# 2023–24 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights men's basketball team represented Fairleigh Dickinson University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Knights, led by first-year head coach Jack Castleberry, played their home games in Hackensack, New Jersey as members of the Northeast Conference (NEC). During the season, on January 18, 2024, the name of the Knights' home venue was changed from the Rothman Center to the Bogota Savings Bank Center.

## Preseason polls
### Northeast Conference poll

The Northeast Conference released its preseason coaches' poll on October 24, 2023. The Knights were picked to finish in third in the conference.
| Rank | Team |
| 1. | Sacred Heart (7) |
| 2. | Central Connecticut (1) |
| 3. | Fairleigh Dickinson (1) |
| 4. | Merrimack |
| 5. | Wagner |
| 6. | Stonehill |
| 7. | LIU |
| 8. | Saint Francis |
| 9. | Le Moyne |
 first-place votes

### Preseason All-Conference Team

Junior forward Ansley Almonor was selected as a member of the NEC Preseason All-Conference Team.

## Previous season

The Knights finished the 2022–23 season 17–14, 10–6 in NEC play, to finish in a tie for second place. As the number two seed in the NEC tournament, they defeated St. Francis Brooklyn and Saint Francis (PA) to advance to the championship game where they lost to Merrimack. However, because Merrimack was in a transition period from Division II to Division I and ineligible for the NCAA tournament, the Knights received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 16 seed in the East region. In the First Four, they defeated Texas Southern to advance to the first round. There they became only the second No. 16 seed ever to upset a No. 1 seed by defeating Purdue. The Knights would then go on to lose in the second round to Florida Atlantic.
On March 21, 2023, head coach Tobin Anderson left the school to become the head coach at Iona. The same day, the school promoted assistant coach Jack Castleberry to head coach.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Buffalo | W 92–86 | 1–0 | Alumni Arena (2,500) Amherst, NY |
| November 8, 2023* 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Penn State Brandywine | W 107–63 | 2–0 | Rothman Center (570) Hackensack, NJ |
| November 11, 2023* 4:00 p.m., FS2 | | at Seton Hall | L 55–85 | 2–1 | Walsh Gymnasium (1,326) South Orange, NJ |
| November 15, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SNY | | Saint Peter's Battle of Bracket Busters | W 71–70 | 3–1 | Rothman Center (1,852) Hackensack, NJ |
| November 18, 2023* 2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Penn State Schuylkill | W 124–66 | 4–1 | Rothman Center (443) Hackensack, NJ |
| November 22, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Queens | L 84–97 | 4–2 | Curry Arena (317) Charlotte, NC |
| November 25, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Jacksonville Urban-Bennett Memorial Classic | L 90–91 | 4–3 | UPMC Events Center (131) Moon Township, PA |
| November 26, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Robert Morris Urban-Bennett Memorial Classic | L 86–97 | 4–4 | UPMC Events Center (822) Moon Township, PA |
| November 30, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SNY/ESPN+ | | at Fordham | L 52–80 | 4–5 | Rose Hill Gymnasium (1,320) The Bronx, NY |
| December 2, 2023* 3:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at NJIT | W 71–68 | 5–5 | Wellness and Events Center Newark, NJ |
| December 8, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Manhattan | W 76–71 | 6–5 | Draddy Gymnasium (1,293) Riverdale, NY |
| December 11, 2023* 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Columbia | L 83–87 | 6–6 | Rothman Center (582) Hackensack, NJ |
| December 21, 2023* 7:00 p.m., YES | | Fairfield | L 69–92 | 6–7 | Rothman Center (703) Hackensack, NJ |
| December 29, 2023* 9:00 p.m., B1G | | at No. 11 Illinois | L 71–104 | 6–8 | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| January 4, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Merrimack | L 56–60 | 6–9 (0–1) | Lawler Arena (693) North Andover, MA |
| January 6, 2024 2:00 p.m., YES | | Le Moyne | L 63–74 | 6–10 (0–2) | Rothman Center (273) Hackensack, NJ |
| January 10, 2024* 7:00 p.m., YES | | Chicago State | L 74–75 | 6–11 | Rothman Center (153) Hackensack, NJ |
| January 13, 2024 1:00 p.m., YES | | Stonehill | W 81–74 | 7–11 (1–2) | Rothman Center (223) Hackensack, NJ |
| January 15, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Saint Francis (PA) | W 81–71 | 8–11 (2–2) | DeGol Arena (590) Loretto, PA |
| January 19, 2024 5:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Stonehill | W 76–69 | 9–11 (3–2) | Merkert Gymnasium (223) Easton, MA |
| January 25, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Central Connecticut | L 60–76 | 9–12 (3–3) | Bogota Savings Bank Center (371) Hackensack, NJ |
| January 27, 2024 2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Sacred Heart | W 93–91 | 10–12 (4–3) | Bogota Savings Bank Center (673) Hackensack, NJ |
| February 1, 2024 7:00 p.m., YES | | LIU | W 82–75 | 11–12 (5–3) | Bogota Savings Bank Center (557) Hackensack, NJ |
| February 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Wagner | L 62–66 | 11–13 (5–4) | Bogota Savings Bank Center (347) Hackensack, NJ |
| February 10, 2024 1:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Central Connecticut | L 62–71 | 11–14 (5–5) | William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,090) New Britain, CT |
| February 15, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at LIU | W 84–82 $^{OT}$ | 12–14 (6–5) | Steinberg Wellness Center (251) Brooklyn, NY |
| February 17, 2024 1:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Saint Francis (PA) | W 93–74 | 13–14 (7–5) | Bogota Savings Bank Center (473) Hackensack, NJ |
| February 22, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Sacred Heart | L 91–99 | 13–15 (7–6) | William H. Pitt Center (722) Fairfield, CT |
| February 24, 2024 2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Le Moyne | W 68–58 | 14–15 (8–6) | Ted Grant Court (558) DeWitt, NY |
| February 29, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Merrimack | L 55–74 | 14–16 (8–7) | Bogota Savings Bank Center (563) Hackensack, NJ |
| March 2, 2024 4:30 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Wagner | W 57–54 | 15–16 (9–7) | Spiro Sports Center (1,486) Staten Island, NY |
| NEC tournament ||||||
| March 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | (5) | at (4) Le Moyne Quarterfinals | L 61–82 | 15–17 | Ted Grant Court (861) DeWitt, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. ||||||
Sources: