Penn State basketball learns Big Ten home, away opponents
Penn State and the Big Ten are set for a new era of conference basketball with the additions of four new teams into the conference this season. Welcoming Oregon, Washington, Southern Cal, and UCLA into the Big Ten this season, the Nittany Lions and its conference brethren will enter a new cycle of home and away opponents as a result.
Wednesday afternoon, the earliest shape of that new schedule took form.
Announced by the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions will face three teams as home and away opponents. Seven other opponents will be home games only, while seven more are away games only.
On the home docket this season, Penn State will face Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Purdue and Washington. On the travel slate, the Nittany Lions will hit the road for Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, Southern Cal, and Wisconsin.
Dual home/away opponents wil be only Indiana, Minnesota, and Rutgers.
Evaluating the new Big Ten hoops landscape
With its expanded set of opponents, Penn State’s slate of reigning NCAA Tournament participants also expands. 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.
Penn State adjusts to Big Ten schedule irregularities
While Penn State has yet to learn of dates or tip times for any of its Big Ten matchups, its conference schedule became a frequent touch point for head coach Mike Rhoades in his first season at the helm.
Acknowledging the irregularity of the schedule, facing Big Ten teams at varying times and days from week-to-week, with a late-season bye scheduled ahead of the Nittany Lions’ final game of the year, Rhoades said there was no option but to adjust to that new reality.
“You have no choice. I don’t like it, but it is what it is. TV mandates all that, the days you play and the times you play. So it is what it is,” said Rhoades. “I personally through my experience and time coaching, I think these players deserve a Sunday off to be a normal kid. Now you’re gonna say ‘Well, they’re a Big Ten basketball player, they get this.’ I get it, I get it. This is what you sign up for.
However, Rhoades continued, the Nittany Lions did stake their identity to shrugging off both wins and losses and facing their next games with freshness. After struggling to win any games in road or neutral venues in the first half of the season, the Nittany Lions managed road wins at Rutgers, Indiana, and against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament before the end of the season.
“We do talk about having pride about recovering from a win or a loss and being ready to go for the next one. The good programs understand that,” said Rhoades. “We’re not there yet, but we got to learn to do that, and if you get good at it, that could be a huge advantage for you in the future.”
The Nittany Lions finished 16-17 overall for the year, going 9-11 during the Big Ten regular season.
Talk about it with our premium members in the Lions Den, here!
