The JMU men’s basketball 2024-25 schedule has been released, and it’s… awesome.
The Dukes’ non-conference schedule features a number of intriguing mid-tier league opponents (Ohio and George Mason come to mind), one power conference opponent (Wake Forest), and a host of other gameplay that perhaps only basketball fanatics would be excited about. This isn’t unusual for the JMU men’s basketball schedule these days, as it’s hard to schedule quality opponents when playing in a mid-tier/small league, but it will come across as disappointing to some JMU fans.
Still, the schedule won’t stop the excitement from the 2024-25 season. JMU has one of the best roster in the Sun Belt and has a lot of transfer students coming into Harrisonburg. The Dukes are coming off a 30+ win season and an NCAA Tournament win and should be a top 100 team in 2024-25. Given the non-conference schedule, JMU should be in the running to win 25+ games again this year.
JMU Men’s Basketball 2024-25 Schedule
JMU’s full schedule for the 2024-25 school year is below.
November 4 vs. Ohio
November 9, Norfolk State University
November 12 vs. Mary Baldwin
November 16th Towson
November 21 vs. UIC (neutral location in Florida)
Nov. 22 vs. LaSalle/UC San Diego (neutral site in Florida)
Nov. 23 vs. TBA (neutral site in Florida)
November 29 vs George Mason
December 3rd vs. ETSU
Dec. 7 vs. Utah Valley
December 17th Wake Forest
December 21 South Alabama
December 29th: Battle of Midway
Jan. 2 vs. Southern Miss
January 4 vs Arkansas State University
January 9 Marshall
January 11, Appalachian State University
January 16 vs. Marshall
January 18 vs. Appalachian State University
January 22nd at ODU
January 25th Georgia State University
Jan. 30 vs. Coastal Carolina
February 1 vs. ODU
February 5 vs Troy
Feb. 8: MAC opponent TBA
February 13th Georgia Southern
February 15, Coastal Carolina
February 20 vs. Georgia State University
Feb. 22 vs. Georgia Southern
February 25th at ULM
February 28, Texas
Bold = Sun Belt Conference games
Non-conference portion is average
The schedule isn’t bad, but it’s not great either. The home game against George Mason on Nov. 29 is a phenomenal Black Friday matchup that should generate a lot of interest among JMU fans. Even the season opener against MAC powerhouse Ohio should get fans excited about the opening game.
But the rest of the home non-conference schedule is kind of awful: Two of JMU’s six home non-conference games (33%) are against non-Division I programs: Mary Baldwin and Midway.
JMU men’s basketball home non-conference games:
– Ohio
– Mary Baldwin
-George Mason
– Etsu
– Utah Valley
– MidwayWhat do you think?
— JMU Sports News (@JMUSportsNews) September 12, 2024
Away games against Norfolk State, Towson and Wake Forest are intriguing and have regional implications, but they’re not must-watch games. Wake Forest will be a tough test against a power conference team, but Wake Forest doesn’t have the name recognition of UNC or Michigan State, who the Dukes faced the past two seasons. There’s nothing appealing about JMU’s non-conference schedule.
A good schedule for the new team
Considering JMU’s roster turnover (the Dukes have only three scholarship players who started their careers at JMU), the schedule isn’t too bad: There are some moderate tests against mid-major teams like Ohio, Towson, George Mason and ETSU that should help the Dukes prepare for Sun Belt play, and the game against Wake Forest should be a tough road test against a team with a chance to make the NCAA Tournament.
Meanwhile, playing a relatively easy schedule that includes two non-Division I teams will allow the new recruits to build teamwork, cohesion and confidence ahead of conference games that might not make for the most entertaining matchups, but could pay off in March.
The Dukes have plenty of time to work things out. JMU’s football team is trying to get back on track with a dozen transfers, but they’re thankful that the non-conference schedule isn’t brutal. They won’t face an impossibly tough schedule. Given the upheaval on JMU’s roster, a few easy non-conference games isn’t the end of the world.
It will be interesting to see if the Dukes can bolster their non-conference roster going forward with an NCAA Tournament appearance or even an NIT appearance. Not playing teams like Virginia, Virginia Tech, VCU or Richmond is disappointing, but it’s not for a lack of trying. Fans would love to see JMU face off against the best teams in the state, but a two-way agreement is needed to schedule the games.
See women
If you’re looking for some interesting non-conference basketball matchups, check out JMU’s women’s team. Contending for the Sun Belt title, Sean O’Regan’s team will face Notre Dame, Florida, VCU, Texas, Villanova and NC State in non-conference play. The December 8th game against Texas will also be in Harrisonburg.
Both JMU basketball teams should be competing for the league championship, but the women’s program’s non-conference schedule features some great matchups: If you want to see how the JMU program stacks up against the elite national competition, check out the women’s basketball team in November and December.
The difference in the schedules for the two teams is interesting because the women’s team will be tested before conference play, while there may still be questions about the men’s team.
Photo courtesy of JMU Athletic Communications
