The Los Angeles Post
U.S. World Business Lifestyle
Today: April 08, 2025
Today: April 08, 2025

James Madison pulls first 12-5 upset of March Madness by knocking off Wisconsin 72-61

NCAA James Madison Wisconsin Basketball
March 23, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) โ€” Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 14 points and James Madison pulled off the first 12-5 upset of the NCAA Tournament by beating Wisconsin 72-61 on Friday night.

The 12th-seeded Dukes (32-3) will face fourth-seeded Duke on Sunday in the second round of the South Region in Brooklyn, where the JMU fans made themselves right at home.

The Dukes, who had not been in the tournament since 2013, are into the second round for the first time since 1983 โ€” bringing with them a 14-game winning streak that is the longest in the nation.

James Madison pulls first 12-5 upset of March Madness by knocking off Wisconsin 72-61
NCAA James Madison Wisconsin Basketball

Max Klesmit kept fifth-seeded Wisconsin (22-14) within striking distance with 18 second-half points. The Badgers were a 5 1/2-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

The 12-5 upset almost doesn't feel like an upset because it has happened so frequently in the NCAA Tournament in recent years โ€” though not last year. Counting JMU, seven 12 seeds have won first-round games in the last five tournaments.

Klesmit cut the JMU lead to six with 8:54 left, but Noah Freidel answered with a 3-pointer about a minute later for JMU to make it 55-46.

The Badgers never got closer than seven again, and the chants of โ€œJ-M-Uโ€ echoed through Barclays Center in Brooklyn as if it was the Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

James Madison pulls first 12-5 upset of March Madness by knocking off Wisconsin 72-61
NCAA James Madison Wisconsin Basketball

James Madison announced itself in November with an opening victory at Michigan State that moved the Dukes in the AP Top 25 for the first time in school history. The Dukes just kept winning, though playing in the Sun Belt they fell out of spotlight and the rankings before moving back in on the strength of their long winning streak.

Only defending national champion and top-seeded UConn has won as many games this season as James Madison.

James Madison controlled the first half with its defense, going up by as much 17 before heading to halftime up 33-20.

The Dukes had the Badgers all out of sorts. JMU had 10 steals, forced 13 turnovers and held the Badgers to 26% percent shooting, with more than a few misses coming in traffic at the rim.

James Madison pulls first 12-5 upset of March Madness by knocking off Wisconsin 72-61
NCAA James Madison Wisconsin Basketball

Klesmit gave the Badgers an offensive spark in the second half with four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes, but coach Mark Byington's Dukes were unfazed.

T.J. Bickerstaff had 12 points and nine rebounds and Julien Wooden added 12 points for the Dukes.

UP NEXT

The Dukes have never played Duke.

James Madison pulls first 12-5 upset of March Madness by knocking off Wisconsin 72-61
NCAA James Madison Wisconsin Basketball

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Related Articles

SEC means more ... upsets? Three top 10 teams fall, led by Vanderbilt's vanquishing of Alabama Texas returns to No. 1, Alabama drops to No. 7 after upsets force reshuffling of rankings Northern Illinois shocks No. 5 Notre Dame in โ€˜biggest upsetโ€™ in schoolโ€™s history ATP roundup: Hugo Gaston upsets top seed Sebastien Baez in Kitzbuhel
Share This

Popular

News|Local

San Bernardino operation makes progress to combat violence and theft

San Bernardino operation makes progress to combat violence and theft
Local|News

FDA crackdown on 'poppers' triggers supply rush

FDA crackdown on 'poppers' triggers supply rush
Local|News|WrittenByLAPost

4 killed, 2 injured in Santa Ana crash, including 2 sets of sisters

4 killed, 2 injured in Santa Ana crash, including 2 sets of sisters
Business|News

Amazon makes a last-minute bid to buy TikTok as deadline looms

Amazon makes a last-minute bid to buy TikTok as deadline looms

Sports

Americas|Crime|Entertainment|Sports|World

Octavio Dotel, who once held record of pitching for 13 major league teams, dies in DR roof collapse

Octavio Dotel, who once held record of pitching for 13 major league teams, dies in DR roof collapse
Europe|Sports

Kane misses, Frattesi scores as Inter beats Bayern 2-1 in 1st leg of Champions League quarterfinals

Kane misses, Frattesi scores as Inter beats Bayern 2-1 in 1st leg of Champions League quarterfinals
Americas|Crime|Entertainment|Political|Sports|World

What is known about the roof collapse at a club in the Dominican Republic that killed at least 44

What is known about the roof collapse at a club in the Dominican Republic that killed at least 44
Sports|US

DI leading scorer Ta'Niya Latson commits to South Carolina

DI leading scorer Ta'Niya Latson commits to South Carolina

Access this article for free.

Already have an account? Sign In