# 2021–22 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team represented Marquette University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team were led by first-year head coach Shaka Smart and played their home games at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a member of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 19–13, 11–8 in Big East play to finish a tie for fifth place. As the No. 5 seed, they lost in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament to Creighton. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in the East Region, where they lost in the First Round to North Carolina.

## Previous season

The Golden Eagles finished the 2019–20 season 13–14, 8–11 in Big East play to finish in ninth place. They lost in the first round of the Big East tournament to Georgetown.
On March 19, 2021, the school fired head coach Steve Wojciechowski. A week later, the school named Texas head coach Shaka Smart the team's new head coach.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Theo John | 4 | F | 6'9" | 245 | Senior | Minneapolis, MN | Graduate transferred to Duke |
| Symir Torrence | 10 | G | 6'3" | 200 | Sophomore | Syracuse, NY | Transferred to Syracuse |
| Dexter Akanno | 12 | G | 6'4" | 205 | RS Freshman | Valencia, CA | Transferred to Oregon State |
| D. J. Carton | 21 | G | 6'2" | 200 | Sophomore | Bettendorf, IA | Declared for the 2021 NBA draft |
| Jamal Cain | 23 | F | 6'7" | 200 | Senior | Pontiac, MI | Graduate transferred to Oakland |
| Koby McEwin | 25 | G | 6'4' | 195 | RS Senior | Toronto, ON | Graduate transferred to Weber State |
| Dawson Garcia | 33 | F | 6'11" | 235 | Freshman | Prior Lake, MN | Transferred to North Carolina |
| Tommy Gardiner | 40 | F | 6'7" | 230 | Junior | Park Ridge, IL | Walk-on; didn't return |
| Luke Fizulich | 50 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Freshman | Harrington Park, NJ | Transferred to Albany |
| Ike Eke | 51 | F | 6'9" | 220 | RS Junior | Lagos, Nigeria | Retired from basketball due to injury |
| Jose Perez | 55 | G | 6'5" | 220 | Junior | Bronx, NY | Transferred to Manhattan |

### Incoming Transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Olivier-Maxence Prosper | 12 | F | 6'8" | 220 | Sophomore | Montreal, QC | Clemson |
| Tyler Kolek | 22 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Sophomore | Cumberland, RI | George Mason |
| Darryl Morsell | 32 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Graduate Student | Baltimore, MD | Maryland |
| Kur Kuath | 35 | F | 6'10" | 215 | Graduate Student | Biemnon, South Sudan | Oklahoma |

### 2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Stevie Mitchell #15 PG | Reading, PA | Wilson High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Aug 5, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Emarion Ellis #32 SG | Davenport, IA | Assumption High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Apr 14, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Kam Jones #24 PG | Cordova, TN | Evangelical Christian School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jun 30, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Keeyan Itejere #23 C | Knightdale, NC | Grace Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Apr 14, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| David Joplin #28 PF | Brookfield, WI | Brookfield Central High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Apr 14, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 14 247Sports: 23 ESPN: 17 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Marquette Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 14, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 14, 2021. ||||||

