In early April, it was reported that Penn State basketball would be facing Providence in non-conference action in 2025-26. Now we know the date and location of the matchup.
On Wednesday, it was announced that the Nittany Lions and Friars will square off Nov. 22 as part of the 2025 Hall of Fame Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The tip time and television coverage of the Big Ten-Big East clash will be revealed at a later date.
Tickets will not go on sale until Sept. 6. The game will be part of a doubleheader, with Boston University and Harvard also featured.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to bring our team to the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut to face a strong Providence team,” third-year PSU coach Mike Rhoades said. “This will be our second-straight year competing in a Hall of Fame event, and we know it will be a first-class experience for our group. The game will challenge our team early in the season and allow our fans and alumni in the Northeast region the chance to see us play in a fun college basketball environment.”
Providence is entering its third season under coach Kim English. The Friars went 12-20 last season with a 6-14 mark in the Big East. Providence faced one Big Ten team last winter and fell to Indiana, 89-73, Nov. 29. The Friars lost eight players to the NCAA Transfer Portal while adding five from it.
Penn State, meanwhile, went 16-15 overall and 6-14 in Big Ten play in 2024-25. The Nittany Lions finished in 17th place in the league and missed the cutoff for the 15-team Big Ten Tournament.
PSU is undergoing a significant roster overhaul, as well, with five key seniors from last season having exhausted their collegiate eligibility and four scholarship players having departed via the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Meanwhile, talented center Yanic Konan Niederhauser has declared for the NBA Draft but left open the possibility of returning for his senior season. The 2024-25 honorable-mention All-Big Ten pick is currently competing at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
Penn State is adding three freshmen to the roster this summer in guard Kayden Mingo — who is the highest-rated recruit in program history — forward Mason Blackwood and forward Justin Houser. That finished as the nation No. 23 overall class and the third-best class in the Big Ten according to the 247Sports Composite.
The Nittany Lions also landed former Cincinnati wing Josh Reed out of the NCAA Transfer Portal.
The Nittany Lions and Friars will meet for the fourth time ever and the first time since 2012. Penn State owns a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams, including a 55-52 overtime win in the 2012 Puerto Rico Tip-Off and a 69-59 victory in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
— Daniel Gallen contributed to this report.
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