School Name: | James Madison University |
Location: | Harrisonburg, Virginia |
Arena: | Atlantic Union Bank Center |
Capacity: | 8,500 |
Conference: | Sun Belt |
Head coach: | Mark Byington |
The James Madison University Dukes are the athletics teams of James Madison University. The name "Dukes" is derived from Samuel Page Duke, the university's second president. JMU is a member of the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference. Their mascot, Duke Dog, is frequently seen at events. JMU has won two national championships, tied for third most in Virginia.
Men's basketball[]
The men's basketball team at JMU was founded in 1945, the same year in which the school (then known as Madison College) enrolled its first male students. The current head coach is Mark Byington. The Dukes completed a 28-season tenure at the James Madison University Convocation Center in 2019–20; they opened the new Atlantic Union Bank Center for the 2020–21 season. Until the 21st century, the men's basketball team was stronger than JMU's football team, but a decline in men's basketball coincided with the rise of football to become a national power in the second level of Division I football, the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
In 2022, JMU started a transition from FCS to the Football Bowl Subdivision, leaving the Colonial Athletic Association for the Sun Belt Conference.
The Dukes have made the NCAA Tournament five times, most recently in 2013, but that has been the team's only NCAA appearance in this century. They've also gone to the NIT five times, most recently in the 1992-92 season. The basketball team has an all-time record of 567-432.
Women's basketball[]
The women's basketball team, currently coached by Sean O'Regan, was founded in 1920, when the school was known as the State Normal School for Women at Harrisonburg. This makes the Dukes one of the country's longest-running women's basketball programs. The team has made the NCAA Tournament 12 times, most recently in 2016. They have gone to the WNIT nine times, most recently in 2019. They have an all-time record of 779-447-5.