The Indiana Hoosiers are the top seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament this year, and they'll take on No. 16 James Madison to tip off March Madness betting on Friday afternoon.
James Madison won their play-in game on Wednesday night over Long Island, picking up a 68-55 victory in Dayton with A.J. Davis pouring in 20 points. The Hoosiers are 6-1 ATS over their last seven Round of 64 NCAA Tournament matchups heading into Friday.
Indiana battles the Dukes, currently sitting with a 21-14 mark (22-10 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 13-15-1 for the Hoosiers and 10-16 for the Dukes.
View James Madison vs Indiana Odds and Stats.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Hoosiers sit at No. 2 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Dukes sit at No. 248 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Hoosiers will win this game 85-69.
How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Dukes is ranked No. 250 in NCAA hoops at 32.9 per game. Contrast that with Indiana’s No. 24 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Indiana is the No. 66-ranked team in the country at 7.3 per game, while James Madison rates No. 213 at 5.8 per game.
Defensively, James Madison features the nation's No. 141-rated defense on the road, allowing 68.2 points per game. Indiana, meanwhile, comes in at No. 9 nationally in scoring at home.
James Madison was a 68-55 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Long Island. They covered the 1-point spread as underdogs. James Madison got 20 points from A.J. Davis en route to a 68-55 victory over Long Island on Wednesday at Dayton Arena.
In their last action, Indiana was a 68-56 loser at home against Wisconsin. They failed to cover the 6-point spread as favorites. Christian Watford scored 14 points in a futile effort to lead the Hoosiers to a win (they lost 68-56 to Wisconsin at United Center on Saturday).
A few Dukes at Hoosiers trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games
Indiana is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games
Indiana is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
