HARRISONBUG — James Madison is back in the postseason again, though not quite where it hoped.

The Dukes, 25-5, are in the WNIT for the third straight season under coach Sean O'Regan and will play North Carolina A&T 7 p.m. Friday at the Convocation Center.The winner will play either South Florida or Stetson.

Virginia Tech, coached by former JMU head man Kenny Brooks, is on the same side of the bracket and it’s possible the Dukes and Hokies could meet in the third round.

JMU, which is making its 14th-straight postseason appearance, appeared likely to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 before injuries to all-conference guards Kamiah Smalls and Lexie Barrier led to a Colonial Athletic Association quarterfinal loss to Hofstra.

Even after the upset loss, JMU was ranked No. 36 in the RPI and arguably had a stronger resume than multiple major conference teams that made the NCAA field with a 5-1 record against teams in the first and second quadrants, according to the NCAA women's selection criteria.

But lacking a marquee non-conference win and with two losses to teams ranked below No. 200 in the RPI, the Duke were once again left out of the field.

Madison will try to improve on last year's WNIT run, which saw the Dukes win home games against East Tennessee State and Radford before a 67-55 third-round loss at West Virginia ended the Dukes' season.