College Basketball: GEORGE MASON at JAMES MADISON (1/16)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL — January 16

GEORGE MASON at JAMES MADISON
(James Madison -2) — There is most likely no 1-2 punch in the Colonial Athletic Association that quite matches what JMU has in Julius Wells, the sizzling sophomore and long-range shooter, and Denzel Bowles, a transfer from Texas A&M. Bowles is the big man, averaging 23 points in eight games since becoming eligible. Just as importantly, he’s added the shot-blocking element that had been lacking. Wells has hit a load of three-pointers; in fact, he’s made 27 in his last six games. George Mason has hung in there with good teams, when you consider one-point losses to the likes of Villanova and Dayton, not to mention wins over Georgia Tech and Old Dominion. But they have been absolutely hammered in true road games against Radford and Northeastern, and their minus-4.2 ratio of assists to turnovers is a coach-killer. The Patriots are usually pretty good at taking out the other team’s best scorer, but since JMU has added another dimension that a much more difficult task. Truth is, GMU doesn’t shoot well enough (41%) and does not make many threes (4.6). Will they do something in the paint with Bowles standing there?

THE PLAY: JAMES MADISON -2 ***

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)