8 Reasons Why You Should Check Out the Charleston Classic

The Lowcountry’s Premiere College Hoops Event

College basketball season tipped earlier this month and some of the nation’s best teams will be in Charleston for the 14^th annual Charleston Classic. The eight team-bracketed tournament will take place on November 18, 19 & 21 at TD Arena.

Here are eight reasons why you should consider attending the lowcountry’s premiere college hoops event:

1) The field features top 25 nationally ranked St. Bonaventure

St. Bonaventure debuted in the AP Poll with a #23 ranking. Many analysts are projecting the Bonnies to repeat as Atlantic 10 champions and return to the NCAA Tournament. NCAA reporter and longtime college basketball analyst Andy Katz had the Bonnies as one of his eight picks to be a dark horse for the 2022 Final Four.

Additionally, St. Bonaventure and West Virginia were highlighted on the projected 2022 March Madness Bracketology by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. Lunardi locked in the Bonnies at fifth and the Mountaineers seeded as ninth. Under head coach Bob Huggins, West Virginia has been featured in the 2010 NCAA Final Four, the 2010 Big East Championship, and 12 post season appearances including 10 NCAA Tournaments (five NCAA sweet 16s). Bob Huggins enters the 2021-2022 season ready to make history as he will be moving up the leaderboard for all-time wins, he currently is ranked 6^th with over 900 career wins.

2) Individual tickets start at just $27!

The tournament is consisting of six sessions, a total of 12 games. Tickets are per session, meaning you get to see two games for one price! Single-session tickets start at $27. At a capacity of just over 5,000 there isn’t a bad seat in the house at TD Arena. For more information visit espnevents.com/charleston-classic.

3) The Road to New Orleans Starts in Charleston

Each team will play three games over the period of four days. After Day 1 a “winners’ bracket” and “losers’ bracket” will be formed. Ultimately, a champion will be crowned after the championship game, which tips at 7:30 PM on Sunday, November 21. A complete schedule/bracket can be found here.

4) Some of the nation’s top young talent will be on display

Two of the top 100 incoming freshman (according to the ESPN 100 rankings) will be featured. Ole Miss is home to the #42 overall recruit point guard Daeshun Ruffin. Marquette has #90 overall recruit Stevie Mitchell from the ESPN 100 list. In addition, Darryl Morsell will be playing his first games with Marquette after transferring from University of Maryland where he won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

5) 5 Returning Post-Season Teams

The Charleston Classic’s 2021 field is nothing short of tough competition. TD Arena will be hosting 5 2021 post-season teams:

NCAA Tournament teams – Clemson, West Virginia, and St. Bonaventure
National Invitation Tournament (NIT) – Ole Miss and Boise State

6) There are plenty of opportunities to attend

Need a break from work or want to spend some time with co-workers outside the office? Come Thursday or Friday afternoon to see the #23 St. Bonaventure.
Need a fun activity to kick off your weekend? Come Friday evening! The second consolation begins at 7 PM followed by the second semifinal at 9 PM.
Have kids in school and don’t want to stay out too late on Sunday? Sunday afternoon is best! Both the 5th and 7th place games will take place during this session.
Want to see the best teams in the tournament square off? Come to the championship session on Sunday night at 7:30 PM!
The tournament takes off on Saturday, so you won’t miss any of the college football action.

7) VIP Hospitality (including comp beer and wine) is available

Want to come in style? VIP Hospitality is available for purchase. The VIP Hospitality room and outdoor patio is located on the top floor of TD Arena behind Section 216. The package includes:

One (1) meal per session catered by a local Charleston restaurant partner. Participating restaurants will be announced in early November
Snacks (including a popcorn machine) and desserts
Open beer and wine bar (can be taken to the seating bowl as long as poured in a provided cup)
Beer: Domestic, craft, and seltzer options will be available
Wine: Red and white options will be available
Two 84” TVs (Charleston Classic games will be on)
Lounge furniture to relax in between games
Outdoor patio overlooking Meeting Street with view of the Ravenel Bridge
Patio furniture will be located outside pending the weather

Pricing is $80 is for the afternoon sessions and $95 for the evening sessions. A separate ticket will be required to enter TD Arena. You can purchase VIP Hospitality tickets here.

8) Lowcountry Legends

Charleston Classic and TD arena have hosted notable NBA alumni. The Charleston Classic boasts with 14 alums currently playing in the NBA. This includes:

Jalen Brunson- Dallas Mavericks (Villanova, 2016)
Donte DiVincenzo- Milwaukee Bucks (Villanova, 2016)
John Collins- Atlanta Hawks (Wake Forest, 2016)
Trevor Booker- Retired – Indiana Pacers (Clemson, 2008 MVP)
Jarrell Brantley- Utah Jazz (Charleston, 2016)
Josh Hart- New Orleans Pelicans (Villanova, 2016 MVP)
James Bouknight- Charlotte Hornets (UConn, 2019)
Naji Marshall- New Orleans Pelicans (Xavier, 2019)
Tre Mann- Oklahoma Thunder (Florida, 2019)
Nickeil Alexander-Walker-New Orleans Pelicans (Virginia Tech, 2018 MVP)
Mikal Bridges- Phoenix Suns (Villanova, 2016)
Carsen Edwards- Boston Celtics (Purdue, 2018)
Chandler Hutchison- Chicago Bulls (Boise State, 2016)
Malcolm Brogdon- Indiana Pacers (Virginia, 2015)

The Essentials:

Who: #23 St. Bonaventure, Boise State, Clemson, Temple, Marquette, Ole Miss, Elon, West Virginia
What: Bracket-style college basketball tournament
When: November 18, 19 & 21
Where: TD Arena | Downtown Charleston
Why: The Charleston Classic is one of the largest annual sporting events to come to this great city and this year it is hosting some of the best in the nation. All 12 games will be broadcast on ESPN networks so help pack out TD Arena and check out some quality college basketball.