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Replay: How Wisconsin lost to James Madison in the NCAA Tournament

The Wisconsin men's basketball team opened the 2024 NCAA Tournament with a first-round March Madness game against James Madison on Friday in Brooklyn, New York.

The Badgers didn't last long

James Madison scored 28 points off 19 Wisconsin turnovers and upset fifth-seeded Wisconsin, 72-61.

Here's a review of game and score updates tonight. Journal Sentinel Wisconsin beat reporter Jeff Potrykus is also in Indianapolis. You can review his comments here.

Wisconsin-James Madison box score

Team

First Half

Second Half

Final

Wisconsin

20

41

61

James Madison

33

39

72

Turnovers plague Badgers in ugly NCAA Tournament loss

James Madison eliminates the Badgers from the NCAA Tournament in the opening round, 72-61. The Badgers shot just 37.3% from the floor and turned the ball over 19 times.

Badgers would prefer not to be a No. 5 seed anytime soon

It appears the 5-12 upset thing is going to bite the Badgers yet again. In 2013, UW lost to Ole Miss when it was the 5 seed and, in 2019, the fifth-seeded Badgers lost to Oregon.

Badgers trail by 11 with less than 3 minutes left

Two free throws by Blackwell cut the lead to seven, but the Dukes counter with five straight points thanks to a couple of slick pocket passes near the rim, forcing the Badgers to foul.

Klesmit then makes one of two free throws to make the score 60-49, but Blackwell fouls Raekwan Horton on a three-point attempt in the corner and he makes all three shots to make the score 63-49. Horton fouls out of the game on the next possession.

A three by Chucky Hepburn get the Badgers within nine points with 4:43, but an immediate answer by Michael Green makes the score 66-54 with 4:17 to play. Another three by Hepburn pulls the Badgers to within 11 at 68-57 with 2:33 to play.

Badgers cut into lead, but missed layup causes five-point swing

A drive, basket and free throw by Storr slice James Madison's advantage to 51-43 before Xavier Brown was fouled and made one of two free throws with 9:19 left. Klesmit hit his fifth three-pointer of the half to cut the lead to 52-46, but then missed a wide-open layup before Noah Freidel countered with a three in transition for James Madison to get the lead back to 55-46. UW's Blackwell was fouled and will go to the line with 7:51 to play.

Wisconsin's Klesmit hits fourth three-pointer of the half

If the Badgers rally to win this game a step-back, fake, let-the-defender-fly-by three-pointer with the shot clock near zero could be a basket that got the Badgers going. Klesmit's fourth three of the half brought the Badgers to within 45-36 with 13:19 to play and the Badgers trail James Madison 49-38 with 11:50 left.

Klesmit suddenly has hot hand for Wisconsin

A pair of three-pointers by Max Klesmit help the Badgers cut a 35-20 lead to 36-28. But the Dukes score six straight points, highlighted by a nifty cut to the basket by Xavier Brown and get the lead back to 42-28 before Klesmit hits a third straight three-point shot out of the break from the corner to make the score 42-31 with 15:47 left.

Wisconsin's ugly first half stats don't lie

Teams don't win games shooting 26%, but that's not even Wisconsin's biggest issue currently. James Madison has scored 21 of its 33 points off Wisconsin's alarming 13 turnovers and has taken nine more shots due to those errors (rebounds are even at 20). The Badgers average 11 turnovers a game.

Steven Crowl is the only UW player to make more than half his attempts and leads the Badgers with eight points.

AJ Storr is just 2-of-9 from the floor and has been held to six points. The Badgers are just 1-of-6 from three-point range.

Terrence Edwards Jr. leads the Dukes with eight points. James Madison has 18 points in the paint to UW's 10.

Wisconsin's dreadful opening half finally comes to an end

A 12-0 run by James Madison puts the Dukes ahead 33-16 before a pair of free throws by John Blackwell ended the spurt. Wisconsin went scoreless for over six minutes and possibly played its worst offensive half of the season. The Badgers trail 33-20 at the break and it could have been worse. James Madison shot just 38.7% and missed five free throws.

Scoring drought continues for Wisconsin

While both teams are struggling mightily from the field (James Madison 35.7%, Wisconsin 31.6%), the Badgers have taken nine fewer shots than the Dukes and have made only six baskets with 3:29 to play in the first half. The Badgers haven't scored in nearly four minutes and trail 25-16. Storr is just 2-for-8 from the field.

Storr creates some offense for Badgers

Two straight dribble-drives to the basket by AJ Storr have turned into three-point plays and helped the Badgers close the gap to five. However, James Madison cut off another drive by Storr and forced a held ball. After starting 2-of-9, the Badgers are 4-for-their-last-8 and trail 23-16 with five minutes left.

Badgers show signs of breaking out of early funk

Coming out of a timeout, UW's Steven Crowl hits a three-pointer and it sparks a 7-1 run that cuts an 18-5 lead to 19-12 with 7:38 to play.

James Madison has 12 points off Wisconsin turnovers

Wisconsin finished with seven turnovers in the Big Ten final against Illinois. Seven UW players have combined for eight turnovers with 11:34 left in the first half against James Madison. Twelve of the Dukes' 15 points are off turnovers.

Wisconsin's brutal beginning gets worse, Badgers trail 15-4

Tyler Wahl is the latest Badger to lose possession of the basketball. The Badgers have seven turnovers and four points with less than eight minutes gone in the opening 20 minutes. Due to the consistent mistakes, they've only taken seven shots and made two. UW trails by 11, 15-4.

