Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs James Madison Dukes

This NCAAB matchup features Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (19-12 (8-5)) traveling to take on James Madison Dukes (17-14 (11-4)) at Atlantic Union Bank Center, Harrisonburg, VA. These two teams are closely matched, with both squads posting similar scoring differentials this season. This projects as a competitive contest that could go either way. On offense, James Madison averages 74.2 points per game, which exceeds what the Coastal defense typically allows (71.8 PPG). That mismatch could give the home side opportunities to exploit. Meanwhile, Coastal scores 73.5 PPG but faces a James Madison defense that limits opponents to 73.5 PPG. The home team's defensive effort could be the difference-maker. Home court advantage is worth approximately 3.5 points in NCAAB, and James Madison will look to leverage their home crowd. Our model sees this as essentially a coin-flip game, projecting just a 1.8-point margin. Expect a tight finish. The 68% confidence interval ranges from James Madison winning by 14 to losing by 11. The market has this game at -5.5, but our model sees value on Coastal with a 3.7-point edge. Our line: James Madison -1.8. Combined with the total projection of 148 versus the market line of 140.5, there are opportunities to find value on both sides of this matchup.

James Madison enters at 17-14 (11-4), hovering around the .500 mark. They've shown flashes of strong play but haven't been able to sustain consistency. At home, they'll look to put together a complete performance and build momentum. Coastal sits at 19-12 (8-5) on the season. They've been competitive in most outings but have had their share of inconsistent performances. On the road, they'll need to bring their best effort to come away with a win. When these teams meet, the home team typically has the edge given the crowd advantage and familiarity factor. The team that controls tempo and limits turnovers will likely dictate the outcome of this matchup.