# 2022–23 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, Kentucky as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). They were led by first-year head coach Kenny Payne.
The team's 0–9 start was its worst since the 1940–41 season, when the Cardinals began the season 0–11. Before their first win of the season against Western Kentucky on December 14, 2022, the Cardinals contended with California for the worst start in modern history for any team that was at the time a member of a power conference, defined here as a member of a Power Five conference or the Big East Conference. California was the first such team to fall to 0–7, doing so on November 26, 2022; Louisville reached that mark three days later. California fell to 0–12 before its first win of the season. The Cardinals' start was still the worst for any team in ACC history.
The Cardinals finished the season 4–28 and 2–18 in ACC play to finish in fifteenth place. As the fifteenth seed in the ACC tournament, they lost to tenth seed Boston College in the First Round. They were not invited to the NCAA tournament or the NIT. Their 28 losses were the most in program history, and their four wins were the lowest since 1940–41.

## Previous season

The Cardinals finished the 2021–22 season 13–19, 6–14 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for 11th place. As the No. 11 seed in the ACC tournament, they defeated Georgia Tech before losing to Virginia in the second round.
Head coach Chris Mack was fired on January 26, 2022, after starting the season 11–9. Associate coach Mike Pegues was named the interim coach for the remainder of the season. On March 16, the school named former Louisville player Kenny Payne the team's new head coach.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Noah Locke | 0 | G | 6'3" | 205 | Senior | Baltimore, MD | Graduate transferred to Providence |
| Sam Bearden | 2 | F | 6'5" | 180 | Sophomore | Louisville, KY | Walk-on; didn't return |
| Malik Williams | 5 | F/C | 6'11" | 250 | GS Senior | Fort Wayne, IN | Graduated |
| Samuell Williamson | 10 | F | 6'7" | 210 | Junior | Rockwall, TX | Transferred to SMU |
| Mason Faulkner | 11 | G | 6'1" | 190 | GS Senior | Glasgow, KY | Graduated |
| Jarrod West | 13 | G | 5'11" | 180 | GS Senior | Clarksburg, VA | Graduated |
| Dre Davis | 14 | G/F | 6'5" | 220 | Sophomore | Indianapolis, IN | Transferred to Seton Hall |
| Drew Schultz | 15 | F | 6'4" | 205 | Sophomore | Rockwall, TX | Walk-on; didn't return |
| Gabe Wiznitzer | 23 | C | 6'11" | 240 | Sophomore | Walhalla, SC | Transferred to Ohio |
| Matt Cross | 33 | F | 6'7" | 225 | Sophomore | Beverly, MA | Transferred to UMass |
| Brad Colbert | 45 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Sophomore | Loveland, OH | Walk-on; transferred to Xavier |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Brandon Huntley-Hatfield | 5 | F | 6'10" | 246 | Sophomore | Clarksville, TN | Tennessee |
| Hercy Miller | 11 | G | 6'3" | 176 | Sophomore | Los Angeles, CA | Xavier |
| Zan Payne | 23 | G/F | 6'4" | 215 | RS Senior | Lexington, KY | Kentucky |
| Aidan McCool | 33 | G | 6'3" | 165 | Junior | Charleston, SC | Maryland |

### 2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Kamari Lands #3 SF | Indianapolis, IN | Hillcrest Prep | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jan 1, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| Devin Ree #25 SF | Terry, MS | Oak Hill Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Apr 30, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Fabio Basili SG | Orlando, FL | Oakridge High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Aug 17, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: 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 Louisville Commitments". Rivals.com. "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. "ESPN- Louisville Cardinals Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

