| James Madison Dukes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| University | James Madison University | ||
| Head coach | Sean O'Regan (10th season) | ||
| Conference | Sun Belt Conference | ||
| Location | Harrisonburg, Virginia | ||
| Arena | Atlantic Union Bank Center (capacity: 8,500) | ||
| Nickname | Dukes | ||
| Student section | Electric Zoo | ||
| Colors | Purple and gold[1] | ||
| Uniforms | |||
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| NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
| 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991 | |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1996, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2023 | |||
| AIAW tournament appearances | |||
| 1975 | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| CAA: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016 Sun Belt: 2023 | |||
| Conference regular-season champions | |||
| CAA: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 Sun Belt: 2023, 2025 | |||
TheJames Madison Dukes women's basketball team is the basketball team that representsJames Madison University inHarrisonburg,Virginia, United States. The school's team currently competes in theSun Belt Conference after previously playing in theColonial Athletic Association (CAA).[2] The Dukes are led by ninth-year head coachSean O'Regan.
The Dukes have appeared in theNCAA Division I tournament thirteen times, most recently in 2023. IncludingWomen's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) berths, the Dukes played in a post-season tournament each season from 2006 through 2019.
James Madison's women's basketball program is among the oldest in the nation, being founded in 1920. The program's first coach, Althea Loose Johnston, coached the team to a 106-33-5 record during her 22 year career.[3] Through the end of the 2022–23 season, the Dukes have compiled a record of 1200-585 (.672), the fourth most wins among all Division I programs and only one of four with over 1,200 wins.
In the1986 and1991 NCAA women's tournaments, they upset the #1 seed (Virginia in the former andPenn State in the latter) while ranked #8 (the lowest seed at the time), being the first team to ever do that on the women's side (the size of the tournament for the former was 40 while the latter had 48 teams). They are one of only three schools to upset a #1 seed while ranked as the lowest seed (the other beingSouthwest Missouri State in1992 andHarvardin 1998). They have made the NCAA Tournament in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1996, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2023. They have made the WNIT in 2001, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, and 2019, finishing as runner-up in 2012.
The Dukes have appeared in theNCAA Division I Tournament twelve times. Their overall record in tournament games is 8–12.
| Year | Round | Seed | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #8 | Providence Virginia Western Kentucky | W 55–53 W 71–62 L 72–51 |
| 1987 | Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #4 | Vanderbilt Texas | W 68–60 L 91–51 |
| 1988 | Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #4 | Clemson Tennessee | W 70–63 L 72–52 |
| 1989 | First Round Second Round | #6 | Providence Ohio State | W 94–74 L 81–66 |
| 1991 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #8 | Kentucky Penn State Clemson | W 70–62 W 73–71 L 57–55 |
| 1996 | First Round | #13 | Duke | L 85–53 |
| 2007 | First Round | #9 | Pittsburgh | L 71–61 |
| 2010 | First Round | #9 | Temple | L 65–53 |
| 2011 | First Round | #11 | Oklahoma | L 86–72 |
| 2014 | First Round Second Round | #11 | Gonzaga Texas A&M | W 72–63 L 85–69 |
| 2015 | First Round | #12 | Ohio State | L 90–80 |
| 2016 | First Round | #11 | DePaul | L 97–67 |
| 2023 | First Round | #14 | Ohio State | L 80–66 |
The Dukes have appeared in theWomen's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) nine times. They have an overall tournament record of 22–9. In the2012 tournament, the Dukes finished as runners-up toOklahoma State.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | First Round Second Round Third Round Quarterfinals | Temple Georgetown Mississippi State Ohio State | W 59–57 W 78–74 W 63–61 L 74–65 |
| 2006 | First Round | Charlotte | L 70–62 |
| 2008 | First Round Second Round Third Round | Radford Indiana Kentucky | W 80–58 W 86–81OT L 84–76 |
| 2009 | First Round Second Round | American Richmond | W 61–59 L 59–57 |
| 2012 | First Round Second Round Third Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship | Davidson Wake Forest South Florida Virginia Syracuse Oklahoma State | W 64–49 W 84–76OT W 72–45 W 68–59 W 74–71 L 75–68 |
| 2013 | First Round Second Round Third Round Quarterfinals | North Carolina A&T NC State Fordham Florida | W 77–64 W 72–66 W 77–61 L 85–80 |
| 2017 | First Round Second Round Third Round | Radford Virginia Villanova | W 80–59 W 61–55 L 69–67OT |
| 2018 | First Round Second Round Third Round | ETSU Radford West Virginia | W 60–52 W 62–35 L 67–55 |
| 2019 | First Round Second Round Third Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | North Carolina A&T South Florida Virginia Tech Georgetown Northwestern | W 48–37 W 71–54 W 70–66 W 54–44 L 74–69 |
The Dukes have appeared in theWomen's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) two times. They have an overall tournament record of 2–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | First Round | Stony Brook | L 81–70 |
| 2025 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Davidson Marquette Belmont | W 77–50 W 80–76OT L 90–45 |
The Dukes, then the Madison College Dukes, made one appearance in theAIAW National Division I basketball tournament, with a combined record of 0–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | First Round Consolation First Round | Queens (NY) William Penn | L, 50–83 L, 40–76 |
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