# 2022–23 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team represented Northwestern University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by 10th-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. They finished the 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, where they named 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.

## Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2021–22 season 15–16, 7–13 in Big Ten play, to finish in a three-way tie for 10th place. As the No. 12 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Nebraska in the first round before losing to Iowa in the second round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Ryan Greer | 2 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Senior | Atlanta, GA | Left the team to personal reasons |
| Casey Simmons | 14 | G | 6'6" | 180 | Freshman | Milton, MA | Transferred to Yale |
| Ryan Young | 15 | C | 6'10" | 240 | RS Junior | Stewartsville, NJ | Graduate transferred to Duke |
| Elyjah Williams | 21 | F | 6'7" | 220 | GS Senior | Evanston, IL | Graduated |
| Pete Nance | 22 | F | 6'10" | 225 | Senior | Akron, OH | Graduate transferred to North Carolina |
| Dylan Sandhu | 54 | G | 6'4" | 160 | RS Junior | Northville, MI | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous college |
| Tydus Verhoeven | 10 | F | 6'9" | 225 | GS Senior | Manteca, CA | UTEP |

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

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Luke Hunger C | Montreal, QC | Northfield-Mt. Hermon School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | Nov 2, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Nick Martinelli SF | Glenview, IL | Glenbrook South High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Apr 23, 2022 |
| 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 Northwestern Commits". Rivals.com. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2023) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jordan Clayton PG | Medford, MA | Bradford Christian School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Aug 12, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A 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. |||||||

