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

One of the better ‘under-the-radar’ games this weekend will come in the Never Forget Tribute Classic when St. Bonaventure battles #15 UConn in New Jersey.

Game time: Saturday, December 11, 4:00 p.m. ET
TV schedule: ESPN2
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

If you’re looking to check out an NCAA Tournament-caliber game this weekend, look no further. The St. Bonaventure Bonnies will square off against the #15 UConn Huskies in a neutral site showdown as part of the Never Forget Tribute Classic. And given that the game is in Newark, New Jersey, both northeast teams should have solid fan representation at the Prudential Center.

Plus, both squads should hear their names called on Selection Sunday, so why wouldn’t fans make the drive? It has all the makings of a fun one, despite the fact that both teams are banged up (more on that below). Let’s dive in.

First up, the Bonnies. They’ll come into Saturday’s game at 8-1 on the season, with their lone loss to Northern Iowa balanced out by wins over Clemson, Boise State, Marquette, and Buffalo. They’re coming off a home win over Loyola (MD) on Wednesday night, but they’re showing a penchant for falling behind early on in games. Even against weaker teams. That won’t fly against a battle-tested team like UConn. If St. Bonaventure wants to re-join the top 25 (they fell out after their loss), knocking off the Huskies is the way to do it.

And they could get a boost on the injury front. Here’s the latest on injured guard Kyle Lofton.

Adding him into the mix would be huge, but Bona is still a formidable squad without him. They’re led by senior guard Jaren Holmes, who is averaging 17.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest. Fellow senior Jalen Adaway adds 14.6 and 7.5, while big man Osun Osunniyi checks in with 10.2 and 7.2. The Bonnies haven’t required much scoring from Osun, although they’ll likely need a big game from him if they’re going to take out UConn.

Speaking of the Huskies, they’ll roll into the Garden State at 8-2 on the year, but with only one ‘big’ win (a 115-109 double-OT thriller against Auburn) on their resume. They’ve fallen to Michigan State and, most recently, West Virginia on the road this past Wednesday. They do hold a win over VCU, so they’ll be looking for their second A-10 W of the season. UConn head coach Dan Hurley is pretty acquainted with the A-10 as it is. The former Rhode Island coach had some epic battles with Mark Schmidt and the Bonnies during his tenure, so there should be a good deal of familiarity there.

As for Connecticut’s injuries, they’ll likely be without sophomore Adama Sanogo and senior Tyrese Martin — two of their bigger scoring threats. That means they’ll be relying on R.J. Cole and his 16.1 points per game to carry the load. Tyler Polley (9.4 points per game off the bench) and Andre Jackson (6.6 points and 7.2 rebounds) will also be big, but their x-factor is very likely to be star freshman Jordan Hawkins.

He’s only averaging about 18 minutes per game, but his shooting numbers (38 percent from three) have been solid. A big game from him off the bench will go a long way in avoiding a two-game losing streak for the Huskies.

Prediction: UConn 67 – St. Bonaventure 63