the tournament twice since 1998.

We are not afraid of competition, to put it simply, stated forward T.J. Bickerstaff. “We repeatedly demonstrated that. Since we have experienced everything, we are not afraid of new things.”

For the first time since 1983, the upset advances the team to the second round of the NCAA men’s tournament. Having defeated No. 7 Georgetown in 1981, No. 8 Ohio State in 1982, No. 7 West Virginia in 1983, and No. 16 Long Island in the 2013 play-in game, the Badgers are the highest seed that JMU has defeated in five tournament victories.

And given how both teams played here on Friday night, JMU appears to be more than capable of defeating No. 4 Duke in the second round, which didn’t look like a title contender in a lackluster 64-47 victory over No. 13 Vermont. That would be the largest win in program history.

At the half, the Dukes led 33-20, having caused 13 turnovers from the Badgers and limited them to just 6 of 23 field goal attempts. Wisconsin would settle down quickly after that, turning the ball over just six times the remainder of the game, but JMU was able to respond to the Badgers’ spurts of offensive efficiency and never trailed by less than six points in the second half.

Guard Terrence Edwards Jr. led JMU in scoring with 14 points, two assists, and five rebounds. Green III (11 points), Bickerstaff (12 points), and forward Julien Wooden (12 points) all joined him in double figures. Eight players participated in at least 13 minutes, while seven players scored at least five points.

Following a regular season in which JMU faced just two teams in Quad 1 of the NET rankings (the Dukes defeated one, Michigan State, in the season opener) and went 22-0 against Quad 4 opposition, Fright Night’s victory came after that. JMU did not play the Mountaineers in the Sun Belt tournament but did lose to Southern Mississippi and Appalachian State twice.

Even though JMU is tied with top-ranked Connecticut for the most wins in the nation, the tournament selection committee undervalued the Dukes on the No. 12 line due to the team’s unimposing non-conference schedule and a Sun Belt slate devoid of quality teams.

But the Dukes’ confidence was boosted by finishing the regular season with just three losses. That was evident in their game against Wisconsin, who were unable to match JMU’s intensity and, for the second time since 2007, were unable to move past the first round of the tournament.

“I know we were looked at as underdogs, but we never felt that way,” Byington stated. “We thought we had a possibility to contend. We were aware that the game would be difficult, and these individuals enjoy challenges. They don’t fear challenges, really. They give them a hug.”