Penn State hoops conference schedule deemed Big Ten's toughest
Penn State basketball learned its home and away opponents for the 2024-25 Big Ten schedule last week. The Nittany Lions will play Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Purdue and Washington at home. Away, the program will play Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, Southern Cal, and Wisconsin. And, only Indiana, Minnesota, and Rutgers will be played both at home and on the road.
Monday, BetOhio.com added some context to the picture. Grading the difficulty of each home/away schedule in the Big Ten, with the conference’s four new programs included in consideration, the first form of Penn State’s slate takes on new meaning.
From a press release:
“BetOhio.com used a point system to rank Big Ten conference basketball schedules for the upcoming 2024-25 season, from easiest to hardest. Points were given for the following:
- 1 point – home vs. ESPN Top 25, home vs. On3 Team Transfer Portal Rankings (Top 25), home vs. 24/7 Team Recruiting Rankings (Top 25)
- 2 points – away vs. ESPN Top 25, away vs. On3 Team Transfer Portal Rankings (Top 25), away vs. 24/7 Team Recruiting Rankings (Top 25), away vs. 75%+ Win Rate at Home Since 2021
Where Penn State basketball’s Big Ten slate ranks
According to BetOhio’s grading system, Penn State has the toughest Big Ten schedule under its parameters. The Nittany Lions topped all conference schedules with 44 total points. Behind them, Ohio State checks in with 43 points, while the top three is rounded out with a five-way tie. With 41 points apiece, Michigan, Minnesota, UCLA, Southern Cal, and Wisconsin all check in. Rounding out the top half of the Big Ten are Oregon and Washington, with 38 schedule points each.
On the bottom half of the conference schedule rankings, Purdue has 37 points at No. 10. Tied for 11th are Iowa and Michigan State with 36 points each. Nebraska, Northwestern and Rutgers are tied for 13th with 34 points. Maryland (33 points), Illinois and Indiana (32 points) round out the rankings.
Evaluating the new Big Ten hoops landscape
With its expanded set of Big Ten opponents this year, Penn State will also face an additional NCAA Tournament participant from last season. Oregon was among four Pac-12 teams to earn an invitation to March Madness, getting there as an 11-seed by winning the conference tournament. The Ducks earned a first round win over South Carolina before bowing out to Creighton in the Round of 32.
Other reigning NCAA Tournament teams back on Penn State’s schedule are national runner-up Purdue, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Northwestern, Illinois, and Michigan State. Of those games, Oregon, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Northwestern will be at home as single-plays. Nebraska, Illinois, and Michigan State will all be on the road as single-plays.
Other Penn State scheduling notes
The second season for head coach Mike Rhoades has also clarified in its nonconference opponents further. First reported by Jon Rothstein last weekend, Penn State is set to face Buffalo this year.
The Bulls join opponents that include Virginia Tech, to be played in Baltimore on November 15 at CFG Bank Arena, as well as potential opponents in the 2024 Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach, Fla.The eight-team tournament has two four-team brackets, set to begin on Monday, Nov. 25. Current participants include Clemson, San Francisco, and Fordham. No matchups have been determined for the three-game tournament yet.