Turnovers, poor shooting have Wisconsin off to rough start

The Badgers have hit just one of five shots and they've struggled against a James Madison defense that's quick and swarming to the ball. UW has an uncharacteristic five turnovers in the first five minutes of the game and trails, 9-2.

James Madison grabs early lead

A three-pointer by Noah Freidel and a tough layup by T.J. Bickerstaff gave James Madison an early lead and then consecutive turnovers by Wisconsin gave the Dukes another basket for a 7-2 lead in the first three minutes.

Duke would be Wisconsin's opponent in the second round

If the Badgers win tonight, they will face No. 4 seeded Duke in the second round on Sunday in Brooklyn. The Blue Devils defeated Vermont, 64-47

Wisconsin-James Madison will start 10 minutes later

The Wisconsin-James Madison game will tip at 8:50 p.m. CT

Wisconsin basketball starting lineup

  • G Chucky Hepburn, jr., 9.3 points per game

  • G Max Klesmit, jr., 9.7 points per game

  • G AJ Storr, so., 16.9 points per game

  • F Tyler Wahl, gr., 10.8 points per game

  • F Steven Crowl, jr., 11.2 points per game

More: 'Thirsty for blood': Chucky Hepburn ready to lead Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament

James Madison basketball starting lineup

  • G Xavier Brown, so., 6.5 points per game

  • G Noah Freidel, sr., 12.1 points per game

  • G/F Terrence Edwards Jr., jr., 17.4 points per game

  • F T.J. Bickerstaff, gr., 13.4 points per game

  • F Julien Wooden, sr., 9.9 points per game

Where is Wisconsin located?

The University of Wisconsin is located in Madison, Wisconsin.

Where is James Madison located?

James Madison University is located in Harrisonburg. Virginia.

What channel is Wisconsin vs James Madison today? How to watch, stream live

  • TV channel: CBS (Channel 58 in Milwaukee, Channel 5 in Green Bay/Appleton)

  • Stream: NCAA March Madness Live app | Paramount+ | Fubo (free trial)

Wisconsin will tip off vs. James Madison on CBS. Streaming options include the NCAA March Madness Live app, Paramount+ and Fubo, which offers a free trial.

Announcers for the game are Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (reporter).

Wisconsin vs James Madison start time, TV info, location

  • Start time: Approximately 8:40 p.m. CT

  • TV info: CBS

  • Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York

Wisconsin vs. James Madison basketball preview

Wisconsin: The Badgers are making their 23rd March Madness appearance in the last 25 NCAA Tournaments after failing to get in the tournament last season. They're 12-2 in their last 14 NCAA first-round games. Wisconsin enters the tournament with a 22-13 overall record. It finished fifth in the Big Ten with an 11-9 mark.

James Madison: The Dukes are playing in their sixth NCAA Tournament, their first since 2013. They're 4-5 in March Madness all-time. This season, James Madison is 31-3, won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and finished second, behind Appalachian State, in the regular season. The Dukes are on a 13-game winning streak — they last lost Jan. 27 at Appalachian State. Their last seven games have been away from home — all wins.

Wisconsin vs James Madison odds, betting line, spread

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday

  • Spread: Wisconsin (-5.5)

  • Over/under: 145.5 points

  • Moneyline: Wisconsin -250, James Madison +190

Wisconsin vs James Madison prediction, game picks

With the NCAA Tournament's history of 12 seeds beating 5 seeds, James Madison has been a trendy upset pick among national writers and broadcasters. But the Badgers, who went 2-6 in February and 3-8 to end the regular season, have been buoyed by their run in the Big Ten Tournament, winning three games and getting to the championship game.

Journal Sentinel Wisconsin beat reporter Jeff Potrykus writes: "James Madison has experience and talent and a solid coach, but UW is the better team. If the Badgers play as well as they did during the Big Ten Tournament, they will advance."

More: Wisconsin basketball vs. James Madison: Who has the edge in 2024 NCAA Tournament first round?

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

Wisconsin vs James Madison injury updates

The Badgers' Wahl, Klesmit and key reserve John Blackwell are banged up but they all said they'll be ready to play Friday. Wahl has had a right knee injury, Klesmit an apparent groin injury and Blackwell a left ankle injury.

Wisconsin vs James Madison stats

Wisconsin

  • PPG: 75.1

  • PPG allowed: 69.9

  • FG%: 46.3%

  • 3PT%: 34.8%

  • KenPom ranking: 17

James Madison

  • PPG: 84.4

  • PPG allowed: 69.2

  • FG%: 48.0%

  • 3PT%: 36.5%

  • KenPom ranking: 59

Wisconsin vs James Madison championship odds

Odds according to BetMGM:

Wisconsin: +8000 (21st-best odds)

Wisconsin basketball schedule 2023-24

Below are the last five games of Wisconsin's 2023-24 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here

March 10

L, 78-70 at Purdue

March 14

W, 87-56 Maryland (Big Ten Tournament second round)

March 15

W, 70-61 Northwestern (Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals)

March 16

W, 76-75 (OT) Purdue (Big Ten Tournament semifinals)

March 17

L, 93-87 Illinois (Big Ten Tournament championship)

March 22

vs. James Madison (NCAA Tournament)

James Madison basketball schedule 2023-24

Below are the last five games of James Madison's 2023-24 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here

Feb. 28

W, 84-78 at Georgia State

March 1

W, 86-76 at Coastal Carolina

March 9

W, 81-64 Marshall (Sun Belt Tournament quarterfinals)

March 10

W, 73-68 Texas State (Sun Belt Tournament semifinals)

March 11

W, 91-71 Arkansas State (Sun Belt Tournament championship)

March 22

vs. Wisconsin (NCAA Tournament)

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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Wisconsin basketball vs James Madison score, updates, highlights