JMU is 1-30 all-time against ranked opponents. The one win came 20 years ago in California. The Dukes travel back there to play No. 13 UCLA tonight.
The team is looking forward to getting its regular season underway against a talented UCLA team.
?Win or lose, I think this is going to be a good opportunity for us to continue to learn a lot about our team,? head coach Matt Brady said during Tuesday?s final practice before flying to California.
The Bruins, coached by Ben Howland, enter tonight?s matchup with two wins already under their belt against Indiana State and UC Irvine.
?Based on the tape I watched of them against Indiana State, they are formidable and they are explosive offensively,? Brady said. ?Ben?s teams always play really good defense. It?s a challenging game.?
While statistically, the Dukes are heavy underdogs, they do have something the Bruins lack: senior leadership. JMU has six seniors in its arsenal, five of which are redshirt seniors. Guards Devon Moore and A.J. Davis, and forwards Rayshawn Goins, Andrey Semenov and Gene Swindle are all fifth-years while forward Alioune Diouf is the only true senior.
In addition, the Dukes have five freshmenwho could have considerable impacts on the upcoming season. Guard Ron Curry finished with nine points in 17 minutes of play. Freshman guard Charles Cooke saw 23 minutes in the exhibition and had nine points in the game.
Other freshmen include guard Andre Nation and forwards Taylor Bessick and Dimitrije Cabarkapa, who will take a redshirt this season.
Bessick and Cabarkapa saw limited playing time against Philadelphia, while Nation didn?t play due to a tooth problem.
UCLA?s roster, on the other hand, contains one lone senior in guard Larry Drew II.
The Bruins will rely heavily on a talented freshmen class consisting of six newcomers, though only five will be at Howland?s disposal. Shabazz Muhammad, No. 2 on ESPNU?s top 100 list for the 2012 freshman class, was recently deemed ineligible to play by the NCAA after accepting benefits during unauthorized visits while in high school.
This could be an opening for the Dukes to knock off the Bruins, but Brady doesn?t think too much of it.
?I don?t think them not having one player for right now is going to significantly impact their team a lot,? he said.
Brady and his staff hadn?t set a starting five by Tuesday?s practice, but he hinted at the possibility of a freshman starting at small forward. In terms of the number of players seeing the floor tonight, Brady is sticking with the number 10. He said players? effort in practice would determine who those 10 are.
Brady will also heavily rely on his six seniors tonight as they begin the season.
?I think those guys will really determine how good of a team we become,? Brady said. ?I think it?s premature to start counting on young guys to determine how good your team will be.?
JMU?s one win against a ranked team came in 1992 when it beat the University of California Berkley 90-75 in a game played in East Rutherford, N.J.
?I?d love to help that record become 2-0,? Brady added with a laugh. ?Like I?ve said all summer long, this is certainly a game to point at to get your team ready and excited.?
In the end, Brady has one objective for the Dukes as they return to Harrisonburg after spending their first four games on the road.
?That we stay healthy,? he said. ?If we can show great fight no matter the circumstance, then I think that?s something we can take and build on.?
The team is looking forward to getting its regular season underway against a talented UCLA team.
?Win or lose, I think this is going to be a good opportunity for us to continue to learn a lot about our team,? head coach Matt Brady said during Tuesday?s final practice before flying to California.
The Bruins, coached by Ben Howland, enter tonight?s matchup with two wins already under their belt against Indiana State and UC Irvine.
?Based on the tape I watched of them against Indiana State, they are formidable and they are explosive offensively,? Brady said. ?Ben?s teams always play really good defense. It?s a challenging game.?
While statistically, the Dukes are heavy underdogs, they do have something the Bruins lack: senior leadership. JMU has six seniors in its arsenal, five of which are redshirt seniors. Guards Devon Moore and A.J. Davis, and forwards Rayshawn Goins, Andrey Semenov and Gene Swindle are all fifth-years while forward Alioune Diouf is the only true senior.
In addition, the Dukes have five freshmenwho could have considerable impacts on the upcoming season. Guard Ron Curry finished with nine points in 17 minutes of play. Freshman guard Charles Cooke saw 23 minutes in the exhibition and had nine points in the game.
Other freshmen include guard Andre Nation and forwards Taylor Bessick and Dimitrije Cabarkapa, who will take a redshirt this season.
Bessick and Cabarkapa saw limited playing time against Philadelphia, while Nation didn?t play due to a tooth problem.
UCLA?s roster, on the other hand, contains one lone senior in guard Larry Drew II.
The Bruins will rely heavily on a talented freshmen class consisting of six newcomers, though only five will be at Howland?s disposal. Shabazz Muhammad, No. 2 on ESPNU?s top 100 list for the 2012 freshman class, was recently deemed ineligible to play by the NCAA after accepting benefits during unauthorized visits while in high school.
This could be an opening for the Dukes to knock off the Bruins, but Brady doesn?t think too much of it.
?I don?t think them not having one player for right now is going to significantly impact their team a lot,? he said.
Brady and his staff hadn?t set a starting five by Tuesday?s practice, but he hinted at the possibility of a freshman starting at small forward. In terms of the number of players seeing the floor tonight, Brady is sticking with the number 10. He said players? effort in practice would determine who those 10 are.
Brady will also heavily rely on his six seniors tonight as they begin the season.
?I think those guys will really determine how good of a team we become,? Brady said. ?I think it?s premature to start counting on young guys to determine how good your team will be.?
JMU?s one win against a ranked team came in 1992 when it beat the University of California Berkley 90-75 in a game played in East Rutherford, N.J.
?I?d love to help that record become 2-0,? Brady added with a laugh. ?Like I?ve said all summer long, this is certainly a game to point at to get your team ready and excited.?
In the end, Brady has one objective for the Dukes as they return to Harrisonburg after spending their first four games on the road.
?That we stay healthy,? he said. ?If we can show great fight no matter the circumstance, then I think that?s something we can take and build on.?
