Laughable no more. The James Madison University men’s basketball has returned to prominence.

The Dukes’ own a 13-3 overall record. They are currently 3-1 in the CAA, one of the best mid-major conferences in the country. JMU’s losses have all been away from the Convocation Center. The Dukes’ lost to then third-ranked Kansas State, 75-61, to begin the season in Lawrence, Kansas. After winning five straight games, including the 2010 O’Reilly’s Auto Parts CBE Classic, the Dukes lost back-to-back road games at Georgia State and Marshall by a combined five points.

JMU has since gone on a seven-game winning streak, a stretch that includes an impressive road victory of South Florida, a school from the Big East conference. The Dukes also avenged an earlier season four-point road loss to Marshall on the road by beating the Thundering Herd in Harrisonburg, 80-73.

The Dukes have been led by senior center Denzel Bowles, an NBA prospect. Bowles averages 17 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game, and is one of four JMU players who average double-figures in scoring. Junior-college transfer Rayshawn Goins is averaging 12 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game. Julius Wells is averaging 10.3 points per game and sophomore point guard Devon Moore is also averaging 10.3 points per game. Akron transfer Humpty Hitchens is averaging 8.9 points per game. Crowd-favorite Andrey Semenov has provided a spark off the bench for the Dukes. He is averaging 8 points per game, but more importantly, is the Dukes’ best defender. He has taken numerous charges and forced numerous turnovers.

“Semenov is my favorite (player) because he provides a spark and can hit the deep ball,” said junior Evan Shank.

“I like Denzel the best because he throws down monster dunks every night. But Semenov is a close second. His antics are hilarious,” said junior Connor Whitehouse.

Matt Brady, in his third year as coach has been relatively pleased with his team’s early-season performance. Who wouldn’t be pleased? Seven of the previous eight seasons have been losing ones for the Dukes. That winning season came two years ago, which was Brady’s first season as coach. Last year, season-ending injuries to floor general Devon Moore and defensive stopper Andrey Semenov hampered the Dukes’ rotation which led to a 13-20 record.

This year, the Dukes seemed primed for a postseason appearance. In years past, only the automatic qualifier, the team that wins the postseason conference tournament, has made the 65-team NCAA tournament. This year, the overall strength of the conference has caught the eye of the NCAA selection committee. The committee is considering a number of teams for at-large berths from the CAA. JMU fans everywhere are optimistic about the team’s future.

“I expect nothing less than a CAA title,” said Shank.”

“I think they can make the NCAA tournament and win a game or two,” said junior Mitch Depoy.”

Call the predictions bold if you want to. But one thing is clear, JMU is no longer a pretender; it is a serious contender.