It wasn’t that long ago that James Madison was THE automatic win on every CAA team’s schedule.

But with a renewed commitment to defense under coach Matt Brady, the Dukes went 9-9 in league this season, their first .500 finish since the 1999-2000 team went 12-4.

How bad was JMU before Brady arrived from Marist? Check out these numbers:

* 2003-04—7-21, 3-15 CAA
* 2004-05—6-22, 3-15
* 2006-07—7-23, 4-14
* 2007-08—13-17, 5-13

Brady was on Phil Martelli’s staff at St. Joseph’s before taking over at Marist in 2004-05. The Red Foxes went 11-17 in his first year, Brady’s only losing season. They went 19-10 the next year, followed by a 25-9 mark in 2006-07 and an 18-14 mark in 2007-08. Brady’s certainly proven himself to be a program builder with the job he’s done at James Madison. The Dukes enter tonight’s game with a 20-14 record, their first 20-win season since the 99-00 team went 20-9.

Starting lineups:

* JMU—Kyle Swanston, Julius Wells, Dazzmond Thornton, Devon Moore, Pierre Curtis

* Liberty—Kyle Ohman, Austin Smith, Anthony Smith, Jesse Sanders, Seth Curry.