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.
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.
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.[1] They defeated 15th-ranked Indiana on the road as 6-point underdogs on January 8, 2023.[2][3] 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.[4] The next game against Wisconsin on January 21 was also postponed due to COVID-19 protocols at Northwestern.[5] On February 11 Northwestern defeated Purdue, earning its first-ever victory over an AP poll number one-ranked team.[6] 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.[7]
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*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.