No. 5 seed Wisconsin begins its 2024 NCAA Tournament run on Friday against No. 12 James Madison in a South Region first-round matchup. The Badgers went 22-13 this season and finished fifth in the Big Ten standings at 11-9 before going on a run and reaching the Big Ten championship game. Illinois defeated Wisconsin, 93-87, in the Big Ten final. James Madison, meanwhile, went 31-3 overall and won the Sun Belt Tournament to earn an automatic bid into the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Tipoff is set for 9:40 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Badgers are 5.5-point favorites in the latest Wisconsin vs. James Madison odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under is 144 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any James Madison vs. Wisconsin picks, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen HUGE returns!

The model has factored in that Wisconsin knocked off Purdue, one of the No. 1 seeds in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, 76-75 in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament on Saturday. The Badgers also defeated Marquette during their 16-4 start to the season before playing the thick of a very different Big Ten conference schedule that sent six teams into the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

The model has also considered that James Madison enters as one of the hottest teams in college basketball. The Dukes have the longest active winning streak in college basketball (13 games) with their last loss on Jan 27. James Madison opened the season with a shocking 79-76 overtime victory over No. 4 Michigan State in each team's first game of the year. The Dukes have the 13th-best scoring offense (83 PPG) in college basketball.

Now, the model has set its sights on Wisconsin vs. James Madison. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits over 50% of the time! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Wisconsin vs. James Madison, and which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from that's on a 29-19 roll on top-rated college basketball spread picks!