FORT COLLINS, Colo. – James Madison men’s basketball has added a trio of strong mid-major opponents to its 2023-24 slate, as the Dukes will compete in the 16th Annual Men’s Cancun Challenge, hosted at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya on Nov. 21-22, 2023.

The Dukes will open the Riviera Division portion of the event on Tuesday, Nov. 21, taking on Southern Illinois at 6 p.m. ET before Fresno State takes on New Mexico State at 8:30 p.m. The losers of the two contests will play at 6 p.m. on Nov. 22 before the championship game at 8:30 p.m.

JMU will also welcome Radford to Harrisonburg on Friday, Nov. 17 as the opening game of the eight-team event.

The Dukes are 0-3 all-time against Southern Illinois, but have not faced the Salukis since the 1996-97 campaign. JMU has never faced Fresno State or New Mexico State in men’s basketball and holds a 15-4 all-time advantage over in-state foe Radford.

Both of the Dukes’ matchups in Cancun will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network. This will mark JMU’s first-ever appearance in the Cancun Challenge.

The Dukes return seven letterwinners and welcome six newcomers for the 2023-24 campaign, as they look to build on this past season, which saw them rack up 22 wins, the most for the program since the historic 1981-82 campaign.

— JMU Athletics —