2022–23 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team

The 2022–23 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represented West Virginia University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mountaineers were coached by Bob Huggins, in his 16th and final season as WVU's head coach, and they played their home games at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia as members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 19–15, 7–11 in Big 12 Play to finish in eighth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament to Kansas. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in the South region, where they were defeated by Maryland in the First Round.

2022–23 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Record	19–15 (7–11 Big 12)
Head coach	Bob Huggins (16th season)
Associate head coach	Vacant Larry Harrison (until January 12, 2023)
Assistant coaches	Ron Everhart Josh Eilert DerMarr Johnson
Home arena	WVU Coliseum
Seasons ← 2021–22 2023–24 →

2022–23 Big 12 men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 4 Kansas	13	–	5		.722			28	–	8		.778
No. 5 Texas †	12	–	6		.667			29	–	9		.763
No. 15 Kansas State	11	–	7		.611			26	–	10		.722
No. 11 Baylor	11	–	7		.611			23	–	11		.676
Iowa State	9	–	9		.500			19	–	14		.576
No. 22 TCU	9	–	9		.500			22	–	13		.629
Oklahoma State	8	–	10		.444			20	–	16		.556
West Virginia	7	–	11		.389			19	–	15		.559
Texas Tech	5	–	13		.278			16	–	16		.500
Oklahoma	5	–	13		.278			15	–	17		.469
† 2023 Big 12 tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Mountaineers finished the 2021–22 season 16–17, 4–14 in Big 12 play to finish in last place. They defeated Kansas State in the first round of the Big 12 tournament before losing to Kansas in the quarterfinals.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Pos.	Number	Height	Weight	Previous School	Hometown	Reason for Leaving
Pauly Paulicap	1	F	6'8"	235	GS Senior	Elmont, NY	Graduated
Gabe Osabuohien	3	F	6'7"	240	GS Senior	Toronto, ON	Graduated
Dimon Carrigan	5	F	6'9"	230	GS Senior	Boston, MA	Graduated
Malik Curry	10	G	6'1"	190	GS Senior	Wilmington, DE	Graduated
Jalen Bridges	11	F	6'7"	225	RS Sophomore	Fairmont, WV	Transferred to Baylor
Taz Sherman	12	G	6'4"	190	GS Senior	Missouri City, TX	Graduated
Isaiah Cottrell	13	F	6'10"	245	RS Freshman	Las Vegas, NV	Transferred to UNLV
Sean McNeil	22	G	6'3"	205	Senior	Union, KY	Graduate transferred to Ohio State
Seny N'diaye	23	F	6'10"	245	Sophomore	Dakar, Senegal	Transferred to USC Upstate
Taj Thweatt	24	F	6'7"	210	Sophomore	Wildwood, NJ	Transferred to Temple
Spencer Macke	30	G	5'11"	175	Junior	Fort Thomas, KY	Walk-on; transferred

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Emmitt Matthews Jr.	1	F	6'7"	215	GS Senior	Tacoma, WA	Washington
Tre Mitchell	3	F	6'9"	220	Senior	Pittsburgh, PA	Texas
Joe Toussaint	5	G	6'0"	190	Senior	Bronx, NY	Iowa
Erik Stevenson	10	G	6'4"	209	GS Senior	Lacey, WA	South Carolina
Mohamed Wague	11	C	6'9"	225	Sophomore	Bronx, NY	Harcum College
Jimmy Bell	15	F	6'10"	270	Senior	Saginaw, MI	Moberly Area CC
Patrick Suemnick	24	F	6'8"	230	Sophomore	Green Bay, WI	Triton College
Jose Perez	55	G	6'5"	220	Senior	Bronx, NY	Manhattan

Recruiting classes

2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Josiah Harris #19 PF	Cleveland, OH	Richmond Heights High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Mar 31, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 81
Josiah Davis #34 PG	Kitchener, ON	Teays Valley Christian School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Feb 22, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
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.

