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James Madison guard/forward Terrence Edwards Jr. Is the Mid-Major Madness Player of the Week for the opening week of the college basketball season
The 2022-23 Sun Belt Sixth Man of the Year has been critical for the Dukes to start the 2023-24 campaign. He is averaging 21 PPG and has JMU off to an undefeated start that included an upset victory over No. 4 Michigan State.
Edwards contributed a team-leading 24 points and added five rebounds and three assists in James Madison’s 79-76 overtime win against the Spartans in the season opener.
The victory marked this program’s first win over a ranked opponent since 1992.
Just days after the major upset, Edwards and the Dukes went on the road and dug out a double overtime victory to defeat the Golden Flashes 113-108 in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.
Edwards once again led the team in scoring, notching a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double to snap Kent State’s 23-game home win streak.
Terrence Edwards (@fg_fatt) and the JMU Dukes remain hot!
— The College Basketball Guy (@NCAABBallGuy) November 10, 2023
The 6’6” Junior finished with a double-double scoring 25 points and 10 rebounds while adding 6 assists in their 2OT win over Kent State.#CollegeHoopsToday pic.twitter.com/xFVfCXsgrg
Rounding out the week, James Madison beat out Howard 107-86 while Edwards filled the stat sheet with 14 points, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
Ultimately, the trio of wins from Edwards and Co. earned JMU its first ever AP ranking at No. 24 and skyrocketed the Dukes up to No. 5 in The Other Top 25 ranking.
Edwards and the Dukes will have an opportunity to build on this run at the Cancun Challenge, beginning on Friday with a matchup at home against Radford before heading down to Mexico early next week.
Honorable Mentions:
Xander Rice (Montmouth) - The Bucknell transfer led Monmouth to a 73-65 upset win over West Virginia with 30 points, six assists and four rebounds while committing just a singular turnover.
Rasheed Bello (Purdue Fort Wayne) - Averaging 20.3 PPG, the Division II UW-Parkside transfer has the Mastodons 3-0 after completing an 82-74 upset of DePaul with 15 points and six rebounds.
Kenan Blackshear (Nevada) - Behind 31 points, six rebounds and five assists, the 2022-23 All-Mountain West Second Team selection led the Wolf Pack to an 83-76 upset win against Washington.
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