(WHSV) – Thirty-two weeks have passed since James Madison completed its most successful season in program history. The program underwent massive changes following its 93-55 loss to Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The new-look Dukes will take the floor in front of their home fans on Monday night to open the 2023-24 season when they host Ohio in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.

Both teams are expected to appear in their respective conference championships. Ohio is projected to finish first in the Mid-American Conference, while James Madison is projected to finish second. Ohio is coming off a 20-13, 13-5 season while JMU is coming off a 32-4, 15-3 season.

Monday night's tipoff from the Atlantic Union Bank Center is scheduled for 7 p.m

Need to know about JMU's offseason? Here's what you need to know:

• Head Coach: Preston Spradlin (Season 1)
• Returnees: Xavier Brown
• Notable newcomers: Mark Freeman (Morehead State), Eddie Ricks III (Morehead State), Elijah Hutchins-Everett (Seton Hall), Justin Taylor (Syracuse), Will Lovings-Watts (Northern Illinois), Noah Williams (Washington), AJ Smith (South -Indiana). )
• Notable departures: Terrence Edwards, TJ Bickerstaff, Noah Freidel, Julien Wooden, Jaylen Carey, Raekwon Horton, Michael Green
• The off-season in a nutshell: Spradlin, who comes to JMU after a successful six-year run at Morehead State and two NCAA Tournament appearances, was tasked with completely rebuilding the JMU roster after Mark Byington left for Vanderbilt. Freeman, a former Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year at Morehead State, followed Spradlin to JMU along with teammate Eddie Ricks. There are six players in the squad who are at least 1.80 meters tall. For Spradlin and his staff, the biggest priority this offseason was establishing chemistry on and off the court with so many new additions. Spradlin praised Brown for taking on his leadership role.
• Key games: Nov. 4 vs. Ohio, Nov. 29 vs. George Mason, Dec. 3 vs. ETSU, Dec. 21 at Wake Forest, Jan. 4 vs. Arkansas State, Jan. 11 at App State, Feb. 28 at Texas State
• What to expect: Freeman and Brown will be relied upon to be offensive catalysts. Both players were selected to the All-Sun Belt in the preseason. The biggest question mark revolves around how quickly the squad can be put together. There is no doubt that Spradlin has assembled a talented team. Now comes the challenge of figuring out how all the pieces fit together.

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