Penn State men's basketball is down in the dumps. Excitement loomed over the 2025-26 season as young talent filled up the roster. It seemed like the Nittany Lions started a new chapter in Happy Valley, but they were quickly humbled as they fell back into a losing streak.
Penn State basketball is a joke, even to coaches across the country
Penn State is 11-15 overall on the season and 2-13 in the Big Ten with its only wins coming versus Minnesota, 77-75, and Washington, 63-60. It lost its most recent contest, falling 83-72 to Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday, Feb. 14.
The 2025-26 season can't end soon enough for the Nittany Lions. They're having yet another nightmare-esque overall performance despite having hope for the youngsters on the roster to continue developing and building the program to what head coach Mike Rhoades envisions.
One of those is freshman guard Kayden Mingo. Mingo was a top-40 recruit from the Class of 2025 and was the 2025 New York Gatorade Player of the Year after his high school senior season. He now leads the blue and white, averaging 13.9 points over 23 games for a total of 319 points on the season. Mingo holds a .458 percentage from the field and is .237 percent in three-point attempts. He also has 14 offensive and 65 defensive rebounds, 97 assists, 51 steals, and three blocks.
Mingo is living up to the hype, especially given the tools he has to work with at Penn State. What can help Rhoades and Mingo out even more down the line is getting a key commitment from Mingo's younger brother.
Dylan Mingo is reportedly slated to announce his commitment on Tuesday, Feb. 17. He is a five-star and top recruit out of New York. He's also ranked fifth overall nationally and second among combo guards in his class, per 247Sports Composite Rankings.
He is making his announcement on ESPN's First Take with Stephen A. Smith at 11:40 a.m. ET.
A Penn State-favored decision sounds almost too good to be true, but so was Kayden Mingo's commitment in 2025. Dylan Mingo's top four schools are Penn State, Baylor, North Carolina, and Washington. Up against the Bears and Huskies, the Nittany Lions have an actual chance. Throwing the Tar Heels in there, the No. 16 team in the country, Penn State looks like a pity option for the sake of his older brother being on the team.