St. Bonaventure vs Marquette: 2021-22 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

The finals of the Charleston Classic features a pair of elite defensive units in Marquette and St. Bonaventure. Who will win the matchup?

TV schedule: Sunday, November 21, 7:30 pm ET. ESPN

Arena: TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina

In the early part of the 2021-22 basketball season, an early storyline has been about the favorites on paper that have struggled, as well as the underdogs overperforming expectations. That could be how we describe the finalists in the Charleston Classic in St. Bonaventure (4-0), and Marquette (5-0).

The Bonnies were the only other mid-major team ranked to start out the season (Gonzaga), but haven’t looked the part. They’ve had slow starts over teams such as Siena, Canisius, and Boise State before cruising to wins thanks to big second-half performances. And that continued on Friday, trailing the Clemson Tigers by double-digits for half the game.

Yet once again, the Atlantic 10 program came on in the second half, led by a barrage of three-pointers from Kyle Lofton (22 points), Jaren Holmes (19 points), and Jalen Adaway (14 points). As a team, the Bonnies made 14 of 24 from deep and outscored the Tigers 42-29 to get a close 68-65 victory. It remains to be seen how good Clemson will be overall, but this could be an important victory down the road for St. Bonaventure and its at-large resume.

They could get another big win on its resume against the Golden Eagles, who has been one of the biggest early surprises of the season. The Big East program was able to beat No. 10 Illinois (without Kofi Cockburn) heading into the Charleston Classic and followed that up with victories over Ole Miss and West Virginia.

In the last game against the Mountaineers, Marquette was also down double-digits at the midway point. However, an explosive offensive performance in the final 20 minutes (47-24 scoring advantage) by the likes of Tyler Kolek and Justin Lewis propelled them to winning 82-71 over West Virginia. Most impressive for them is that they won with much from Darryl Morsell, who in five games is averaging 20 ppg this season.

Both the Bonnies and Golden Eagles are known for their aggressive defenses, particularly on the interior with shot blockers, Kur Kuath and Osun Osunniyi respectively. Guards Morsell and Lofton lead the offenses from the perimeter and while St. Bonaventure has the better starting lineup, Marquette’s depth off the bench makes this evenly matched on paper.

Both teams can afford a loss but with Marquette looking better than expected, this presents a big opportunity for the Bonnies to get another resume-building win, as well as the Charleston Classic championship. Neither team is explosive offensively so look for this to be close throughout. However, the veteran team from the A-10, I predict, will put up a 40-minute performance to get the victory.

Prediction: St. Bonaventure 74, Marquette 70