Sophomore guard Xavier Brown (6'2''-G) scored all of his career-high 21 points in the first half and grabbed a personal-best 10 rebounds to lead James Madison to a 91-71 victory over Arkansas State in the 2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship on Monday evening at the Pensacola Bay Center.
James Madison (31-3) earns the Sun Belt Conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. For the Dukes, it marks their first Sun Belt Conference title, as they will make their sixth March Madness appearance in program history. Their 31 wins are the most in a season in league history, surpassing the 30 wins by Little Rock during the 2015-16 campaign.
Brown made his first seven shots from the floor, including five 3-pointers, as part of his first-career double-double. He also added three assists and a pair of steals. Redshirt junior swingman Terrence Edwards (6'6''-G/F) added 19 points and redshirt senior guard Noah Freidel (6'4''-G-2000) scored 12 points, while freshman forward Jaylen Carey (6'8''-F) shot 6-for-7 to finish with 13 points off the bench.
The Dukes’ 91 points were the most in a Sun Belt men’s basketball championship game since South Alabama scored 95 in 2006. JMU shot 35-for-65 (.625) overall and 11-for-19 (.579) beyond the arc while committing just seven turnovers on the night. The 20-point margin of victory was the widest in the conference’s title game since 2016.
Brown got scorching hot from the floor during his 7-for-7 start which included a scoring spree that included 13-consecutive points by the Williamsburg, Va., native to build a 30-23 lead.
After taking a 42-32 advantage into halftime, James Madison scored at will during the second half, shooting an impressive 19-for-27 (.704) from the floor and 5-for-7 (.714) from deep while holding the Red Wolves to just 44 percent shooting in the period.
Arkansas State placed five scorers in double figures, led by all-tournament team selection and junior guard Freddy Hicks (6'6''-G-2002)’ game-high 24 points. Sophomore forward Izaiyah Nelson (6'10''-F) registered a double-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, while sophomore guard Derrian Ford (6'3''-G) added 12 points. Senior guard and all-tournament team choice Caleb Fields (6'0''-PG), as well as junior guard Taryn Todd (6'4''-G-2001) contributed 10 points apiece.
James Madison extended its advantage to more than 20 points when Mike Green III (6'0''-PG) netted a 3-pointer to make it 72-51 with 10:39 remaining.

Sun Belt Tournament Final: James Madison - Arkansas State 91-71

Sun Belt Tournament Semifinals:
App State - Arkansas State 65-67
James Madison - Texas State 73-68

Sun Belt Tournament Quarterfinals:
App State - Georgia Southern 85-80, OT
Arkansas State - Louisiana 89-62
James Madison - Coastal Carolina 66 Marshall 80-64
Troy - Texas State 68-74

Sun Belt Tournament First Round:
Louisiana - Coastal Carolina 80-66
Southern Miss - Texas State 59-75
Georgia State - Marshall 74-86
South Alabama - Georgia Southern 71-76

Courtesy of sunbeltsports.org

All-Tournament MVP: Noah Freidel (6'4''-G-2000) of JMU
Player of the Year: Terrence Edwards (6'6''-G/F) of JMU
Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Abson (6'9''-F) of App State
Freshman of the Year: Myles Rigsby (6'5''-G) of Troy
Newcomer of the Year: T.J. Bickerstaff (6'9''-F) of JMU
Sixth Man of the Year: Tayton Conerway (6'3''-G) of Troy
Coach of the Year: Dustin Kerns of App State

All-Sun Belt First Team 2024

Edwards

Eugene

Fields

Gregory

Spillers

First Team
Terrence Edwards (6'6''-G/F) of JMU
Christyon Eugene (6'3''-G) of Troy
Caleb Fields (6'0''-PG) of Arkansas St.
Donovan Gregory (6'5''-F-2001) of App State
TreVon Spillers (6'8''-F) of App State

All-Sun Belt Second Team 2024

Bickerstaff

Crowley

Jenkins

Julien

Moore

Second Team
T.J. Bickerstaff (6'9''-F) of JMU
Austin Crowley (6'5''-G-2000) of Southern Miss
Chaunce Jenkins (6'4''-G) of ODU
Kobe Julien (6'6''-F-1999) of Louisiana
Tyren Moore (5'11''-PG) of Georgia South

All-Sun Belt Third Team 2024

Charles Jr.

Freidel

Harcum

Kitenge

Metskhvarishvili

Ojiako

Third Team
Joe Charles Jr. (6'7''-F) of Louisiana
Noah Freidel (6'4''-G-2000) of JMU
Terence Harcum (6'2''-G) of App State
Hosana Kitenge (6'8''-F-2000) of Louisiana
Nikoloz Metskhvarishvili (6'8''-PF-1999) of ULM
John Ojiako (6'10''-C/F-2000) of Coastal
Taryn Todd (6'4''-G-2001) of Arkansas St.

Sun Belt All-Tournament Team 2024

Freidel

Edwards

Fields

Hicks

Gregory

Mason

All-Tournament Team
Noah Freidel (6'4''-G-2000) of JMU
Terrence Edwards (6'6''-G/F) of JMU
Caleb Fields (6'0''-PG) of Arkansas St.
Freddy Hicks (6'6''-G-2002) of Arkansas St.
Donovan Gregory (6'5''-F-2001) of App State
Jordan Mason (6'2''-G) of Texas St.