# 2022–23 UAB Blazers men's basketball team

The 2022–23 UAB Blazers men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by third-year head coach Andy Kennedy, and played their home games at the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama as a member of Conference USA.
The season marked the team's last season as members of Conference USA before joining the American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2023.

## Previous season

The Blazers finished the 2021–22 season 27–8, 14–4 in C-USA play to finish second in the West Division. As the No. 2 seed out of the West Division, they defeated Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee, and Louisiana Tech to win the C-USA tournament. They received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 12 seed in the South Region, where they lost in the first round to Houston.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Tyreke Locure | 0 | G | 6'0" | 165 | Junior | New Orleans, LA | Transferred to Louisiana–Monroe |
| Michael Ertel | 2 | G | 6'2" | 190 | GS Senior | Indianapolis, IN | Graduated |
| Justin Brown | 4 | G | 6'6" | 208 | GS Senior | Atlanta, GA | Graduated |
| Jamal Johnson | 11 | G | 6'4" | 195 | RS Senior | Birmingham, AL | Transferred to Chattanooga |
| Quan Jackson | 13 | G | 6'4" | 190 | GS Senior | Tallahassee, FL | Graduated |
| AD Diedhiou | 22 | F | 6'10" | 240 | Junior | Dakar, Senegal | Transferred to Louisiana–Monroe |
| Josh LeBlanc Sr. | 23 | F | 6'7" | 230 | Senior | Baton Rouge, LA | Transferred to Nicholls |
| Elijah Tate | 24 | G | 6'3" | 185 | Sophomore | Baton Rouge, LA | Transferred to South Plains College |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Javian Davis | 0 | F | 6'9" | 240 | RS Junior | Canton, MS | Mississippi State |
| Ledarrius Brewer | 2 | G | 6'5" | 190 | RS Senior | Meridian, MS | East Tennessee State |
| Eric Gaines | 4 | G | 6'2" | 150 | Sophomore | Lithonia, GA | LSU |
| Ty Brewer | 15 | F | 6'9" | 205 | Senior | Meridian, MS | East Tennessee State |
| Tyler Bertram | 23 | G | 6'3" | 185 | RS Junior | Cooperstown, NY | Binghamton |

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

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Efrem Johnson SG | Huntsville, AL | Grissom High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Apr 18, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| 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. ||||||

