# 2022–23 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team represented Rutgers University–New Brunswick during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Scarlet Knights were led by seventh-year head coach Steve Pikiell and played their home games at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 18–13, 10–10 in Big Ten play, to finish a tie for ninth place. As the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing to Purdue in the quarterfinals. The Knights received an invitation to the NIT tournament as a No. 1 seed. There, they were upset in the first round by Hofstra.

## Previous season

The Knights finished the 2020–21 season 18–14, 12–8 in Big Ten play, to finish a three-way tie for fourth place. As the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost in the quarterfinals to Iowa. The Knights received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year as a No. 11 seed in the West region. There they lost in the First Four to Notre Dame in double overtime.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Geo Baker | 0 | G | 6'4" | 185 | GS Senior | Derry, NH | Graduated |
| Ron Harper Jr. | 24 | G/F | 6'6" | 245 | Senior | Franklin Lakes, NJ | Graduated/went undrafted in 2022 NBA draft |
| Ralph Gonzales-Agee | 35 | F | 6'8" | 245 | GS Senior | Victorville, CA | Graduated |
| Jaden Jones | 45 | G/F | 6'8" | 220 | RS Freshman | Dallas, TX | Declare for 2022 NBA draft |
| Luke Nathan | 55 | F/C | 6'11" | 240 | GS Senior | Randolph, NJ | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous college |
| Cam Spencer | 10 | G | 6'4" | 207 | Senior | Davidsonville, MD | Loyola (MD) |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Derek Simpson #45 PG | Medford, NJ | Lenape High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Aug 8, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Antonio Chol PF | Saint Paul, MN | Minnesota Preparatory Academy | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Aug 1, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Antwone Woolfolk PF | Cleveland, OH | Brush High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | Oct 4, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| 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 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 8, 2022. ||||||