### 2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2023 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Kaleb Glenn #27 PF | Louisville, KY | Louisville Male High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Sep 24, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| 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 Louisville Commitments". Rivals.com. "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. "ESPN- Louisville Cardinals Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "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 |||||||||
| October 30, 2022* 2:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Lenoir–Rhyne | L 47–57 | | 20 – Withers | 10 – Withers | 6 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (12,510) Louisville, KY |
| November 3, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Chaminade | W 80–73 | | 28 – Ellis | 9 – Tied | 5 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center Louisville, KY |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2022* 9:00 p.m., ACCN | | Bellarmine | L 66–67 | 0–1 | 17 – Withers | 10 – Huntley-Hatfield | 5 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (14,865) Louisville, KY |
| November 12, 2022* 1:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Wright State | L 72–73 | 0–2 | 29 – Ellis | 11 – Withers | 2 – Tied | KFC Yum! Center (12,270) Louisville, KY |
| November 15, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | Appalachian State | L 60–61 | 0–3 | 29 – Ellis | 10 – Huntley-Hatfield | 3 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (11,919) Louisville, KY |
| November 21, 2022* 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 9 Arkansas Maui Invitational Tournament quarterfinals | L 54–80 | 0–4 | 13 – Lands | 5 – Withers | 2 – Ellis | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| November 22, 2022* 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 21 Texas Tech Maui Invitational Tournament consolation round | L 38–70 | 0–5 | 7 – Tied | 5 – Withers | 3 – Ellis | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| November 23, 2022* 7:30 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Cincinnati Maui Invitational Tournament 7th–place game | L 62–81 | 0–6 | 15 – Huntley–Hatfield | 7 – Withers | 6 – Ellis | Lahaina Civic Center Maui, HI |
| November 29, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 22 Maryland ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 54–79 | 0–7 | 15 – Ellis | 8 – Huntley-Hatfield | 3 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (12,211) Louisville, KY |
| December 4, 2022 1:00 p.m., ACCN | | Miami (FL) | L 53–80 | 0–8 (0–1) | 12 – Withers | 8 – Huntley-Hatfield | 3 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (11,811) Louisville, KY |
| December 10, 2022 1:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Florida State | L 53–75 | 0–9 (0–2) | 15 – Ellis | 7 – Withers | 4 – Ellis | Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (5,718) Tallahassee, FL |
| December 14, 2022* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Western Kentucky | W 94–83 | 1–9 | 30 – Ellis | 6 – Tied | 10 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (12,417) Louisville, KY |
| December 17, 2022* 2:00 p.m., ACCRSN | | Florida A&M | W 61–55 | 2–9 | 13 – Tied | 19 – Curry | 7 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (11,736) Louisville, KY |
| December 20, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Lipscomb | L 67–75 | 2–10 | 24 – Ellis | 7 – Curry | 6 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (11,861) Louisville, KY |
| December 22, 2022 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at NC State | L 64–76 | 2–11 (0–3) | 16 – Curry | 12 – Huntley-Hatfield | 2 – Ellis | PNC Arena (12,446) Raleigh, NC |
| December 31, 2022* 12:00 p.m., CBS | | at No. 19 Kentucky Rivalry | L 63–86 | 2–12 | 23 – Ellis | 4 – Huntley-Hatfield | 2 – Ellis | Rupp Arena (20,934) Lexington, KY |
| January 3, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPNews | | Syracuse | L 69–70 | 2–13 (0–4) | 20 – Ellis | 8 – Huntley-Hatfield | 9 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (11,506) Louisville, KY |
| January 7, 2023 3:00 p.m., ACCN | | Wake Forest | L 72–80 | 2–14 (0–5) | 24 – James | 8 – James | 8 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (11,986) Louisville, KY |
| January 11, 2023 9:00 p.m., ACCRSN | | at Clemson | L 70–83 | 2–15 (0–6) | 17 – James | 6 – Curry | 5 – Ellis | Littlejohn Coliseum (7,789) Clemson, SC |
| January 14, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN | | North Carolina | L 59–80 | 2–16 (0–7) | 22 – Ellis | 8 – Withers | 4 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (14,842) Louisville, KY |
| January 18, 2023 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | Pittsburgh | L 54–75 | 2–17 (0–8) | 19 – Ellis | 7 – Withers | 5 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (11,579) Louisville, KY |
| January 25, 2023 9:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Boston College | L 65–75 | 2–18 (0–9) | 17 – Ellis | 7 – Withers | 5 – Ellis | Conte Forum (5,688) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| January 28, 2023 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Notre Dame | L 62–76 | 2–19 (0–10) | 14 – James | 5 – Okorafor | 6 – Ellis | Joyce Center (6,531) South Bend, IN |
| February 1, 2023 7:00 p.m., ACCRSN | | Georgia Tech | W 68–58 | 3–19 (1–10) | 19 – Withers | 13 – Withers | 4 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (11,416) Louisville, KY |
| February 4, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Florida State | L 78–81 | 3–20 (1–11) | 22 – Ellis | 6 – Curry | 7 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (12,966) Louisville, KY |
| February 7, 2023 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Pittsburgh | L 57–91 | 3–21 (1–12) | 11 – James | 6 – Okorafor | 3 – Tied | Peterson Events Center (7,577) Pittsburgh, PA |
| February 11, 2023 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at No. 19 Miami (FL) | L 85–93 | 3–22 (1–13) | 33 – Ellis | 5 – Withers | 5 – Ellis | Watsco Center (6,540) Coral Gables, FL |
| February 15, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | No. 7 Virginia | L 58–61 | 3–23 (1–14) | 21 – Ellis | 9 – Traynor | 3 – Ellis | KFC Yum! Center (11,570) Louisville, KY |
| February 18, 2023 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | Clemson | W 83–73 | 4–23 (2–14) | 28 – Ellis | 9 – Tied | 4 – Lands | KFC Yum! Center (15,157) Louisville, KY |
| February 20, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | at Duke | L 62–79 | 4–24 (2–15) | 21 – Ellis | 5 – Huntley-Hatfield | 7 – Ellis | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| February 25, 2023 2:00 p.m., ACCRSN | | at Georgia Tech | L 67–83 | 4–25 (2–16) | 15 – Tied | 9 – Withers | 3 – Tied | McCamish Pavilion (6,070) Atlanta, GA |
| February 28, 2023 9:00 p.m., ACCN | | Virginia Tech | L 54–71 | 4–26 (2–17) | 14 – Tied | 6 – Traynor | 1 – Tied | KFC Yum! Center (11,879) Louisville, KY |
| March 4, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 13 Virginia | L 60–75 | 4–27 (2–18) | 24 – James | 5 – Basili | 2 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (14,149) Charlottesville, VA |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| March 7, 2023 4:30 p.m., ACCN | (15) | vs. (10) Boston College First round | L 62–80 | 4–28 | 16 – Ellis | 7 – Tied | 5 – Ellis | Greensboro Coliseum (7,231) Greensboro, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Schedule Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: — = Not ranked :
| | 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 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.