Penn State Men’s Basketball Announces Non-Conference Schedule

Penn State men’s basketball’s non-conference schedule for the 2024-25 season has arrived. The Nittany Lions will begin the campaign at home on Nov. 4 against Binghamton before facing 11 other non-conference teams, a pair of which being high-major programs.

The team’s first high-major matchup will be against Virginia Tech in the Hall of Fame Series in Baltimore on Nov. 15. This will mark the second meeting in three years between the two schools.

Penn State will later travel to the Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Nov. 25 for a contest with Fordham and former Nittany Lion assistant coach Keith Urgo. 

The following day the team will play either Clemson or San Francisco to conclude the in-season tournament. The Tigers are months removed from one of their most productive seasons in program history, in which they competed in the Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament and nearly advanced to the Final Four.

The Nittany Lions will once again travel to Philadelphia on Dec. 21, when they take on Drexel at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the 76ers. Another Philadelphia school, Penn, will travel to Penn State on Dec. 29.

Other home non-conference matchups include UMBC, led by former Penn State assistant and interim head coach Jim Ferry, on Nov. 8, Saint Francis (PA) on Nov. 12, Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 20, Buffalo on Dec. 1 and Coppin State on Dec. 14.

Penn State finished last season with a 16-17 record in the first year under head coach Mike Rhoades. The team returns Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Ace Baldwin Jr. and a number of key pieces.