One week after James Madison played its way into the Top 25, AP voters have finally placed the Dukes there. The undefeated Dukes (7-0) are still five spots behind the two-loss Virginia team they beat eight days ago. And the honor could be short-lived - JMU will travel to No. 7 Duke Friday, probably without star guard Dawn Evans. But we'll deal with that later. For now, congratulations, Dukes. Mid-major schools don't get national recognition out of kindness or on reputation. You earned it.
This marks the first time JMU has cracked the AP Top 25 since Jan. 29, 2007, when a 17-2 Dukes team debuted at No. 25 after three weeks of receiving votes. Those Dukes rose to as high as No. 22 before getting evicted after a 62-57 loss at Old Dominion on Feb. 25. After finishing second in the CAA tournament, the Dukes received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where as a ninth seed they dropped a 71-61 decision to No. 8 Pittsburgh in the first round.
Prior to 2007, the last time the Dukes were in the AP Top 25 was the final poll of the 1987-88 season when they checked in at No. 14.
This was suppose to be coverage for state teams not a JMU fans website. So disappointing. I think your for anyone who's on top!
ReplyDeleteWe do think it's cool to see more than one Virginia team in the Top 25. But we're certainly not interested in turning this blog into the Dukes Report. Problem is, as you know many of the schools are on break. Some have even asked us to hold off on interviewing their players until exams are over. Meanwhile, in the last eight days the Dukes have beaten the No. 14 team, lost their best player to a kidney disorder, won by 28 without that player to remain undefeated and entered the Top 25. So while our hands are tied with several of the other schools, JMU keeps making news. But exams are coming to an end soon and we're looking forward to spreading the coverage around. So please keep reading. If there's some school/player you'd like us to focus on, let us know. And thanks for the comment - feedback will keep us on our toes and help make this site better.
ReplyDeleteThe above comment was from the ladyswish staff, not "anonymous" as indicated. Being nimble on the computer is not our (Mo) forte.
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