The 12th-seeded Dukes don't see themselves as an underdog, while No. 4 seed Duke is used to playing the favorite in March.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — On Sunday evening, it’ll be vs. the . And the best part is, it’s as compelling a matchup as it sounds like it should be. No. 12 seed James Madison is physical and fast, its offensive ball movement is a thing of beauty. The Dukes have won 32 games this season and another on Sunday night to earn a trip to the program’s first Sweet 16. As No. 4 seed Duke coach Jon Scheyer put it on Saturday, the Dukes have high-major talent and one of the most experienced rosters in the country.
The will be favorites on paper, but JMU will be the crowd favorite. Not only will there be a ton of JMU fans, as there were on Friday night, but the Connecticut and Northwestern fans can’t be counted on to pull for the polarizing Blue Devils in the first game of the Sunday night doubleheader. Advertisement “You could feel it night in the Vermont game where all of a sudden, I was pretty sure we had three schools rooting against us, if not more,” Scheyer said.