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Best College Basketball Prop Bets for James Madison vs. Wisconsin in NCAA Tournament First Round

College basketball player props, betting preview and predictions with player prop analysis for Wisconsin vs. James Madison in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

By Reed Wallach

Dec 16, 2023; Hampton, Virginia, USA; James Madison Dukes guard Noah Freidel (1) shoots the ball
Dec 16, 2023; Hampton, Virginia, USA; James Madison Dukes guard Noah Freidel (1) shoots the ball / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
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Wisconsin and James Madison meet in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, a closely lined spread between the Big Ten Tournament runners up Badgers and 30-win Sun Belt champ Dukes.

This is expected to be a hotly contested affair, but I'm eyeing the player prop market as my method of betting this game, including James Madison sharpshooter Noah Freidel and Wisconsin big man Steven Crowl.

Here's how I see it:

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Best College Basketball Player Props for James Madison vs. Wisconsin

  • Noah Freidel OVER 2.5 Three's Made (+148)
  • Steven Crowl UNDER 11.5 Points (-110)

Noah Freidel OVER 2.5 Three's Made (+148)

Freidel is a 37% 3-point shooter, the floor spacer on this Duke offense that is full of downhill drivers. Wisconsin has proven to be vulnerable from the perimeter. The team's compact defense has done a good job of running teams off the 3-point line, but the team has been torched when players break free, allowing teams to shoot 37% from 3.

Enter: Freidel, who takes by far the most 3-point shots on the team, taking six per game. Greg Gard's bunch will likely be wise to this, but I also believe that the Dukes ability to free up its primary shot maker will be of utmost importance in a game with a total of 144.5.

Freidel averages two 3s per game, but I'll shoot a little bit higher at the plus money payout.

Steven Crowl UNDER 11.5 Points

Wisconsin loves to post up Crowl and work through the big man down low. However, James Madison has proven to be elite at defending in close.

The Dukes are 101st in points per possession allowed on post ups, per ShotQuality, and are elite at defending at the rim, 64th in that facet of the game. I believe the Badgers will be forced to lean on its guard play to open up driving lanes for an aggressive James Madison defense.

The likes of TJ Bickerstaff may shut down Crowl's effectiveness and put more of the onus on Badgers shot makers, including AJ Storr, Chucky Hepburn and Max Klesmit.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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