# 2022–23 Sam Houston Bearkats men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Sam Houston Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by 13th-year head coach Jason Hooten, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas as second-year members of the Western Athletic Conference. They finished the season 26–8, 14–4 in WAC play to finish in second place. They defeated California Baptist in the quarterfinals of the WAC tournament before losing to Grand Canyon in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament. There they defeated Santa Clara before losing to eventual champion North Texas in the second round.
On March 24, 2023, head coach Jason Hooten left the school to take the head coaching position at New Mexico State. On April 3, the school named assistant coach Chris Mudge the team's new head coach.

## Previous season

The Bearkats finished the 2021–22 season 19–14, 13–5 in WAC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. In the WAC tournament, they defeated California Baptist in the second round, before falling to Grand Canyon in the third round.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 7, 2022* 7:00 pm, Big 12 Now | | at Oklahoma | W 52–51 | 1–0 | Lloyd Noble Center (6,198) Norman, OK |
| November 10, 2022* 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Southwestern Adventist | W 120–33 | 2–0 | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,892) Huntsville, TX |
| November 14, 2022* 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | LeTourneau | W 84–48 | 3–0 | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,320) Huntsville, TX |
| November 17, 2022* 8:00 pm, P12N | | at Utah Fort Myers Tip-Off campus-site game | W 65–55 | 4–0 | Jon M. Huntsman Center (5,503) Salt Lake City, UT |
| November 22, 2022* 11:00 am | | vs. Northern Illinois Fort Myers Tip-Off Palms Semifinals | W 88–54 | 5–0 | Suncoast Credit Union Arena (244) Fort Myers, FL |
| November 23, 2022* 12:30 pm | | vs. South Dakota Fort Myers Tip-Off Palms Championship | W 80–49 | 6–0 | Suncoast Credit Union Arena (340) Fort Myers, FL |
| November 28, 2022* 9:00 pm, MW Network | | at Nevada | L 60–78 | 6–1 | Lawlor Events Center Reno, NV |
| December 3, 2022* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Dallas Christian | W 111–58 | 7–1 | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,127) Huntsville, TX |
| December 6, 2022* 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Oklahoma State | L 51–65 | 7–2 | Gallagher-Iba Arena (5,368) Stillwater, OK |
| December 14, 2022* 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Louisiana–Monroe | W 79–53 | 8–2 | Fant–Ewing Coliseum (871) Monroe, LA |
| December 17, 2022* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Texas State | W 69–62 | 9–2 | Strahan Arena (1,329) San Marcos, TX |
| December 20, 2022* 4:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Arlington Baptist | W 107–26 | 10–2 | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (731) Huntsville, TX |
| December 22, 2022* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Missouri State | Canceled | Canceled | Great Southern Bank Arena Springfield, MO |
| WAC regular season ||||||
| December 29, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Utah Valley | L 64–80 | 10–3 (0–1) | UCCU Center (1,911) Orem, UT |
| December 31, 2022 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at New Mexico State | W 75–62 | 11–3 (1–1) | Pan American Center (4,705) Las Cruces, NM |
| January 5, 2023 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Grand Canyon | L 68–72 $^{OT}$ | 11–4 (1–2) | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (777) Huntsville, TX |
| January 7, 2023 4:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Tarleton | W 75–68 | 12–4 (2–2) | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,702) Huntsville, TX |
| January 12, 2023 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Southern Utah | L 74–86 | 12–5 (2–3) | America First Event Center (2,178) Cedar City, UT |
| January 14, 2023 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Utah Tech | W 78–53 | 13–5 (3–3) | Burns Arena (1,689) St. George, UT |
| January 19, 2023 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Stephen F. Austin | W 76–71 | 14–5 (4–3) | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (3,686) Huntsville, TX |
| January 21, 2023 4:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Texas–Rio Grande Valley | W 83–64 | 15–5 (5–3) | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,674) Huntsville, TX |
| January 26, 2023 7:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Seattle | W 55–40 | 16–5 (6–3) | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,845) Huntsville, TX |
| February 1, 2023 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Texas–Rio Grande Valley | W 67-65 | 17-5 (7-3) | UTRGV Fieldhouse (1,018) Edinburg, TX |
| February 4, 2023 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at UT Arlington | L 58–70 | 17–6 (7–4) | College Park Center (1,691) Arlington, TX |
| February 11, 2023 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Abilene Christian | W 77–62 | 18–6 (8–4) | Moody Coliseum Abilene, TX |
| February 15, 2023 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | UT Arlington | W 66–56 | 19–6 (9–4) | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,332) Huntsville, TX |
| February 18, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Tarleton | W 64–59 | 20–6 (10–4) | Wisdom Gym (2,367) Stephenville, TX |
| February 23, 2023 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | California Baptist | W 56–45 | 21–6 (11–4) | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,613) Huntsville, TX |
| February 25, 2023 4:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Southern Utah | W 64–57 | 22–6 (12–4) | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,772) Huntsville, TX |
| March 1, 2023 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Stephen F. Austin | W 64–59 $^{OT}$ | 23–6 (13–4) | William R. Johnson Coliseum (4,189) Nacogdoches, TX |
| March 3, 2023 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Abilene Christian | W 72–54 | 24–6 (14–4) | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,866) Huntsville, TX |
| WAC tournament ||||||
| March 9, 2023 12:00 pm, ESPN+ | (1) | vs. (8) California Baptist Quarterfinals | W 64–51 | 25–6 | Orleans Arena Paradise, NV |
| March 10, 2023 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | (1) | vs. (5) Grand Canyon Semifinals | L 75–78 | 25–7 | Orleans Arena Paradise, NV |
| NIT ||||||
| March 15, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (3) | at Santa Clara First Round – Oklahoma State Bracket | W 58–56 | 26–7 | Leavey Center (1,203) Santa Clara, CA |
| March 19, 2023 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | (3) | at (2) North Texas Second Round – Oklahoma State Bracket | L 55–75 | 26–8 | The Super Pit (3,130) Denton, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. ||||||
Sources