Men's Basketball 2025-26 Schedule Breakdown: James Madison

James Madison heads into the 2025–26 season looking to stay near the top of the Sun Belt under head coach Preston Spradlin. After another strong year in Harrisonburg, but with a new coach, the Dukes have built a great reputation at the mid-major level.

For more on this season’s roster, click here.

Non-Conference

The Dukes open their season on the road, taking on Akron in the MAC-SBC Challenge on Nov. 3. Two days later, they return home to face Washington and Lee, followed by another home game against Coppin State on Nov. 9.

A short road stretch follows, as JMU travels to Longwood (Nov. 12) and LIU (Nov. 15) before returning home for a tough non-conference test against Towson on Nov. 18. The Tigers, one of the CAA’s top programs, should provide some challenges for the Dukes. They then head to South Florida for a MTE hosted by FIU, where they’ll face the Panthers and Omaha on Nov. 24–25.

James Madison closes out November with another in-state matchup, visiting George Mason on Nov. 29. The Dukes then kick off December in Harrisonburg with back-to-back home games against NC Central and Norfolk State.

Late December includes a trip to Arkansas, their lone Power Five opponent this season. The Dukes will also play another MAC opponent in early February for the second leg of the MAC-SBC Challenge.

Conference

Sun Belt play begins on the road as JMU visits Old Dominion (Dec. 17) and Georgia Southern (Dec. 20). They stay on the road to face Arkansas State (Jan. 3) before finally returning home to host Marshall (Jan. 7) for their conference home opener.

The Dukes remain at home to face Old Dominion again on Jan. 10, before traveling to App State later that week. They’ll also make the return trip to Marshall on Jan. 17.

A two-game homestand follows, as South Alabama (Jan. 22) and Texas State (Jan. 24) visit Harrisonburg. JMU closes January on the road with trips to Troy and Southern Miss.

To kick off February, James Madison hosts Louisiana on Feb. 4. Following the MAC-SBC Challenge, JMU hosts Georgia Southern (Feb. 12) and App State (Feb. 14), two games that could be pivotal to the Sun Belt standings.

The Dukes then head to Coastal Carolina and Georgia State before finishing the regular season at home with matchups against Georgia Southern (Feb. 25) and Coastal Carolina (Feb. 27).

The Sun Belt Tournament is set for Mar. 3–9 in Pensacola, Florida, where JMU will look to make another deep run, and the first tournament bid under Spradlin.

With a mix of road tests, in-state rivals, and a tough conference schedule. James Madison faces a tough schedule that will see them “grow-up” and learn from each other quickly. If they can continue to build on last year’s first season with a new staff, they could be right back in the March Madness conversation.