HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – The middle of February is awfully early to hold Senior Night but that’s exactly what’s transpired for the JMU men’s and women’s basketball programs this season.
Both teams are set to begin four-game road trips to wrap up regular season play. The JMU men travel to Marshall Wednesday night while the women are at Georgia Southern on Thursday.
“This is totally unprecedented for me,” said JMU women’s basketball head coach Sean O’Regan. “I’ve never seen it and then us and the men are both doing it. I think it’s crazy.”
The JMU men have performed quite well on the road. They won non-conference games at Michigan State and Kent State. Their only losses came at Southern Miss and Appalachian State. Their road record is 8-2.
“Our guys like challenges,” said JMU men’s head coach Mark Byington. “I like it as a coach and we’ve embraced it. We haven’t hid from it.”
Forward Jaylen Carey agrees.
“We just love playing on the road. We get that grit going, that dog in us, especially on the road,” said Carey. “It’s funny. Going out there and making the crowd look crazy, especially when they’re talking. We just love doing that for sure.”
The JMU women’s basketball players Jamia Hazell and Ashanti Barnes both recently discussed how they also embrace road environments. However, the Dukes have been inconsistent. The Dukes are 5-5 away from the Atlantic Union Bank Center.
“You just got to have mental toughness and be able to still do what you do,” said O’Regan. “Still play with that same energy when you’re in an adverse environment.”
There’s still so much to play for if you’re both programs. While Appalachian State owns the tiebreaker against the JMU men, the Dukes aren’t eliminated from contention as far as a Sun Belt regular season title. As far as the JMU women, the Dukes are still vying for a double-bye in the Sun Belt Tournament.
“We better be tough and go after it,” said Byington.
Edwards earns Player of the Week honors
JMU’s Terrence Edwards Jr. earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week honors for the third time this season.
Edwards scored 28 points in a win against Georgia State and 19 points against Georgia Southern. He shot 61% from three-point range on 8 of 13 tries.
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