### 2022 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Sean Jones #17 PG | Gahanna, OH | Lincoln High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Aug 13, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Chase Ross #34 SG | Ashburnham, MA | Cushing Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sep 24, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 14 247Sports: 23 ESPN: 17 |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 Marquette Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 14, 2021. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 14, 2021. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 4, 2021* 7:00 p.m. | | Ferris State | W 98–40 | | 15 – Kolek | 10 – Kuath | 7 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (11,146) Milwaukee, WI |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:30 p.m., FS2 | | SIU Edwardsville | W 88–77 | 1–0 | 21 – Morsell | 11 – Lewis | 9 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (13,013) Milwaukee, WI |
| November 12, 2021* 7:30 p.m., FS2 | | New Hampshire | W 75–70 | 2–0 | 26 – Morsell | 12 – Ighodaro | 5 – Morsell | Fiserv Forum (12,004) Milwaukee, WI |
| November 15, 2021* 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 10 Illinois Gavitt Tipoff Games | W 67–66 | 3–0 | 21 – Morsell | 5 – Tied | 5 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (14,631) Milwaukee, WI |
| November 18, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Ole Miss Charleston Classic Quarterfinals | W 78–72 | 4–0 | 22 – Morsell | 9 – Lewis | 6 – Kolek | TD Arena Charleston, SC |
| November 19, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. West Virginia Charleston Classic Semifinals | W 82–71 | 5–0 | 18 – Kolek | 9 – Prosper | 8 – Kolek | TD Arena Charleston, SC |
| November 21, 2021* 6:30 p.m., ESPN | | vs. No. 22 St. Bonaventure Charleston Classic Championship | L 54–70 | 5–1 | 17 – Lewis | 11 – Lewis | 3 – Tied | TD Arena (4,820) Charleston, SC |
| November 27, 2021* 7:00 p.m., FS2 | | Northern Illinois | W 80–66 | 6–1 | 15 – Lewis | 6 – Tied | 5 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (13,272) Milwaukee, WI |
| November 30, 2021* 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Jackson State | W 83–54 | 7–1 | 14 – Ighodaro | 11 – Ighodaro | 5 – Tied | Fiserv Forum (11,539) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 4, 2021* 11:30 a.m., FOX | | at No. 23 Wisconsin Rivalry | L 76–89 | 7–2 | 14 – Lewis | 7 – Morsell | 8 – Kolek | Kohl Center (17,287) Madison, WI |
| December 8, 2021* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Kansas State Big East–Big 12 Battle | W 64–63 | 8–2 | 15 – Jones | 9 – Lewis | 7 – Kolek | Bramlage Coliseum (7,184) Manhattan, KS |
| December 11, 2021* 8:30 p.m., FS2/FS1 | | No. 4 UCLA | L 56–67 | 8–3 | 22 – Elliott | 9 – Lewis | 7 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (15,028) Milwaukee, WI |
| Big East regular season |||||||||
| December 18, 2021 3:00 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 22 Xavier | L 71–80 | 8–4 (0–1) | 18 – Elliott | 7 – Lewis | 7 – Kolek | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 21, 2021 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | UConn | L 70–78 | 8–5 (0–2) | 20 – Lewis | 7 – Lewis | 8 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (12,569) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 29, 2021 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at St. John's | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Carnesecca Arena Queens, NY |
| January 1, 2022 11:00 a.m., FS1 | | Creighton | L 69–75 $^{2OT}$ | 8–6 (0–3) | 22 – Ighodaro | 12 – Lewis | 6 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (13,689) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 4, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 16 Providence | W 88–56 | 9–6 (1–3) | 23 – Lewis | 11 – Lewis | 9 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (11,757) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 7, 2022 5:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Georgetown | W 92–64 | 10–6 (2–3) | 22 – Prosper | 11 – Kuath | 7 – Kolek | Capital One Arena (4,860) Washington, D.C. |
| January 11, 2022 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | DePaul | W 87–76 | 11–6 (3–3) | 25 – Elliott | 5 – Lewis | 10 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (12,106) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 15, 2022 11:00 a.m., FS1 | | No. 20 Seton Hall | W 73–72 | 12–6 (4–3) | 26 – Morsell | 6 – Kuath | 7 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (13,467) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 19, 2022 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at No. 11 Villanova | W 57–54 | 13–6 (5–3) | 21 – Lewis | 7 – Lewis | 6 – Kolek | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA |
| January 23, 2022 1:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 20 Xavier | W 75–64 | 14–6 (6–3) | 20 – Lewis | 13 – Lewis | 7 – Tied | Fiserv Forum (14,658) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 26, 2022 4:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 22 | at Seton Hall | W 73–63 | 15–6 (7–3) | 33 – Lewis | 9 – Lewis | 6 – Lewis | Prudential Center (8,746) Newark, NJ |
| January 30, 2022 11:30 a.m., FS1 | No. 22 | at No. 17 Providence | L 63–65 | 15–7 (7–4) | 14 – Morsell | 6 – Lewis | 5 – Morsell | Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,157) Providence, RI |
| February 2, 2022 9:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 24 | No. 12 Villanova | W 83–73 | 16–7 (8–4) | 19 – Lewis | 9 – Lewis | 6 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (12,782) Milwaukee, WI |
| February 8, 2022 5:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 18 | at No. 24 UConn | L 72–80 | 16–8 (8–5) | 18 – Prosper | 9 – Lewis | 4 – Kolek | XL Center (12,188) Hartford, CT |
| February 12, 2022 3:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 18 | at Butler | L 79–85 | 16–9 (8–6) | 27 – Lewis | 9 – Lewis | 3 – Morsell | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,086) Indianapolis, IN |
| February 16, 2022 7:00 p.m., FS2 | | Georgetown | W 77–66 | 17–9 (9–6) | 19 – Jones | 8 – Lewis | 11 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (12,721) Milwaukee, WI |
| February 20, 2022 2:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Creighton | L 82–83 | 17–10 (9–7) | 23 – Morsell | 7 – Lewis | 2 – Tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (18,192) Omaha, NE |
| February 26, 2022 12:00 p.m., FOX | | Butler | W 64–56 | 18–10 (10–7) | 16 – Morsell | 7 – Lewis | 5 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (17,504) Milwaukee, WI |
| March 2, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at DePaul | L 80–91 | 18–11 (10–8) | 26 – Lewis | 10 – Lewis | 3 – Kolek | Wintrust Arena (6,024) Chicago, IL |
| March 5, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | St. John's | W 85–77 | 19–11 (11–8) | 28 – Lewis | 7 – Lewis | 6 – Kolek | Fiserv Forum (15,005) Milwaukee, WI |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 2:30 p.m., FS1 | (5) | vs. (4) Creighton Quarterfinals | L 63–74 | 19–12 | 18 – Morsell | 7 – Tied | 6 – Kolek | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2022 3:30 p.m., TBS | (9 MW) | vs. (8 MW) North Carolina First Round | L 63–95 | 19–13 | 16 – Prosper | 8 – Lewis | 10 – Kolek | Dickies Arena (12,964) Fort Worth, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source

## Awards and honors
### Big East Conference honors
#### All-Big East Awards

* Most Improved Player: Justin Lewis

#### All-Big East First Team

* Justin Lewis

#### All-Big East Honorable Mention

* Darryl Morsell

#### Big East All-Freshman Team

* Kam Jones
Sources