JMU Women’s Basketball: Earns NCAA Tournament Bid, Faces Kentucky in First Round
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – James Madison University’s women’s basketball team is heading to the NCAA Tournament, earning a No. 12 seed and a first-round matchup against fifth-seeded Kentucky on at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Dukes (26-8, 14-4 Sun Belt) secured their berth with a dominant run through the Sun Belt Conference, culminating in a victory over Troy to claim the conference championship.
This marks JMU’s 14th appearance in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. The Dukes will compete in Regional 3 – Fort Worth. Tipoff time and television details will be announced by ESPN at a later date.
Head Coach Sean O’Regan has orchestrated a remarkable turnaround in his tenure, guiding the Dukes to a 105-34 (.755) record since joining the Sun Belt Conference ahead of the 2022-23 season. Within the conference, O’Regan’s teams have been even more dominant, posting a 58-14 (.806) record.
JMU enters the tournament riding a 12-game winning streak, currently the seventh-longest in the nation. A hallmark of their success has been stifling defense, holding their last nine opponents to 57 points or fewer. The Dukes are also a force on the boards, ranking 13th nationally in rebound margin (+9.0), 14th in rebounds per game (42.18), and 17th in defensive rebounds per game (28.7).
Offensively, JMU is enjoying one of its most productive seasons in recent history, averaging 74.8 points per game – the highest output since the 2014-15 season. Their field goal percentage of 45.0% is the best since the 1990-91 season.
Leading the charge for the Dukes is redshirt senior Peyton McDaniel, named the Sun Belt Championship’s Most Outstanding Player. McDaniel is averaging 18.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and has amassed 2,310 points and 1,018 rebounds throughout her career. Ashanti Barnes also earned Sun Belt All-Tournament Team honors, and is one of only three players nationally averaging at least 14 points and nine rebounds even as also dishing out 85 or more assists. Bree Robinson, a Sun Belt All-Defensive Team selection, has recorded over 100 assists and 75 steals this season, tying the program’s single-season steals record with 82.
The Wildcats (23-10, 8-8 SEC) are coached by Kenny Brooks, a familiar name to JMU fans. Brooks is the all-time winningest coach in James Madison women’s basketball history, having previously led the Dukes’ program before moving to Kentucky. He currently holds a career record of 337-122 (.734). Brooks was a four-year letterwinner for the JMU men’s team under Hall of Fame coach Lefty Driesell, and remains a JMU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee.
Kentucky is coming off an 87-74 loss to South Carolina in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament. Brooks’ connection to JMU adds an intriguing layer to this first-round matchup. He played in 107 games for the Dukes, scoring 606 points, dishing out 216 assists, and grabbing 128 rebounds. He finished his career shooting 41% from three-point range.
This will be the fourth meeting between the Dukes and Wildcats, and the first since the 2007-08 season. The series history offers little recent insight, with both programs undergoing significant changes in leadership and personnel since their last encounter.
The matchup presents a compelling contrast in styles. JMU’s balanced attack and rebounding prowess will be tested against Kentucky’s SEC competition experience. The Wildcats will likely look to exploit their size and athleticism, while the Dukes will aim to control the tempo and capitalize on their defensive intensity.
For James Madison, this tournament appearance represents a significant step forward under O’Regan’s leadership. The program’s recent success and the individual accolades earned by McDaniel, Barnes, and Robinson signal a bright future. A win against Kentucky would not only advance the Dukes to the second round but also validate their impressive season and establish them as a rising force in women’s college basketball.
The full 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship bracket is available here. Ticket information for JMU’s first-round game will be released soon.