Charlotte at James Madison 11/6/19 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

The Charlotte 49ers visit JMU Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia on Wednesday to play the James Madison Dukes in the opening game of the college basketball regular season for both. Charlotte played a preseason game last week against Georgia and lost 77-69, but the 49ers led for the majority of the contest and had a first half 15-0 run against the Bulldogs.

The leading scorer for the 49ers was Jordan Shepherd with 16 points. Jahmir Young added 14 points and pulled down seven boards while Cooper Robb chipped in with 10 points in a reserve role. Charlotte will use a pressure defense against opponents this season and versus Georgia the defense produced 18 turnovers that led to 26 Charlotte points.

Last season James Madison finished 14-19 overall and 6-12 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Dukes will have four of five starters from last season returning including Matt Lewis who averaged 16.4 points per game, Darius Banks who averaged 12.3 points per game, Dwight Wilson who averaged 10.2 points per game and Dehson Parker with an average of 5.7 points per game.

Three other players return from last season but each of the three played reserve roles. New faces for the Dukes include six freshmen. The Dukes defeated Eastern Mennonite in an exhibition game on Saturday 80-65 with Dwight Wilson and Zach Jacobs each posting double-doubles for the Dukes. Jacobs hit for 21 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.