The 12-seed James Madison Dukes will play the 5-seed Wisconsin Badgers in the South Region in Brooklyn, New York, at the Barclays Center on Friday night. The game will tip off at 9:40 PM ET and air on CBS.

The James Madison Dukes have been one of the hottest teams in college basketball and enter this game on a 13-game winning streak that dates back to the end of January after finishing the regular season with only three losses and a record of 31-3 with the three losses coming in conference play for a conference record of 15-3 which led to a 2^nd place finish in the Sun Belt Conference. 

The Dukes received the automatic qualifying bid in the Sun Belt after winning the Sun Belt Conference Tournament with a win over the Marshall Thundering Herd in the Quarterfinals by a score of 81-64, the Texas State Bobcats in the Semifinals by a score of 73-68, and the Arkansas State Red Wolves by a score of 91-71 in the championship game. 

The James Madison Dukes' offensive play has been key to their 13-game winning streak, during which they have averaged 83.23 points per game. The James Madison Dukes will look to continue their strong play and extend their winning streak to 14 games in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2013 NCAA Tournament when they play the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

The Wisconsin Badgers had an impressive showing in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, making it to the Big Ten Tournament championship game after defeating the Maryland Terrapins by a score of 87-56 in the 2^nd round, the Northwestern Wildcats in the Quarterfinals by a score of 70-61, and pulling off the upset against the Purdue Boilermakers in overtime in the Semifinals by a score of 76-75 before losing to the Illinois Fighting Illini in the championship game by a score of 87-93. 

The Badgers finished 5^th in the Big Ten Conference during the regular season with a conference record of 11-9 and an overall record of 22-13. They entered the tournament ranked 23^rd in the AP Poll and 24^th in the Coaches Poll. This will be the first time since the 2022 NCAA Tournament that the Wisconsin Badgers will be making an appearance and will be their 27^th overall. 

The Badgers have advanced to the 2^nd round of the NCAA tournament in their last two appearances and will look to continue that trend when they play the James Madison Dukes in the 1^st round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday night.

JustBet has the Wisconsin Badgers listed as 5.5-point favorites against the James Madison Dukes in the 1^st round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night. James Madison enters this game on a 13-game winning streak, including a Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship, while Wisconsin made it to the Big Ten Tournament championship game but lost. 

The Dukes have been one of the best-scoring teams in college basketball over the last few months, while the Badgers have relied more on their defensive play. This will be the first time these programs play each other in college basketball.

Wisconsin has had a great season and enters the matchup ranked in the Top 25 in the AP and Coaches Poll. However, James Madison has been one of the best scoring teams this season in college basketball and has averaged 83.23 points per game over its last 13 games. 

The trend of a 12 beating a five seed is in play in this matchup, and given the Dukes' hot streak, it's hard to pick against them. That is why I am buying the .5 point and taking the points with the James Madison Dukes when they face the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.