#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2023) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| K.J. Satterfield SG | Columbus, OH | Whitehall Yearling High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Mar 17, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: |||||||
| 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. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2022* 6:30 p.m. | | Mississippi College | W 98–47 | | 14 – Tied | 12 – Jemison | 5 – Toney | Bartow Arena (2,097) Birmingham, AL |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 6:30 p.m., CUSA.tv | | Alabama State | W 111–70 | 1–0 | 38 – Walker | 10 – Buffen | 4 – Gaines | Bartow Arena (3,991) Birmingham, AL |
| November 11, 2022* 4:00 p.m., Barstool TV | | vs. Toledo Barstool Sports Invitational | L 85–93 | 1–1 | 25 – Walker | 10 – Buffen | 6 – Gaines | Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA |
| November 16, 2022* 6:30 p.m., CUSA.tv | | Presbyterian Sunshine Slam campus site game | W 92–61 | 2–1 | 16 – Gaines | 9 – Jemison | 10 – Gaines | Bartow Arena (3,396) Birmingham, AL |
| November 21, 2022* 5:00 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. South Florida Sunshine Slam Semifinals | W 80–65 | 3–1 | 15 – Walker | 8 – Davis | 5 – Walker | Ocean Center Daytona Beach, FL |
| November 22, 2022* 3:00 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. Georgia Sunshine Slam Championship | W 87–73 | 4–1 | 30 – Walker | 9 – Jemison | 8 – Gaines | Ocean Center Daytona Beach, FL |
| November 26, 2022* 12:00 p.m., CUSA.tv | | Rhodes | W 110–53 | 5–1 | 17 – Tied | 6 – Brewer | 5 – Toney | Bartow Arena (3,290) Birmingham, AL |
| November 30, 2022* 6:30 p.m., CUSA.tv | | Jacksonville | W 80–61 | 6–1 | 26 – Walker | 13 – Jemison | 6 – Gaines | Bartow Arena (3,303) Birmingham, AL |
| December 4, 2022* 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | | South Alabama | W 76–68 | 7–1 | 30 – Walker | 10 – Buffen | 8 – Walker | Bartow Arena (3,833) Birmingham, AL |
| December 10, 2022* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at West Virginia | L 70–81 | 7–2 | 19 – Tied | 9 – Davis | 7 – Walker | WVU Coliseum (12,182) Morgantown, WV |
| December 14, 2022* 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | South Carolina | W 84–70 | 8–2 | 25 – Buffen | 8 – Buffen | 7 – Walker | Bartow Arena (5,126) Birmingham, AL |
| December 18, 2022* 3:30 p.m., CBSSN | | Southern | W 92–66 | 9–2 | 25 – Walker | 14 – Jemison | 6 – Walker | Bartow Arena (3,631) Birmingham, AL |
| Conference USA regular season |||||||||
| December 22, 2022 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Charlotte | W 76–68 | 10–2 (1–0) | 25 – Walker | 12 – Jemison | 5 – Gaines | Bartow Arena (3,323) Birmingham, AL |
| December 29, 2022 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | UTEP | W 79–73 $^{2OT}$ | 11–2 (2–0) | 25 – Walker | 10 – Jemison | 4 – Walker | Bartow Arena (3,747) Birmingham, AL |
| December 31, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UTSA | W 90–67 | 12–2 (3–0) | 31 – Walker | 9 – Buffen | 7 – Gaines | Bartow Arena (3,326) Birmingham, AL |
| January 5, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Florida Atlantic | L 86–88 | 12–3 (3–1) | 21 – Walker | 7 – Tied | 5 – Gaines | Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena (2,561) Boca Raton, FL |
| January 7, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at FIU | L 87–90 $^{OT}$ | 12–4 (3–2) | 19 – Gaines | 12 – Jemison | 7 – Gaines | Ocean Bank Convocation Center (1,152) Miami, FL |
| January 11, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Western Kentucky | L 78–80 | 12–5 (3–3) | 28 – Walker | 14 – Jemison | 5 – Buffen | Bartow Arena (4,353) Birmingham, AL |
| January 14, 2023 3:00 p.m., Stadium | | at Louisiana Tech | W 81–74 | 13–5 (4–3) | 22 – Gaines | 9 – Jemison | 6 – Gaines | Thomas Assembly Center (3,490) Ruston, LA |
| January 16, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Middle Tennessee | L 73–74 $^{OT}$ | 13–6 (4–4) | 18 – Jemison | 11 – Jemison | 3 – Toney | Murphy Center (3,224) Murfreesboro, TN |
| January 21, 2023 3:00 p.m., Stadium | | North Texas | L 52–63 | 13–7 (4–5) | 15 – Gaines | 11 – Jemison | 4 – Gaines | Bartow Arena (5,109) Birmingham, AL |
| January 26, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Louisiana Tech | W 65–59 | 14–7 (5–5) | 19 – Gaines | 13 – Buffen | 6 – Gaines | Bartow Arena (4,015) Birmingham, AL |
| January 28, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Rice | W 70–52 | 15–7 (6–5) | 20 – Tied | 12 – Jemison | 5 – Gaines | Tudor Fieldhouse (2,454) Houston, TX |
| February 2, 2023 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | No. 19 Florida Atlantic | W 86–77 | 16–7 (7–5) | 21 – Gaines | 9 – Buffin | 6 – Walker | Bartow Arena (5,028) Birmingham, AL |
| February 4, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | FIU | W 76–72 | 17–7 (8–5) | 12 – Tied | 11 – Jemison | 8 – Gaines | Bartow Arena (5,318) Birmingham, AL |
| February 9, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at North Texas | L 79–82 $^{2OT}$ | 17–8 (8–6) | 20 – Walker | 7 – Buffen | 4 – Walker | The Super Pit (3,873) Denton, TX |
| February 11, 2023 3:00 p.m., Stadium | | Middle Tennessee | W 92–69 | 18–8 (9–6) | 25 – Walker | 12 – Brewer | 10 – Gaines | Bartow Arena (4,957) Birmingham, AL |
| February 16, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at UTEP | W 79–66 | 19–8 (10–6) | 22 – Walker | 8 – Tied | 6 – Gaines | Don Haskins Center (3,619) El Paso, TX |
| February 18, 2023 3:00 p.m., Stadium | | at UTSA | W 83–78 | 20–8 (11–6) | 25 – Walker | 9 – Jemison | 4 – Tied | Convocation Center (1,220) San Antonio, TX |
| February 23, 2023 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Rice | W 85–57 | 21–8 (12–6) | 32 – Walker | 13 – Jemison | 8 – Walker | Bartow Arena (4,891) Birmingham, AL |
| February 25, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Western Kentucky | W 72–60 | 22–8 (13–6) | 17 – Gaines | 10 – Jemison | 4 – Lovan | E. A. Diddle Arena (5,623) Bowling Green, KY |
| March 4, 2023 12:00 p.m., Stadium | | at Charlotte | W 93–91 $^{2OT}$ | 23–8 (14–6) | 41 – Walker | 8 – Tied | 6 – Walker | Dale F. Halton Arena (2,534) Charlotte, NC |
| Conference USA tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2023 8:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (3) | vs. (6) Rice Quarterfinals | W 87–60 | 24–8 | 27 – Walker | 10 – Jemison | 6 – Gaines | Ford Center at The Star (2,765) Frisco, TX |
| March 10, 2023 2:00 p.m., CBSSN | (3) | vs. (2) North Texas Semifinals | W 76–69 | 25–8 | 32 – Walker | 7 – Buffen | 6 – Walker | Ford Center at The Star (2,005) Frisco, TX |
| March 11, 2023 7:30 p.m., CBSSN | (3) | vs. (1) Florida Atlantic Championship | L 56–78 | 25–9 | 18 – Walker | 8 – Jemison | 2 – Gaines | Ford Center at The Star (1,681) Frisco, TX |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 14, 2023* 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | (4) | Southern Miss First Round – Clemson Bracket | W 88–60 | 26–9 | 26 – Buffen | 12 – Buffen | 6 – Gaines | Bartow Arena (2,237) Birmingham, AL |
| March 19, 2023* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | (4) | Morehead State Second Round – Clemson Bracket | W 77–59 | 27–9 | 25 – Brewer | 16 – Jemison | 7 – Gaines | Bartow Arena (2,624) Birmingham, AL |
| March 22, 2023* 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | (4) | at (2) Vanderbilt Quarterfinals – Clemson Bracket | W 67–59 | 28–9 | 21 – Walker | 12 – Jemison | 7 – Walker | Memorial Gymnasium (10,258) Nashville, TN |
| March 28, 2023* 8:30 pm, ESPN2 | (4) | vs. Utah Valley Semifinals | W 88–86 $^{OT}$ | 29–9 | 30 – Brewer | 12 – Brewer | 6 – Walker | Orleans Arena (2,931) Paradise, NV |
| March 30, 2023* 8:30 pm, ESPN2 | (4) | vs. (2) North Texas Championship | L 61–68 | 29–10 | 21 – Walker | 7 – Tied | 6 – Walker | Orleans Arena Paradise, NV |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. |||||||||
Source