Roster

2022–23 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Kedrian Johnson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) GS Temple College Dallas, TX F 1 Emmitt Matthews Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) GS Washington Tacoma, WA G 2 Kobe Johnson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Canton HS Canton, OH C 3 Tre Mitchell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Texas Pittsburgh, PA F 4 Jamel King 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Bella Vista Prep Uniontown, AL G 5 Joe Toussaint 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Iowa Bronx, NY G 10 Erik Stevenson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) GS South Carolina Lacey, WA F 11 Mohamed Wague 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Harcum College Bronx, NY G 12 Josiah Davis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Teays Valley Christian School (WV) Kitchener, ON F 15 Jimmy Bell Jr. 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 295 lb (134 kg) Sr Moberly Area CC Saginaw, MI F 22 Josiah Harris 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Richmond Heights HS Canton, OH F 24 Patrick Suemnick 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Triton College Green Bay, WI F 32 James Okonkwo 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Beckley Prep Maidenhead, England G 45 Seth Wilson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Lorain HS Lorain, OH G 55 Jose Perez 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Manhattan College Bronx, NY	Head coach Bob Huggins (West Virginia) Assistant coach(es) Larry Harrison (Pittsburgh) Ron Everhart (Virginia Tech) Josh Eilert (Kansas State) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 28, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Bowling Green Charity Exhibition	W 73–57		18 – Stevenson	10 – Stevenson	4 – Toussaint	WVU Coliseum (9,840) Morgantown, WV
Regular season
November 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Mount St. Mary's	W 76–58	1–0	15 – Matthews	9 – Wague	5 – Matthews	WVU Coliseum (9,960) Morgantown, WV
November 11, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+		at Pittsburgh Backyard Brawl	W 81–56	2–0	18 – Toussaint	6 – Mitchell	5 – Toussaint	Petersen Events Center (10,827) Pittsburgh, PA
November 15, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Morehead State	W 75–57	3–0	21 – Mitchell	8 – Bell	3 – Stevenson	WVU Coliseum (9,417) Morgantown, WV
November 18, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Penn	W 92–58	4–0	21 – Stevenson	5 – Okonkwo	5 – Toussaint	WVU Coliseum (9,875) Morgantown, WV
November 24, 2022* 10:00 p.m., ESPN2		vs. No. 24 Purdue Phil Knight Legacy Quarterfinals	L 68–80	4–1	17 – Stevenson	5 – Tied	4 – Toussaint	Veterans Memorial Coliseum  Portland, OR
November 25, 2022* 9:00 p.m., ESPNews		vs. Portland State Phil Knight Legacy Consolation Round	W 89–71	5–1	16 – Mitchell	5 – Ke. Johnson	4 – Matthews	Moda Center  Portland, OR
November 27, 2022* 8:30 pm, ESPNU		vs. Florida Phil Knight Legacy 5th Place Game	W 84–55	6–1	17 – Mitchell	9 – Wague	3 – Toussaint	Chiles Center (1,016) Portland, OR
December 3, 2022* 6:30 p.m., FS1		at Xavier Big East–Big 12 Battle	L 74–84	6–2	16 – Stevenson	6 – Bell	4 – Tied	Cintas Center (10,460) Cincinnati, OH
December 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPNU		Navy	W 85–64	7–2	19 – Mitchell	7 – Stevenson	7 – Toussaint	WVU Coliseum (10,277) Morgantown, WV
December 10, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		UAB	W 81–70	8–2	17 – Ke. Johnson	9 – Matthews	5 – Mitchell	WVU Coliseum (12,182) Morgantown, WV
December 18, 2022* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+		Buffalo	W 96–78	9–2	22 – Stevenson	10 – Bell	7 – Ke. Johnson	WVU Coliseum (10,689) Morgantown, WV
December 22, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		Stony Brook	W 75–64	10–2	18 – Ke. Johnson	6 – Bell	4 – Stevenson	WVU Coliseum (10,535) Morgantown, WV
December 31, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 24	at Kansas State	L 76–82 ^OT	10–3 (0–1)	16 – Mitchell	13 – Mitchell	7 – Ke. Johnson	Bramlage Coliseum (8,199) Manhattan, KS
