James Madison University had hoped to land its second Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball championship after a third-straight 20-win season. The team even scored the number 2 seed and a quad-bye into this year’s semifinals.

When the Duke Dogs did face off against Troy University’s Trojans in the Semifinals, Mark Freeman managed to score 34 points, but it just wasn’t enough to carry the game. With a final score of 79-60, Troy University defeated JMU at the Pensacola Bay Center.  

The Trojans pulled ahead early in the game and despite the best efforts of the Dukes, JMU was never able to recover. Troy quickly raced forward to an 11-0 lead and despite a strong 8-point run by JMU, the Dukes would never recover.  At the half, Troy held a 17-point lead and would never trail JMU.

Troy out-rebounded JMU 41-34 and had two players account for 43 of their 79 points. Tayton Conerway, Sun Belt Player of the Year, managed 22 points and Jackson Fields carried 21 points.

This game marks the last time Mark Freeman and Preston Spradlin will work together as player and coach.

Freeman played for Spradlin at Morehead State before following him to JMU Spring 2024.

“I love this staff so much,” said an emotional Mark Freeman. “We’ve been through a lot. I came here, 99.9%, it was for the staff. It means everything to me. We had a great year this year but just couldn’t finish it. It means everything to me to finish my career with Coach P.”

Freeman has been named a finalist for the 2025 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award and Riley Wallace Award.

“Mark is the epitome of why me and the staff love to coach,” Spradlin said. “We love the game. We love winning. It’s all great, but we love the relationships. We love the growth that comes from coaching these guys. I’ve never had a player that’s grown as much as Mark has on and off the court.”

The 2025 Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship is sponsored by Hercules Tires.