Second-year head coach Mike Rhoades has Penn State men’s basketball off to a hot start, but that momentum was stalled over the weekend in Philadelphia. In a Big Ten matchup with Indiana at The Palestra, the Nittany Lions shot 3-21 from three-point range and 10-17 from the free throw line in a 77-71 loss. The Hoosiers shot a much more efficient 9-23 from deep and 16-22 from the free throw line and got 25 points and 13 rebounds from big man Oumar Ballo.
Now, on Wednesday night in Champaign, Rhoades will look to bounce back against the No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini. Head coach Brad Underwood’s squad is riding high off a successful West Coast road trip, first knocking off top-10 ranked Oregon 109-77 in Euguene, then beating Washington 81-77.
Underwood has engineered Illinois’s return to prominence with plenty of help from the transfer portal, and he’s got more in the form of point guard Kylan Boswell this year, but the 2024-25 Fighting Illini are led by freshman Kasparas Jakucionis. The 6-foot-6 200-pound wing from Lithuania will be a handful for the Nittany Lions to slow down.
Penn State has a chance to make a move up the Big Ten standings with a statement victory on the road, and he’s how you can watch Wednesday night’s action:
How to watch Penn State vs. No. 13 Illinois
- Date: Wednesday, January 8
- Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: State Farm Center (Champaign, Illinois)
- How to Watch: Big Ten Network
- How to stream: Fubo TV
- Penn State record: 12-3 (2-2)
- Illinois record: 11-3 (3-1)