James Madison vs Southern Miss College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for Sun Belt Tournament

The No. 9 seed James Madison Dukes (18-14, 9-9 Sun Belt) square off in the Sun Belt tournament against the No. 8 seed Southern Miss Golden Eagles (16-15, 9-9 Sun Belt) on Thursday at Pensacola Bay Center, beginning at 6 p.m. ET.

Before you place your bet on this matchup at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

James Madison vs. Southern Miss Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Thursday, March 5, 2026
• Game time: 6 p.m. ET
• TV channel: ESPN+
• Location: Pensacola, Florida
• Arena: Pensacola Bay Center

James Madison vs. Southern Miss Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: James Madison win (52.9%)

See the betting insights and trends below before making a wager on Thursday's James Madison-Southern Miss spread (James Madison -2.5) or over/under (143.5 points).

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James Madison vs. Southern Miss: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• James Madison has covered 13 times in 31 chances against the spread this season.
• Southern Miss is 14-15-0 ATS this season.
• James Madison (3-9) covers a lower percentage of games when it is favored by 2.5 points or more this season (25%) than Southern Miss (8-6) does as a 2.5+-point underdog (57.1%).
• The Dukes have done a better job covering the spread in road games (6-9-0) than they have at home (5-9-0).
• Against the spread, the Golden Eagles have had better results on the road (7-8-0) than at home (5-6-0).
• James Madison is 9-10-0 against the spread in conference action this season.
• Southern Miss has beaten the spread nine times in 18 Sun Belt games.

James Madison vs. Southern Miss: Moneyline Betting Stats

• James Madison has been victorious in 11, or 61.1%, of the 18 contests it has been chosen as moneyline favorites in this season.
• This season, the Dukes have been victorious eight times in 12 chances when named as a favorite of at least -137 or better on the moneyline.
• Southern Miss has won six of the 20 games it was the underdog on the moneyline this season (30%).
• The Golden Eagles are 4-11 (winning only 26.7% of their games) when playing as a moneyline underdog of +114 or longer.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies James Madison has a 57.8% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.

James Madison vs. Southern Miss Head-to-Head Comparison

• James Madison scores 74.4 points per game (222nd in college basketball) and allows 73.5 (172nd in college basketball) for a +29 scoring differential overall.
• Justin McBride's 15.7 points per game lead James Madison and are 240th in the country.
• Southern Miss has a +15 scoring differential, putting up 73.9 points per game (235th in college basketball) and conceding 73.5 (172nd in college basketball).
• Tylik Weeks is ranked 61st in the nation with a team-high 18.8 points per game.
• The Dukes average 33.7 rebounds per game (91st in college basketball) while allowing 30.7 per contest to their opponents. They outrebound opponents by 3.0 boards per game.
• Eddie Ricks III averages 5.7 rebounds per game (ranking 360th in college basketball) to lead the Dukes.
• The Golden Eagles win the rebound battle by an average of 3.1 boards. They are grabbing 33.4 rebounds per game (102nd in college basketball) compared to their opponents' 30.3.
• Djahi Binet averages 8.2 rebounds per game (66th in college basketball) to lead the Golden Eagles.
• James Madison averages 98.2 points per 100 possessions on offense (169th in college basketball), and allows 97.0 points per 100 possessions (235th in college basketball).
• The Golden Eagles average 94.2 points per 100 possessions (259th in college basketball), while allowing 93.6 points per 100 possessions (139th in college basketball).

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