It wouldn’t be March Madness if the 12th seed didn’t beat the 5th seed, right?
Entering Friday night, two other 5-seed schools (Gonzaga University and San Diego State University) had won in the first round, which meant a setback was clearly expected.
But at Barclays Center, James Madison defeated the fifth-seeded Badgers 72-61 in the third 5-on-12 matchup of the tournament.
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Terence Edwards Jr. #5 of the James Madison Dukes reacts during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 22, 2024 in New York City. Michael Green III #13. (Elsa/Getty Images)
James Madison took the lead with an 18-5 run, but Wisconsin responded with an 11-3 run to cut the deficit to five points. But the Dukes fought back with a 12-0 run, increasing their lead to 17 points in the first 20 minutes.
The Badgers were able to get within eight points early in the second half, but they barely did that for a while, eventually falling to six points with just under nine minutes left. But JMU answered with a 3 from Noah Friedel and began an 11-3 run to cut the deficit to 14 points with 5:24 left.
James Madison Dukes guard Noah Freidel (1) reacts during the 2024 NCAA Tournament first round game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Barclays Center. (Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports)
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Wisconsin got back up to nine points, but the Dukes quickly got it back to 14, and there wasn’t enough time for Wisconsin to pull off a miracle.
This will be James Madison’s first appearance in March Madness since 2013, when they were a No. 16 seed, and the first time they have advanced to the Round of 32 since 1983.
Four Dukes players scored in double figures (Terrence Edwards Jr. had 14 points, TJ Bickerstaff and Julian Wooden each had 12 points, and Michael Green III had 11 points off the bench), and two others (free Dell and Raekwon Horton each scored eight points.
James Madison Dukes No. 0 Xavier Brown gathers with teammates before a game against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 22, 2024 in New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images)
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After the Blue Devils fended off a booming No. 13 Vermont team and a heavily supportive crowd for the Catamounts, they will play No. 5 Duke in Brooklyn on Sunday for a chance at the first Sweet 16 trip in school history.
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