## Schedule and results

In the team's December 4, 2022 2022–23 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season opener against 20th-ranked Michigan State, Northwestern won on the road as 5.5-point underdogs. They defeated 15th-ranked Indiana on the road as 6-point underdogs on January 8, 2023. The Wildcats' originally scheduled game against Iowa on January 18, 2023 was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Northwestern program. The game was rescheduled for January 31. The next game against Wisconsin on January 21 was also postponed due to COVID-19 protocols at Northwestern. On February 11 Northwestern defeated Purdue, earning its first-ever victory over an AP poll number one-ranked team. In the subsequent game on February 15, Northwestern established a school record with its fourth victory of the season over a ranked opponent by defeating 14th-ranked Indiana in a rematch. The victory also marked the first time the Wildcats had defeated ranked opponents in back-to-back games since the 2008–09 Northwestern Wildcats did so in January 2009.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 2, 2022* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Quincy | W 69–49 | | 15 – Audige | 7 – Berry | 7 – Audige | Welsh–Ryan Arena Evanston, IL |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Chicago State | W 85–54 | 1–0 | 20 – Beran | 7 – tied | 9 – Audige | Welsh–Ryan Arena (2,676) Evanston, IL |
| November 11, 2022* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Northern Illinois | W 63–46 | 2–0 | 15 – Beran | 11 – Berry | 7 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (3,077) Evanston, IL |
| November 15, 2022* 5:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Georgetown Gavitt Tipoff Games | W 75–63 | 3–0 | 17 – Audige | 9 – Nicholson | 6 – Buie | Capital One Arena (5,518) Washington, D.C. |
| November 18, 2022* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Purdue Fort Wayne Cancún Challenge campus-site game | W 60–52 | 4–0 | 28 – Buie | 8 – Beran | 6 – Audige | Welsh–Ryan Arena (2,931) Evanston, IL |
| November 22, 2022* 7:30 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. Liberty Cancún Challenge Riviera Division semifinals | W 66–52 | 5–0 | 20 – Audige | 7 – tied | 5 – Audige | Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (321) Cancún, Mexico |
| November 23, 2022* 7:30 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. No. 13 Auburn Cancún Challenge Riviera Division championship | L 42–43 | 5–1 | 10 – Audige | 8 – Beran | 3 – Buie | Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (1,156) Cancún, Mexico |
| November 28, 2022* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Pittsburgh ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 58–87 | 5–2 | 14 – Audige | 5 – Berry | 5 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (2,606) Evanston, IL |
| December 4, 2022 6:00 p.m., BTN | | at No. 20 Michigan State | W 70–63 | 6–2 (1–0) | 20 – Buie | 7 – Beran | 3 – Buie | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| December 11, 2022* 1:00 p.m., BTN | | Prairie View A&M | W 61–51 | 7–2 | 20 – Beran | 12 – Beran | 7 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (3,861) Evanston, IL |
| December 17, 2022* 1:00 p.m., BTN | | DePaul | W 83–45 | 8–2 | 28 – Audige | 8 – Nicholson | 3 – tied | Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,081) Evanston, IL |
| December 20, 2022* 8:00 p.m., BTN | | UIC | W 92–54 | 9–2 | 19 – Audige | 8 – Barnhizer | 5 – tied | Welsh–Ryan Arena (3,704) Evanston, IL |
| December 29, 2022* 12:00 p.m., BTN | | Brown | W 63–58 | 10–2 | 24 – Audige | 11 – Nicholson | 4 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (3,730) Evanston, IL |
| January 1, 2023 6:30 p.m., BTN | | Ohio State | L 57–73 | 10–3 (1–1) | 16 – Audige | 13 – Nicholson | 3 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,372) Evanston, IL |
| January 4, 2023 8:00 p.m., BTN | | Illinois Rivalry | W 73–60 | 11–3 (2–1) | 21 – Audige | 7 – tied | 4 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| January 8, 2023 11:00 a.m., FS1 | | at No. 15 Indiana | W 84–83 | 12–3 (3–1) | 26 – Buie | 11 – Berry | 8 – Audige | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (16,759) Bloomington, IN |
| January 11, 2023 8:00 p.m., BTN | | Rutgers | L 62–65 | 12–4 (3–2) | 13 – tied | 7 – Nicholson | 7 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,274) Evanston, IL |
| January 15, 2023 11:00 a.m., BTN | | at Michigan | L 78–85 | 12–5 (3–3) | 22 – Buie | 5 – tied | 5 – Buie | Crisler Center (12,009) Ann Arbor, MI |
| January 23, 2023 5:30 p.m., BTN | | Wisconsin Rescheduled from January 21 | W 66–63 | 13–5 (4–3) | 20 – Buie | 7 – Buie | 5 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,218) Evanston, IL |
| January 25, 2023 6:00 p.m., FS2 | | at Nebraska | W 78–63 | 14–5 (5–3) | 26 – Berry | 8 – Barnhizer | 4 – Audige | Pinnacle Bank Arena (13,205) Lincoln, NE |
| January 28, 2023 11:00 a.m., BTN | | Minnesota | W 81–61 | 15–5 (6–3) | 24 – Audige | 5 – tied | 8 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (6,064) Evanston, IL |
| January 31, 2023 8:00 p.m., BTN | | at Iowa Rescheduled from January 18 | L 70–86 | 15–6 (6–4) | 20 – Buie | 5 – tied | 3 – Buie | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (11,667) Iowa City, IA |
| February 2, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Michigan | L 51–68 | 15–7 (6–5) | 23 – Buie | 7 – Nicholson | 8 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (6,234) Evanston, IL |
| February 5, 2023 5:30 p.m., BTN | | at Wisconsin | W 54–52 | 16–7 (7–5) | 13 – Buie | 7 – tied | 4 – Buie | Kohl Center (15,632) Madison, WI |
| February 9, 2023 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Ohio State | W 69–63 | 17–7 (8–5) | 19 – tied | 4 – tied | 5 – Buie | Value City Arena (12,305) Columbus, OH |
| February 12, 2023 1:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 1 Purdue | W 64–58 | 18–7 (9–5) | 26 – Buie | 7 – Berry | 3 – tied | Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| February 15, 2023 8:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 14 Indiana | W 64–62 | 19–7 (10–5) | 21 – Buie | 6 – Buie | 4 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| February 19, 2023 5:30 p.m., BTN | | Iowa | W 80–60 | 20–7 (11–5) | 23 – Buie | 7 – Barnhizer | 8 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| February 23, 2023 8:00 p.m., BTN | No. 21 | at Illinois Rivalry | L 62–66 | 20–8 (11–6) | 35 – Buie | 7 – Berry | 2 – tied | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| February 26, 2023 11:00 a.m., BTN | No. 21 | at Maryland | L 59–75 | 20–9 (11–7) | 16 – Audige | 6 – Berry | 8 – Buie | Xfinity Center (17,950) College Park, MD |
| March 1, 2023 8:00 p.m., BTN | | Penn State | L 65–68 $^{OT}$ | 20–10 (11–8) | 20 – Buie | 7 – Barnhizer | 8 – Buie | Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| March 5, 2023 6:30 p.m., BTN | | at Rutgers | W 65–53 | 21–10 (12–8) | 16 – Barnhizer | 10 – Barnhizer | 3 – Audige | Jersey Mike's Arena Piscataway, NJ |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2023 5:30 p.m., BTN | (2) | vs. (10) Penn State Quarterfinals | L 65–67 $^{OT}$ | 21–11 | 16 – Buie | 11 – Barnhizer | 4 – Buie | United Center Chicago, IL |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 16, 2023* 6:35 p.m., TruTV | (7 W) | vs. (10 W) Boise State First Round | W 75–67 | 22–11 | 22 – Buie | 6 – tied | 5 – Buie | Golden 1 Center Sacramento, CA |
| March 18, 2023* 7:40 p.m., TNT | (7 W) | vs. (2 W) No. 7 UCLA Second Round | L 63–68 | 22–12 | 18 – Buie | 9 – Nicholson | 7 – Audige | Golden 1 Center (16,806) Sacramento, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. |||||||||
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 | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 21 | RV | RV | | Not released |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 22 | RV | 25 | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.