Check out our free James Madison vs Appalachian State pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Boone. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
James Madison vs Appalachian State Pick & Preview: Saturday, February 4th Betting Odds
Dukes vs Mountaineers Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: James Madison Dukes at Appalachian State Mountaineers
- Where: Boone at Holmes Convocation Center
- Date: Saturday, February 4th
- Betting Odds: James Madison -2, JMAD -137 | APPLST +111 O/U 138.0
Dukes Preview:
Heading into today’s matchup vs Appalachian State, the James Madison Dukes will be taking the floor for the 25th time this season and have an overall record of 16-8. On the road, the Dukes will be playing their 13th game of the season, having gone 7-6. So far, the Dukes have been favored 16 times, going 11-5 straight up. In today’s matchup, the oddsmakers have James Madison as -2 point favorites.
James Madison’s leading scorer this season is Terrence Edwards, who is averaging 12.39 points per contest. So far, Edwards has accounted for 14.26% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 4.57 rebounds per game and 2.0 assists. Vado Morse is the second leading scorer for the Dukes, averaging 12.48 points per game. Between him and Morse, they are accounting for 27.4% of the team’s scoring.
On offense, James Madison is scoring a rate similar to the NCAA average at 75.1 points per game. This figure has come despite struggling to knock down shots from outside. Through 24 games, they have only hit 34.5% of their 3-point field goal attempts. For the season, 35.87% of their shots have come from beyond the arc.
Mountaineers Preview:
The Appalachian State Mountaineers head into today’s game in what will be their 25th game of the season, posting a record of 13-11. Currently, the Mountaineers have been the home team 15 times, sitting with a record of 9-6. So far, the Mountaineers have been the underdog 12 times, going 5-7 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +2 underdogs on the spread.
Appalachian State’s leading scorer this season is Donovan Gregory, who is averaging 11.87 points per contest. So far, Gregory has accounted for 15.74% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 3.91 rebounds per game and 4.39 assists. Terence Harcum is the second leading scorer for the Mountaineers, averaging 11.04 points per game. Between him and Harcum, they are accounting for 31.0% of the team’s scoring.
Offensive production has been hard to come by for Appalachian State this season, as they are currently ranked 338th in college basketball at 66.9 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Mountaineers’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 33.3%, placing them 293rd in the NCAA.
Free Spread Prediction: James Madison Dukes -2
Heading into this matchup, our NCAA betting model has identified this game as a profitable opportunity and recommends taking the James Madison Dukes to pick up the win and cover the spread as -2 point betting favorites. Although James Madison as a team is just 77th in overall shooting percentage, we see their offense putting together a strong performance against the Mountaineers’ defense. In addition, the Dukes have made bettors money who have taken them to cover on the road, as they are 6-4 (last 10). At -2 we see there being plenty of value in grabbing the Dukes to come out on top and cover.
