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The James Madison Dukes take on the Virginia Cavaliers. Check out our college basketball odds series for our James Madison Virginia prediction and pick.
The Virginia Cavaliers are unbeaten to start their season. They did not play especially well in their most recent game, however. They opened as an 18.5-point favorite at home against a Florida State team which had only one victory to this point in the season. Virginia barely got by with a 62-57 win over the Seminoles. Virginia is a good team, but even when the Cavaliers have a quality team under coach Tony Bennett, they have gone through games in which they can't shoot and they allow an opponent to stay dangerously close. That's exactly what the Florida State game was. Virginia shot just 35 percent from the field and was only 5 of 19 on 3-point shots, which is barely over 25 percent. The Cavaliers committed 12 turnovers and had a hard time finishing plays. Virginia won that game by a modest five-point margin because it was able to make its late-game free throws. Virginia finished 21 of 26 at the charity stripe, forging a 21-9 advantage in points at the foul line. Virginia's offense has to be noticeably better if the Cavaliers are going to make real noise in the ACC this season. It can't always fall to the defense to save the day. That will happen some of the time, but it can't be expected to happen all the time. Bennett and his staff know they have a lot to work on at the offensive end of the floor. Virginia enters this game knowing that it did not play well against James Madison's defense one year ago.
James Madison pounced on an opportunity last season. It defeated a Virginia team which was a lot worse than this season's UVA group. James Madison got into a rockfight with Virginia and took advantage of horrific offense from the Hoos, winning 52-49. James Madison limited Virginia to just 14 first-half points. JMU allowed 35 in the second half, but that still kept UVA under 50 points for the game, and that was enough to give the Dukes a win.
This season's JMU team is 7-2. One of its losses was to the defending national runner-up, the North Carolina Tar Heels. The other loss was a two-point decision against Valparaiso. The Dukes now get to play another ACC team, and they will do so with full knowledge that UVA will be out for revenge. Can James Madison keep Virginia's offense under wraps, or will this be a game in which the Hoos make shots and finish plays, something they weren't able to do very often in their rugged and uneasy win over Florida State?
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the James Madison-Virginia College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: James Madison-Virginia Odds
James Madison Dukes: +12.5 (-110)
Virginia Cavaliers: -12.5 (-110)
Over: 134.5 (-106)
Under: 134.5 (-114)
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Why James Madison Could Cover the Spread
This is a large spread. Virginia did not come close to covering an 18.5-point spread this past weekend versus Florida State. JMU played UVA close in last season's meeting between the two teams.
Why Virginia Could Cover the Spread
This Virginia team is better than last year's team which failed to score 50 against JMU. If Virginia can score at least 75 points, it should be able to hold James Madison to 60 points or fewer and win in a blowout.
Final James Madison-Virginia Prediction & Pick
This game is one you should stay away from. Virginia struggled against Florida State and could easily bounce back here with a blowout, but JMU gave Virginia problems last year. If you insist on a pick, take James Madison.
Final James Madison-Virginia Prediction & Pick: James Madison +12.5
