Penn State men's basketball can't find its way out of the darkness as it stacks losses on top of losses.
Things hit rock bottom for Penn State basketball and the fans know it too
The Nittany Lions (10-12, 1-10 Big Ten) finally earned their first in-conference win on Sunday, beating Minnesota 77-75 thanks to a last-second shot by guard Kayden Mingo.
Head coach Mike Rhoades said that his team had "just enough to win" on Feb. 1 and that no matter how tough the season gets, the Nittany Lions aren't giving into the negativity that can easily overwhelm them. He said they're coachable through-and-through and that poor attitude isn't even a thought.
Mike Rhoades said that, despite an eight-game losing streak and a winless start to Big Ten play, his players continued to show up each day with the right attitude.
— Basic Blues Nation (@BasicBlues) February 2, 2026
That effort paid off with Penn State basketball's first conference win vs. Minnesota on Sunday:
"You do this long… pic.twitter.com/PCvIknR7pw
That doesn't completely erase the disappointments from the rest of the season, though. The results are loud to recruits, including Mingo's younger brother who initially gave Penn State a real shot at his commitment.
On Feb. 2, a new Crystal Ball prediction from 247Sports rang in to the misfortune of the Nittany Lions. The staff projection from lead experts favored North Carolina to land Dylan Mingo.
UNC fans going wild with Hubert Davis on the verge of a massive 5-star commit
247Sports Crystal Ball pick in for five-star guard Dylan Mingo to UNC: https://t.co/NWOTB3D3vx
— Ross Martin (@RossMartinNC) February 2, 2026
No. 8-ranked player in the 2026 class. pic.twitter.com/WAQOogpHi8
Dylan Mingo is a five-star combo guard from Glen Head, N.Y. He is the No. 5 recruit from the Class of 2026 and the second-ranked combo guard in the nation. He is also listed as the No. 1 recruit out of New York, per 247Sports Composite rankings.
The Nittany Lions aren't necessarily completely pushed off to the side, but having Kayden Mingo in Happy Valley won't be enough to justify choosing Penn State over a program that's currently ranked 14th in the country as of Feb. 2. UNC moved up two spots on the AP Top 25 Poll in Week 13 and is on a four-game win streak dating back to Jan. 21 against Notre Dame. The Tar Heels also beat No. 18 Virginia in that time frame.
Penn State and Baylor are the two other programs that even have a shot at landing Dylan Mingo. The Bears are also unranked and doing poorly as the 13th-ranked team in the 16-team Big 12 conference. Dylan Mingo initially had a