The James Madison Dukes (13-0) travel to face off against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (7-6) on Thursday, January 4th. This game will be played at Cajundome in Lafayette and televised on ESPN+. James Madison is coming off a win in their previous game, while Louisiana-Lafayette is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Marshall. Tip-off is set for 8:00 ET.
James Madison Dukes vs Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns
The James Madison Dukes Are Coming Off A Win
Today’s game will mark the 14th of the season for James Madison, who are currently undefeated with a record of 13-0. Over their last ten road games, including those from last year, James Madison has gone 9-1. As of now, James Madison holds a 9-3 ATS record heading into today’s game. Up to this point, the Dukes have been 6-1 ATS on the road and 3-2 vs. the spread at home.
Up to this point, games involving James Madison have had an average of 161.7 points per game, with the average over/under line set at 153 points. Their over/under record is 7-4-1. Looking at the Dukes’ last three games, their over/under record is 1-2 with their games averaging 148 points per game.
The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
As of today, Louisiana-Lafayette has a 7-6 record for the season. Looking at their previous ten home games, Louisiana-Lafayette has a perfect 10-0 record, including games from last year. To date, Louisiana-Lafayette has been solid against the spread, sitting at 6-5. Within that mark, they have gone 3-4 vs. the spread on the road and 3-1 at home.
Louisiana-Lafayette comes in with an over/under record of 5-6-0 through 13 games, with their games averaging a combined 148.8 points per game so far. The Ragin’ Cajuns have an over/under record of 2-1 in their last three games, with their games averaging 144 points per game.
James Madison Offense Breakdown
The James Madison offense is coming off a game in which they scored 82 points vs. Texas State. Overall their field goal percentage was 52.4% while connecting on 9 threes. The team’s scoring leader is Terrence Edwards, who holds an average of 17.2 as they head into today’s matchup. Additionally, T.J Bickerstaff is averaging 16.2 points per game this season.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terrence Edwards (G) | 17.2 | 5.2 | 3.0 |
| T.J Bickerstaff (F) | 16.2 | 8.3 | 1.7 |
| Michael Green III (G) | 11.2 | 1.4 | 4.8 |
Louisiana-Lafayette Offense Breakdown
In their latest game, Louisiana-Lafayette offense put up 61 points against Marshall. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 32.8% and made 5 threes. Leading the team in scoring was Joe Charles with 11 points. Kobe Julien also added 11 points for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kobe Julien (F) | 18.6 | 4.4 | 1.8 |
| Joe Charles (F) | 11.3 | 9.2 | 1.1 |
| Themus Fulks (G) | 11.1 | 2.6 | 4.6 |
James Madison Team Defense
On defense, James Madison is currently around the NCAA average in points allowed, giving up an average of 72.0 points per game. In their most recent game, the James Madison defense struggled to defend the three-point line, as Texas State knocked down 9 three-pointers on their way to 65 points.
Louisiana-Lafayette Team Defense
The Ragin’ Cajuns’ defense is presently ranked 147th nationally, allowing an average of 71.5 points per contest. Louisiana-Lafayette will look once again to perform well on defense, holding Marshall to just 41% shooting in their most recent game.
Dukes vs Ragin’ Cajuns Trends
- In their last ten games away from home, the Dukes have a straight up record of 9-1 while going 8-2 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 83 points per game in these contests.
- Across the Ragin’ Cajuns last ten home games, the team averaged 70 points per game while allowing 76. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 4-6, while going 1-9 straight-up.
- As the betting underdog, the Ragin’ Cajuns have an ATS mark of just 5-5 in their last ten games. Louisiana-Lafayette posted a straight up mark of 2-8 in these matchups.
- As the betting favorite, the Dukes have an ATS mark of just 7-3 in their last ten games. James Madison posted a straight up mark of 10-0 in these matchups.
Dukes vs Ragin’ Cajuns Prediction
Coming in as the underdogs at +5.5, we have the Ragin’ Cajuns as the way to go on the point spread. Not only do we have them covering, but our projections show they have a good one of winning this one straight-up, if you’re looking for a higher payout on the moneyline.
Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 156.5 and given that our model is projecting 144 points between the teams, we like the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:January 4, 2024 James Madison Dukes, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, Teams