January 2, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPNU		at Oklahoma State	L 60–67	10–4 (0–2)	17 – Stevenson	9 – Bell	2 – Tied	Gallagher-Iba Arena (6,134) Stillwater, OK
January 7, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		No. 3 Kansas	L 62–76	10–5 (0–3)	15 – Mitchell	6 – Okonkwo	5 – Toussaint	WVU Coliseum (14,135) Morgantown, WV
January 11, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Baylor	L 78–83	10–6 (0–4)	20 – Toussaint	15 – Mitchell	6 – Ke. Johnson	WVU Coliseum (11,815) Morgantown, WV
January 14, 2023 12:00 p.m., ESPN2		at Oklahoma	L 76–77	10–7 (0–5)	16 – Mitchell	6 – Bell	3 – Tied	Lloyd Noble Center (7,756) Norman, OK
January 18, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		No. 14 TCU	W 74–65	11–7 (1–5)	20 – Ke. Johnson	12 – Bell	4 – Stevenson	WVU Coliseum (11,402) Morgantown, WV
January 21, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN		No. 7 Texas	L 61–69	11–8 (1–6)	22 – Ke. Johnson	8 – Mitchell	2 – Tied	WVU Coliseum (14,141) Morgantown, WV
January 25, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPNU		at Texas Tech	W 76–61	12–8 (2–6)	22 – Toussaint	10 – Tied	4 – Stevenson	United Supermarkets Arena (11,802) Lubbock, TX
January 28, 2023* 12:00 p.m., ESPN		No. 15 Auburn Big 12/SEC Challenge	W 80–77	13–8	31 – Stevenson	7 – Bell	6 – Ke. Johnson	WVU Coliseum (14,116) Morgantown, WV
January 31, 2023 9:00 p.m., ESPNU		at No. 15 TCU	L 72–76	13–9 (2–7)	17 – Stevenson	6 – Tied	4 – Tied	Schollmaier Arena (7,444) Fort Worth, TX
February 4, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN2		Oklahoma	W 93–61	14–9 (3–7)	34 – Stevenson	10 – Okonkwo	3 – Stevenson	WVU Coliseum (14,022) Morgantown, WV
February 8, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN2		No. 11 Iowa State	W 76–71	15–9 (4–7)	22 – Ke. Johnson	9 – Okonkwo	6 – Ke. Johnson	WVU Coliseum (11,573) Morgantown, WV
February 11, 2023 12:00 p.m., ESPN2		at No. 5 Texas	L 60–94	15–10 (4–8)	13 – Matthews Jr	6 – Stevenson	3 – Johnson	Moody Center (10,763) Austin, TX
February 13, 2023 9:00 p.m., ESPN2		at No. 9 Baylor	L 67–79	15–11 (4–9)	17 – Matthews Jr.	5 – Tied	6 – Johnson	Ferrell Center (9,811) Waco, TX
February 18, 2023 12:00 p.m., ESPNU		Texas Tech	L 62–68	15–12 (4–10)	27 – Stevenson	9 – Mitchell	4 – Tied	WVU Coliseum (13,940) Morgantown, WV
February 20, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN2		Oklahoma State	W 85–67	16–12 (5–10)	23 – Stevenson	5 – Tied	4 – Toussaint	WVU Coliseum (11,874) Morgantown, WV
February 25, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN		at No. 3 Kansas	L 74–76	16–13 (5–11)	23 – Stevenson	7 – Mitchell	4 – Stevenson	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
February 27, 2023 9:00 p.m., ESPN2		at Iowa State	W 72–69	17–13 (6–11)	23 – Stevenson	7 – Toussaint	5 – Ke. Johnson	Hilton Coliseum (13,575) Ames, IA
March 4, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		No. 11 Kansas State	W 89–81	18–13 (7–11)	27 – Stevenson	6 – Tied	6 – Ke. Johnson	WVU Coliseum (14,111) Morgantown, WV
Big 12 tournament
March 8, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPNU	(8)	vs. (9) Texas Tech First round	W 78–62	19–13	20 – Ke. Johnson	9 – Mitchell	6 – Stevenson	T-Mobile Center  Kansas City, MO
March 9, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN	(8)	vs. (1) No. 3 Kansas Quarterfinals	L 61–78	19–14	13 – Stevenson	7 – Mitchell	4 – Toussaint	T-Mobile Center (18,034) Kansas City, MO
NCAA tournament
March 16, 2023* 12:15 pm, CBS	(9 S)	vs. (8 S) Maryland First Round	L 65–67	19–15	27 – Johnson	6 – Tied	2 – Okonkwo	Legacy Arena (15,126) Birmingham, AL
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Eastern Time.

Source^[1]

Rankings

See also: 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	24	RV	—	—	—	RV	RV						Not released
Coaches	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	24	RV	—	—	—	—	RV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.

References

1. "2022–23 Men's Basketball Schedule". wvusports.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.