Skip to main content
penn-state logo

Penn State hoops learns home/away Big Ten opponents

nate-mug-10.12.14by:Nate Bauer•04/29/25•

NateBauerBWI

penn-state-hoops-learns-home-away-big-ten-opponents
Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades. (Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

Penn State basketball has learned its Big Ten single-play, double-play, and home/away breakdown for the 2025-26 season. Released by the conference on Tuesday afternoon, the Nittany Lions will again see seven opponents at home and seven opponents away for one-off games in the expanded 18-team league, with three opponents played both at home and on the road.

The breakdown is as follows:.

Penn State Big Ten opponent home/away breakdown

Home & Away: Michigan, Ohio State, Rutgers
Home Only: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
Away Only: Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Purdue, Washington

Big Ten scheduling notes

  • Southern Cal and UCLA will travel to State College this season after the Nittany Lions lost a two-game swing to Los Angeles last year.
  • Penn State will travel to Oregon and Washington for the first time.
  • No arrangements have been announced for a potential Rec Hall or Palestra game against Big Ten opponents.

Penn State seeks rebound from disappointing 2024-25 season

Finishing Mike Rhoades‘ second season at the helm of the Nittany Lion program on an uptick, beating a ranked Wisconsin team in Madison for the first time in three decades, the win was one of few bright spots. Though off to a solid start in the nonconference schedule, including a two-game split in the Big Ten’s annual December appetizer with a dominant upset win over Purdue, Penn State then faltered in the meat of conference play. At one point, that included losing 11 of 12 games in the Big Ten between January and February.

Determined to bounce back from the disappointment by building the program to be more durable and skilled throughout the roster, Rhoades insisted that the process and push internally remains on the right track.

“When we were in that stretch of losing games, I heard from a lot of people the right way. But I also know people were pissed. I was, too. Nobody was more pissed than me. But we got to keep pushing,” he said. “I’ve been through stuff like this this year, and you gotta push through. But you do it with the guys that have your back and are on the bus with you, and you find out who they are when things are really hard. And that’s how you build a program.

“That’s how you build it with high expectations. There were moments this year where I know our fans were super excited, and they were like me. They were upset and disappointed. But I do know this. I know we’re pushing to go in the right direction.”

Dates and timing for the Big Ten schedule, as well as Penn State’s nonconference opponents, have not yet been determined or released.

Where things stand for Penn State (8 scholarships filled)

Guards Freddie Dilione, Dominick Stewart, Kayden Mingo
Wings Eli Rice, Mason Blackwood, Josh Reed
Bigs Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Justin Hauser

Penn State scholarship breakdown by class

Fifth year (0): 
Fourth year (2): Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Josh Reed
Third year (2): Freddie Dilione, Eli Rice
Second year (1): Dominick Stewart
First year (3): Justin Hauser, Mason Blackwood, Kayden Mingo

Talk about it with our premium members in the Lions Den, here!

You may also like