# 2023–24 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team represented Northwestern University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by 11th-year head coach Chris Collins. The Wildcats played their home games at Welsh–Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference.

## Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2022–23 season 21–10, 12–8 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for second place, their highest finish since the 1958–59 season. This season was also notable as the first time Northwestern defeated a number-one ranked opponent, during a home game against Purdue on February 12. As the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they were upset in the quarterfinals by No. 10 seed Penn State. The Wildcats received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, their second-ever appearance, as the No. 7 seed in the West Region. The Wildcats defeated Boise State in the first round before falling to UCLA in the second round, closing their season with an overall record of 22–12.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Chase Audige | 1 | G | 6'4" | 200 | RS Senior | Coram, NY | Graduated/undrafted in 2023 NBA draft; signed with the Washington Wizards |
| Julian Roper | 5 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Sophomore | Detroit, MI | Transferred to Notre Dame |
| Tydus Verhoeven | 10 | F | 6'9" | 235 | GS Senior | Manteca, CA | Graduated |
| Robbie Beran | 31 | F | 6'9" | 215 | Senior | Richmond, VA | Graduate transferred to Virginia Tech |
| Roy Dixon III | 53 | G | 5'11" | 170 | Senior | Atlanta, GA | Walk-on; graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous college |
| Ryan Langborg | 5 | G | 6'4" | 196 | GS Senior | San Diego, CA | Princeton |
| Justin Mullins | 20 | G | 6'6" | 190 | Sophomore | Oak Park, IL | Denver |
| Blake Preston | 32 | F | 6'9" | 230 | GS Senior | Charlotte, NC | Liberty |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jordan Clayton #44 PG | Medford, MA | Bradford Christian School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Aug 12, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Parker Strauss PG | Newport Beach, CA | Pacifica Christian School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Oct 3, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Blake Barkley PF | Putnam, CT | Putnam Science Academy | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jan 10, 2023 |
| 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: "2023 Northwestern Commits". Rivals.com. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| K.J. Windham #27 PG | Indianapolis, IN | Ben Davis High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Aug 5, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Angelo Ciaravino SF | Chicago, IL | Mount Carmel High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Aug 9, 2023 |
| 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: "2024 Northwestern Commits". Rivals.com. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN Plus | | McKendree | W 85–63 | | 29 – Barnhizer | 7 – Barnhizer | 9 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena Evanston, IL |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN Plus | | Binghamton | W 72–61 | 1–0 | 27 – Buie | 13 – Barnhizer | 4 – Nicholson | Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,170) Evanston, IL |
| November 10, 2023* 7:30 p.m., BTN | | Dayton | W 71–66 | 2–0 | 19 – Langborg | 10 – Barnhizer | 4 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,769) Evanston, IL |
| November 14, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN Plus | | Western Michigan | W 63–59 | 3–0 | 21 – Buie | 7 – Barnhizer | 5 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,143) Evanston, IL |
| November 18, 2023* 1:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Rhode Island Hall of Fame Tip-Off semifinals | W 72–61 | 4–0 | 18 – Barnhizer | 9 – Tied | 5 – Preston | Mohegan Sun Arena (5,112) Uncasville, CT |
| November 19, 2023* 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Mississippi State Hall of Fame Tip-Off championship | L 57–66 | 4–1 | 14 – Berry | 8 – Buie | 4 – Langborg | Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, CT |
| November 27, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN Plus | | Northern Illinois | W 89–67 | 5–1 | 23 – Buie | 8 – Barnhizer | 7 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,564) Evanston, IL |
| December 1, 2023 8:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 1 Purdue | W 92–88 $^{OT}$ | 6–1 (1–0) | 31 – Buie | 5 – Tied | 9 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| December 10, 2023* 1:00 p.m., BTN Plus | | Detroit Mercy | W 91–59 | 7–1 | 22 – Martinelli | 9 – Barnhizer | 8 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,550) Evanston, IL |
| December 13, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN | No. 25 | Chicago State | L 73–75 | 7–2 | 23 – Buie | 6 – Tied | 8 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,153) Evanston, IL |
