James Madison vs. Wisconsin Player Props & March Madness Odds: Edwards to Carry Dukes to Glory

The Wisconsin Badgers and James Madison Dukes will face off in an intriguing opening-round contest at the NCAA Tournament, as we offer our James Madison vs. Wisconsin player props and prediction based on the best March Madness odds.

The Wisconsin Badgers have had a whirlwind season. After finishing the regular season on a 6-9 slide, they enjoyed a resurgence in the Big Ten Tournament final despite odds as long as +1500, earning a five seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Despite falling to Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, the Badgers built momentum heading into March Madness. However, they face a tough matchup in the NCAA Tournament against the James Madison Dukes, who are considered one of the most formidable double-digit seeds in the tournament.

The Dukes captured the Sun Belt Tournament title to earn their No. 12 seed. They have a 31-3 record and arguably the best offense at the mid-major level. The Badgers, a 5.5-point favorite across our best sports betting sites, could be in for a long night.

As part of our March Madness predictions, here is our best James Madison vs. Wisconsin prediction and college basketball picks (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

James Madison vs. Wisconsin odds

James Madison (12) vs. Wisconsin (5) prediction: South Region 

Terrence Edwards Over 16.5 points ⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -110 via DraftKings

Few teams had a hotter start to the season than the Dukes. They opened the year with an upset victory on the road against then-No. 4 Michigan State, proceeded to win 14 straight games, and were ranked as high as No. 18.

A few conference losses in the middle of the season quieted the buzz around this team, but James Madison is on a 13-game winning streak and brings an explosive offense to this matchup with Wisconsin.

Leading the offense all season has been Terrence Edwards, a 6-foot-6 guard who averages 17.4 points per game. Edwards is fresh off winning Sun Belt Player of the Year and has been the key cog for a Dukes offense that averages 84.4 points per game, 10th-most in the country. He should be capable of giving this Badgers defense fits.

Wisconsin is 47th in adjusted defensive efficiency this season, per KenPom, and has allowed at least 75 points in 10 of its last 19 games. During that stretch, it's giving up 73.8 points per game. This is a defense that's been brutal defending the perimeter this season with teams shooting 37.1% from behind the arc against it, and it hasn't fared much better overall - opponents shoot 45.8% against the Badgers.

That sets Edwards up well with his sheer volume of touches. The Dukes star leads the team in minutes (30.3), field-goal attempts (13.3), and free-throw attempts per game (5.7) while being a competent all-around shooter. He's hitting 35.4% from 3-point range, 82.4% from the charity stripe, and 42.8% from the floor.

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James Madison vs. Wisconsin best odds

DraftKings (-110)

Two of our best sports betting apps have the same line on Edwards' points total, with FanDuel having his line at 15.5, but with shorter odds.

Though we'd happily take Edwards -118 to get 16 points, we're confident in his matchup against Wisconsin. The -110 odds offered by both DraftKings and bet365 imply a 52.38% probability that Edwards finishes with at least 17 points, according to our odds calculator.

Needing that extra point is worth it for the -110 odds, with a $10 wager leading to a $9.09 profit. We'd take the Over on Edwards point total up to 17.5 and with odds as short as -120. The Dukes star has had at least 17 points in seven of his last nine games while averaging 19.5 per game.

James Madison vs. Wisconsin spread & Over/Under analysis

The Badgers opened as 4.5 to 5-point favorites at our best live betting sites with the line since moving to Wisconsin -5.5. We don't expect too much more movement with this line given James Madison's offensive prowess this season. The Dukes are a solid 18-14-1 ATS while Wisconsin is just 16-18-1. 

With both of these programs being strong offensively, the game total opened as high as 145.5 and remains there. Between Edwards and Badgers guard AJ Storr's scoring ability, we wouldn't be surprised to see this game total balloon up to as high as 147.5 by tip-off.

Wisconsin has been one of the best Over teams this season at 23-12 and James Madison has hit the Over in five of its last six games.

James Madison vs. Wisconsin game info

• When: Friday, March 22
• Tip-off: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• How to watch: CBS

James Madison-Wisconsin prediction made Tuesday at 12:05 p.m. ET.

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