Penn State women's basketball parted ways with head coach Carolyn Kieger on Thursday, March 5. This moves comes six days after the Nittany Lions lost their final matchup of the season at Indiana on Saturday, Feb, 28, 93-59.
Mike Rhoades’ postgame comments prove there’s no hope on the horizon for Penn State basketball
"We appreciate Coach Kieger’s commitment and passion she brought to Penn State Lady Lion Basketball,” athletic director Pat Kraft said in a statement. "Looking ahead, we remain committed to competing at the highest level, and we believe a change in leadership is necessary to propel the program toward sustained excellence.”
Penn State's women's team finished 11-18 overall on the season and notched just four wins in the Big Ten, losing 14 of its conference battles. The Nittany Lions went on a three-game win streak at the end of the season, beating Northwestern, Rutgers, and then USC on Senior Day before ultimately falling to the Hoosiers in the regular season finale. They also won at Purdue in overtime at the start of February. However, a 16th place finish in the Big Ten caused the Nittany Lions to miss the Big Ten tournament for the second consecutive season.
Kieger leaves the program after seven seasons without a single NCAA Women's Tournament appearance and only one campaign with a finish above .500.
Both the men's and women's team were disappointments, especially in comparison to what other winter teams accomplished throughout the regular season. Penn State wrestling is ranked No. 1, women's hockey is ranked No. 3, and men's hockey is ranked No. 6. The Nittany Lions' men's basketball team is expected to rank 18th in the Big Ten come conference tournament time, the last seed of the conference. They are currently 12-18 overall and 3-16 in their conference with one contest versus Rutgers left on their regular season slate.
Unlike Kieger, though, men's basketball head coach Mike Rhoades does not believe his time in Hapoy Valley has come to an end. Now that Kraft embarks on a coaching search for the women's team, though, Rhoades shouldn't feel too comfortable. Kraft proved throughout the 2025-26 season that he's pull the trigger, firing head coach James Franklin and field hockey head coach Lisa Bervinchak Love.