James Madison basketball opened the 2023-24 season with an upset victory over Michigan State of the Big Ten Conference.

That victory was a sign of things to come for the JMU Dukes, the Wisconsin Badgers' first-round opponent in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Wisconsin (22-13), seeded fifth in the South Region, gets its chance to slow down a high-scoring 12th-seeded James Madison team on Friday, something that the Spartans couldn't do in that season opener four months ago and what many other teams have failed to do.

LIVE COVERAGE: Wisconsin basketball vs. James Madison score, updates, highlights from 2024 March Madness game

Here's what you should know about a record-setting James Madison (31-3) team:

Where is James Madison located?

Harrisonburg, Virginia.

What is JMU's nickname?

The Dukes.

The name has an interesting backstory.

When the basketball team was formed in 1947 the players chose that name to honor the university's president Samuel P. Duke. The players just wanted a couple things in return: towels and equipment, the school's website says. The James Madison women's athletic programs called themselves the Duchesses until 1982 when all teams became the "Dukes."

What is JMU's masoct?

A bulldog.

While the school had the Dukes named for a few decades, the Duke Dog mascot didn't come about until the early 1970s, according to James Madison's website. The school's director of public affairs at the time felt an English bulldog would be a stereotypical pet for British royalty, like a duke, its website notes.

Duke Dog first arrived on the scene in the 1972-73 school year (first as a cartoon and a real dog) before an actual bulldog mascot wearing a cape and crown showed up on campus Nov. 28, 1982.

What conference does James Madison play in?

JMU plays in the Sun Belt Conference.

Other teams in the conference include Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Louisiana, Louisiana at Monroe, Marshall, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Texas State and Troy.

James Madison's record

James Madison is the hottest team in the country.

The Dukes enter the NCAA Tournament with the longest winning streak in the country at 13 straight victories and average 84.4 points, good for 10th most in the country.

James Madison is 31-3 overall and finished 15-3 in conference play. The 31 wins are the most ever for a Sun Belt Conference team. The Dukes matched No. 1 overall seed UConn for most wins of an NCAA Tournament team.

James Madison in the Sun Belt Conference

Upsets were aplenty in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, but James Madison avoided them.

Not only did top-seeded Appalachian State lose in the semifinals, but third-seeded Troy lost to No. 11 Texas State in the quarterfinals.

Amid all the chaos, James Madison was impressive on its way to the title.

The Dukes beat No. 10 Marshall, 81-64, in the tournament quarterfinals and then defeated Texas State, 73-68, in the semifinals.

James Madison then routed fourth-seeded Arkansas State, 91-71, in the championship game to earn the league’s automatic bid.

James Madison joined the Sun Belt Conference at the beginning of the 2022 school year. It was previously a member of The Colonial Athletic Association.

JMU's Terrence Edwards Jr. leads the Dukes into NCAA Tournament vs. Wisconsin

James Madison has the top player in the Sun Belt Conference.

Redshirt junior Terrence Edwards Jr. took his game to another level this season. A year after winning Sixth Man of the Year off the bench, Edwards became the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and was a first-team all-conference honoree.

He led James Madison with 17.4 points per game. He is the team’s co-leader in minutes with 30.2. Edwards also averaged 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He shoots 82.4% from the free-throw line.

PREDICTION: Wisconsin basketball vs James Madison in March Madness

Forward TJ Bickerstaff, a graduate student, was Newcomer of the Year and second-team all-Sun Belt. The Boston College transfer was second on the team in scoring with 13.4 points and led the team with 8.5 rebounds. His field goal percentage of 62.2% is ranked in the top 15 in the country.

Redshirt senior Noah Freidel, a member of the third team all-Sun Belt, also scores in double figures (12.1) and is second on the team in rebounds at 5.4. He’s in his second year with the Dukes after previously playing at South Dakota State.

James Madison basketball schedule (last five games)

James Madison began the season with a 79-76 overtime win at Michigan State, then ranked No. 4 in the country. James Madison hasn't lost since Jan. 27.

The Dukes were 5-0 on neutral courts this season.

ANALYSIS: Why Wisconsin can reach the Sweet 16 in our 2024 March Madness predictions

James Madison NCAA Tournament history

James Madison earned its sixth NCAA Tournament in school history and first in 11 years. James Madison was a 16 seed in its last appearance in 2013 and lost to top-seeded Indiana, 83-62, in the first round.

James Madison's other NCAA Tournament berths came in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1994.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Where is JMU located? James Madison's record, mascot, NCAA history