| December 16, 2023* 4:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 25 | at DePaul | W 56–46 | 8–2 | 16 – Martinelli | 7 – Barnhizer | 5 – Langborg | Wintrust Arena (4,957) Chicago, IL |
| December 20, 2023* 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Arizona State Jerry Colangelo Classic | W 65–46 | 9–2 | 22 – Buie | 10 – Berry | 3 – Tied | Footprint Center Phoenix, AZ |
| December 29, 2023* 7:00 p.m., Peacock | | Jackson State | W 74–63 | 10–2 | 20 – Berry | 7 – Barnhizer | 5 – Tied | Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,938) Evanston, IL |
| January 2, 2024 8:00 p.m., BTN | | at No. 9 Illinois Rivalry | L 66–96 | 10–3 (1–1) | 20 – Buie | 5 – Martinelli | 4 – Langborg | State Farm Center (15,118) Champaign, IL |
| January 7, 2024 6:30 p.m., BTN | | Michigan State | W 88–74 | 11–3 (2–1) | 22 – Berry | 7 – Barnhizer | 10 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| January 10, 2024 5:30 p.m., BTN | | at Penn State | W 76–72 | 12–3 (3–1) | 23 – Barnhizer | 5 – 2 tied | 8 – Buie | Bryce Jordan Center (7,822) University Park, PA |
| January 13, 2024 11:00 a.m., BTN | | at No. 15 Wisconsin | L 63–71 | 12–4 (3–2) | 22 – Buie | 6 – Martinelli | 4 – Barnhizer | Kohl Center (17,071) Madison, WI |
| January 17, 2024 8:00 p.m., BTN | | Maryland | W 72–69 | 13–4 (4–2) | 20 – Buie | 7 – Berry | 7 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,462) Evanston, IL |
| January 20, 2024 1:15 p.m., BTN | | at Nebraska | L 69–75 | 13–5 (4–3) | 24 – Barnhizer | 7 – Barnhizer | 7 – Buie | Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,977) Lincoln, NE |
| January 24, 2024 8:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 10 Illinois Rivalry | W 96–91 $^{OT}$ | 14–5 (5–3) | 29 – Buie | 8 – Nicholson | 7 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| January 27, 2024 7:30 p.m., BTN | | Ohio State | W 83–58 | 15–5 (6–3) | 19 – Buie | 5 – 2 tied | 6 – Barnhizer | Welsh–Ryan Arena (6,218) Evanston, IL |
| January 31, 2024 5:30 p.m., BTN | | at No. 2 Purdue | L 96–105 $^{OT}$ | 15–6 (6–4) | 25 – Buie | 5 – Buie | 8 – Buie | Mackey Arena (14,876) West Lafayette, IN |
| February 3, 2024 1:00 p.m., BTN | | at Minnesota | L 66–75 $^{OT}$ | 15–7 (6–5) | 20 – Buie | 10 – Barnhizer | 7 – Buie | Williams Arena (9,492) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 7, 2024 8:00 p.m., BTN | | Nebraska | W 80–68 | 16–7 (7–5) | 22 – Buie | 10 – Barnhizer | 6 – Langborg | Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,681) Evanston, IL |
| February 11, 2024 12:00 p.m., BTN | | Penn State | W 68–63 | 17–7 (8–5) | 15 – Buie | 9 – Barnhizer | 6 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,541) Evanston, IL |
| February 15, 2024 5:30 p.m., BTN | | at Rutgers | L 60–63 | 17–8 (8–6) | 27 – Buie | 14 – Barnhizer | 2 – Barnhizer | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 18, 2024 2:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Indiana | W 76–72 | 18–8 (9–6) | 26 – Langborg | 16 – Nicholson | 6 – Langborg | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| February 22, 2024 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | Michigan | W 76−62 | 19−8 (10−6) | 20 – Langborg | 12 – Barnhizer | 7 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (6,400) Evanston, IL |
| February 28, 2024 6:00 p.m., BTN | | at Maryland | W 68–61 | 20–8 (11–6) | 27 – Martinelli | 10 – Barnhizer | 5 – Buie | Xfinity Center (12,340) College Park, MD |
| March 2, 2024 4:30 p.m., BTN | | Iowa | L 80–87 | 20–9 (11–7) | 27 – Buie | 6 – Barnhizer | 7 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| March 6, 2024 6:00 p.m., BTN | | at Michigan State | L 49–53 | 20–10 (11–8) | 15 – Buie | 12 – Barnhizer | 4 – Hunger | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| March 9, 2024 8:00 p.m., BTN | | Minnesota | W 90–66 | 21–10 (12–8) | 23 – Tied | 6 – Barnhizer | 6 – Tied | Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 15, 2024 1:30 p.m., BTN | (4) | vs. (5) Wisconsin Quarterfinals | L 61–70 | 21–11 | 29 – Buie | 14 – Barnhizer | 3 – Tied | Target Center Minneapolis, MN |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 22, 2024* 11:15 a.m., CBS | (9 E) | vs. (8 E) Florida Atlantic First Round | W 77–65 $^{OT}$ | 22–11 | 27 – Langborg | 10 – Barnhizer | 4 – Tied | Barclays Center Brooklyn, NY |
| March 24, 2024* 6:45 p.m., TruTV | (9 E) | vs. (1 E) No. 1 UConn Second Round | L 58–75 | 22–12 | 18 – Barnhizer | 7 – Hunger | 4 – Buie | Barclays Center (17,505) Brooklyn, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Central 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 | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | RV | 25 | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | RV | — | RV | — | RV | — | — | — | RV |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | — | — | — | RV | — | — | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | RV | — | RV |