#### 2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2023 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Gavin Griffiths #8 PF | West Hartford, CT | Kingswood-Oxford Wyverns High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jun 2, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| 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: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 8, 2022. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Columbia Rutgers Multi-Team Event | W 75–35 | 1–0 | 17 – Spencer | 10 – Hyatt | 5 – Tied | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| November 10, 2022* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Sacred Heart Rutgers Multi-Team Event | W 88–50 | 2–0 | 19 – Hyatt | 7 – Tied | 6 – Tied | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| November 12, 2022* 2:00 p.m., BTN+ | | UMass Lowell Rutgers Multi-Team Event | W 73–65 | 3–0 | 22 – Omoruyi | 15 – Omoruyi | 2 – Tied | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| November 18, 2022* 5:00 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Temple Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase | L 66–72 | 3–1 | 21 – Omuruyi | 11 – Omoruyi | 4 – Spencer | Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, CT |
| November 22, 2022* 7:00 p.m., BTN | | Rider | W 76–46 | 4–1 | 20 – Omuruyi | 10 – Omoruyi | 4 – Simpson | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| November 26, 2022* 3:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Central Connecticut | W 83–49 | 5–1 | 18 – Spencer | 8 – Mag | 5 – Spencer | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| November 30, 2022* 7:15 p.m., ESPNU | | at Miami (FL) ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 61–68 | 5–2 | 16 – Tied | 9 – Omoruyi | 4 – Tied | Watsco Center (5,668) Coral Gables, FL |
| December 3, 2022 4:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 10 Indiana | W 63–48 | 6–2 (1–0) | 16 – McConnell | 10 – McConnell | 4 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| December 8, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 25 Ohio State | L 66–67 | 6–3 (1–1) | 16 – Omoruyi | 8 – Omoruyi | 5 – Spencer | Value City Arena (14,042) Columbus, OH |
| December 11, 2022* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Seton Hall Rivalry/Garden State Hardwood Classic | L 43–45 | 6–4 | 9 – Hyatt | 9 – Omoruyi | 7 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,500) Piscataway, NJ |
| December 17, 2022* 12:00 p.m., BTN | | Wake Forest | W 81–57 | 7–4 | 15 – Spencer | 9 – Omoruyi | 7 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| December 23, 2022* 5:00 p.m., BTN | | Bucknell | W 85–50 | 8–4 | 17 – Omoruyi | 14 – Omoruyi | 7 – McConnell | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| December 30, 2022* 8:00 p.m., BTN | | Coppin State | W 90-57 | 9–4 | 20 – Omoruyi | 13 – Omoruyi | 8 – McConnell | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 2, 2023 7:00 p.m., BTN | | at No. 1 Purdue | W 65–64 | 10–4 (2–1) | 16 – Mulcahy | 8 – Mulcahy | 6 – Mulcahy | Mackey Arena (14,876) West Lafayette, IN |
| January 5, 2023 6:30 p.m., BTN | | Maryland | W 64–50 | 11–4 (3–1) | 15 – Mulcahy | 13 – Omoruyi | 5 – Spencer | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 8, 2023 12:00 p.m., BTN | | Iowa | L 65–76 | 11–5 (3–2) | 13 – Spencer | 9 – Omoruyi | 4 – McConnell | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 11, 2023 9:00 p.m., BTN | | at Northwestern | W 65–62 | 12–5 (4–2) | 23 – Spencer | 11 – Omoruyi | 6 – Mulcahy | Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,274) Evanston, IL |
| January 15, 2023 2:15 p.m., BTN | | Ohio State | W 68–64 | 13–5 (5–2) | 21 – Spencer | 11 – Omoruyi | 6 – Spencer | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 19, 2023 6:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 23 | at Michigan State | L 57–70 | 13–6 (5–3) | 12 – Tied | 12 – Omoruyi | 5 – McConnell | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| January 24, 2023 6:30 p.m., BTN | | Penn State | W 65–45 | 14–6 (6–3) | 16 – Omoruyi | 10 – Omoruyi | 6 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,038) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 29, 2023 2:00 p.m., BTN | | at Iowa | L 82–93 | 14–7 (6–4) | 16 – Hyatt | 8 – Omoruyi | 13 – Mulcahy | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (13,907) Iowa City, IA |
| February 1, 2023 8:30 p.m., BTN | | Minnesota | W 90–55 | 15–7 (7–4) | 17 – Spencer | 7 – Omoruyi | 9 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 4, 2023 12:00 p.m., FOX | | vs. Michigan State B1G Super Saturday | W 61–55 | 16–7 (8–4) | 17 – Mulcahy | 12 – Omoruyi | 3 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (14,844) New York, NY |
| February 7, 2022 6:30 p.m., BTN | No. 24 | at No. 18 Indiana | L 60–66 | 16–8 (8–5) | 15 – Omoruyi | 8 – McConnell | 5 – Mulcahy | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| February 11, 2023 2:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 24 | at Illinois | L 60–69 | 16–9 (8–6) | 14 – Tied | 10 – Omoruyi | 3 – Mconnell | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| February 14, 2023 8:00 p.m., BTN | | Nebraska | L 72–82 | 16–10 (8–7) | 24 – Hyatt | 12 – Omoruyi | 12 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 18, 2023 2:00 p.m., BTN | | at Wisconsin | W 58–57 | 17–10 (9–7) | 22 – Spencer | 9 – Hyatt | 6 – Mulcahy | Kohl Center (17,071) Madison, WI |
| February 23, 2023 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | Michigan | L 45–58 | 17–11 (9–8) | 11 – Spencer | 10 – Omoruyi | 6 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 26, 2023 6:30 p.m., BTN | | at Penn State | W 59–56 | 18–11 (10–8) | 16 – Simpson | 13 – Omoruyi | 12 – McConnell | Bryce Jordan Center (12,082) University Park, PA |
| March 2, 2023 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Minnesota | L 74–75 | 18–12 (10–9) | 23 – Omoruyi | 11 – Omoruyi | 6 – McConnell | Williams Arena (9,010) Minneapolis, MN |
| March 5, 2023 7:30 p.m., BTN | | Northwestern | L 53–65 | 18–13 (10–10) | 14 – Omoruyi | 8 – McConnell | 4 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2023 12:00 p.m., BTN | (9) | vs. (8) Michigan Second round | W 62–50 | 19–13 | 18 – Spencer | 9 – McConnell | 5 – Mulcahy | United Center Chicago, IL |
| March 10, 2023 12:00 p.m., BTN | (9) | vs. (1) No. 5 Purdue Quarterfinals | L 65–70 | 19–14 | 18 – Simpson | 8 – Omoruyi | 5 – Mulcahy | United Center Chicago, IL |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 14, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | (1) | Hofstra First round – Rutgers bracket | L 86–88 $^{OT}$ | 19–15 | 22 – Spencer | 8 – Spencer | 5 – Tied | Jersey Mike's Arena (5,017) Piscataway, NJ |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | — | RV | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | 23 | RV | RV | RV | 24 | RV | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | RV | — | — | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | | | |