How to Watch No. 9 Nebraska Basketball vs. Penn State with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

The No. 9 Nebraska men's basketball team was the talk of the college basketball world Tuesday night, but not in a big way.

Entering a massive rivalry showdown with Iowa and first-year head coach Ben McCollum, the Huskers were 1.5-point underdogs against the Hawkeyes, who chose to host the Huskers for their Black Out game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. What commenced was a defensive, scrappy contest that was neck and neck the whole way, but Iowa held a 10-point advantage off turnovers and took advantage of another poor rebounding effort from NU to come away with a 57-52 win, handing the Huskers their first loss to an unranked opponent.

Nebraska forward and Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort hit a pair of threes to set a new program record for most three-pointers made in a season (90), but the Cornhuskers were limited to a season low in points, shots (55), three-pointers made (5), and made field goals (18). Despite holding the Hawkeyes to a 33.3 field goal percentage for the game and a 25% mark in the second half, they were lights out from the three thow line with a 17-for-18 showing. Sandfort (13) and Jamarques Lawrence (11) were the only two to reach double figures for NU as All-American Bennett Stirtz poured in 25 of Iowa's 57 points.

However, the most talked-about moment came after the game. While making his way through the postgame handshake line and attempting to navigate the chaos of an Iowa court storming, Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg was confronted by a student heckler who stuck a phone in his face. As many competitors might in the immediate aftermath of a tough, emotional loss, Hoiberg swatted the phone away, creating a viral moment on social media.

Iowa University later apologized for the embarrassing incident, which was a major lapse in security by allowing a fan to get as close as they were to an opposing coach. In a loss that made many Husker players and coaches walk away in frustration, Nebraska has the opportunity to bounce back against an opponent that sits near the basement of the conference.

Here's all you need to know as the Huskers host Penn State for a Saturday afternoon battle in Lincoln.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: No. 9 Nebraska (22-4, 11-4 B1G) vs. Penn State (11-15, 2-13 B1G)
When: Saturday, February 21
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 1 p.m. CST
Watch: Big Ten Network
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Penn State Scout

Head Coach

Mike Rhoades | 3rd season at Penn State; 22nd as HC
43-47 (.478) at PSU; 416-236 (.638) Career Record
3x NCAA Tournament Apps.
2x Atlantic 10 regular season titles, 1x Atlantic 10 tournament, 4x ODAC regular season, 1x ODAC tournament
1x Atlantic 10 Coach OTY
Previous head coach at VCU, Rice and Randolph-Macon (DIII)
Previous assistant at VCU and Randolph-Macon

2024-2025 Record & Awards

Record: 16-15 (6-14 B1G, 17th)
Finish: Did not qualify for the postseason
Major Awards: B1G Defensive Player OTY
All-B1G: 1x All-Defensive, 2x Honorable Mention

All-Time Series

Penn State leads 15-13
Feb. 19, 2025, last matchup, 89-72 Penn State

Penn State guard Freddie Dilione V (5) leads the Nittany Lions in scoring with over 14 points per game as a returning starter. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Key Returners

Freddie Dilione V | G | R-Soph. | Penn State's lone returning starter leads the team this season with 14.4 points per game on over 47% shooting from the field.
Dominick Stewart | G | Soph. | Saw only eight minutes per game as a true freshman, but has grown to average 6.9 points per game in starting 18 of his 26 appearances this year.
Eli Rice | G | R-Soph. | Spent his freshman season at Nebraska before transferring to Penn State, where he's emerged as a starter for PSU and is averaging eight points per game.

Key Departures

Ace Baldwin Jr. | G | Graduated | Followed Rhoades from VCU and was named the 2024-2025 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and All-Big Ten Honorable Mention after leading the Nittany Lions in scoring (14), assists (213), and steals (71).
Yanic Konan Niederhauser | F | NBA Draft | Taken No. 30 overall by the LA Clippers in last year's NBA Draft after joining Baldwin as an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention with 12.9 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game.
Zach Hicks | F | Graduated | Started all 31 games in his senior season and averaged a career best 11.6 PPG while leading the team with 74 made three-pointers on a 41.3% mark.
Nick Kern Jr. | G | Graduated | Spent the last two seasons at Penn State, which ended with the VCU transfer averaging 11.5 points and five rebounds per game as the primary reserve for PSU.
Puff Johnson | G/F | Graduated | Was enjoying his best college season ever with 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, but suffered a season-ending injury after 17 games.
D'Marco Dunn | G | Graduated | Another veteran guard and stand-in starter who added over eight points per game in his final college season.
Kachi Nzeh | F | Transfer | The 6-foot-9 in-state native transferred to Little Rock after seeing 11 minutes per game in 29 of the 31 contests last season.
Jahvin Carter | G | Transfer | Transferred down to Middle Tennessee State for his sophomore season, where he's become a double-digit scorer with 10 points per game.

Former Penn State guard Ace Baldwin Jr (1) graduated after winning the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year award. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Kayden Mingo | G | Fr. | A consensus top-40 ranked player and the highest-ranked recruit in Penn State basketball history, the first-year guard from New York ranks second on the team with 13.9 PPG and leads the Nittany Lions with 97 assists.
Josh Reed | F | Sr. | Saw playing time in 97 career games at Cincinnati before transferring to PSU, where he's stepped up to be one of three double-figure scorers (10.8) while grabbing four rebounds per contest.
Ivan Jurić | C | Fr. | Seven-foot freshman out of Croatia that attended Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas; scores over nine points per game and leads the team by grabbing over five rebounds per contest.
Melih Tunca | G | Fr. | Turkish freshman who's a part-time starter with over eight points per game.

Outlook

Being hired away from VCU after leading the Rams to three NCAA Tournament appearances in six seasons, the three-year tenure of Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades has been rocky. A 16-17 (9-11 B1G) first season was an okay start, but a 16-15 follow-up and now an 11-15 mark going into the final few games of the regular season hasn't inspired much confidence.

The roster got depleted after a basement finish in the Big Ten last season (17th), as six of the top seven scorers all left the program. Last year's Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Ace Baldwin Jr., highlights that group after he led PSU in scoring with over 14 points per game. Yanic Konan Niederhauser earned his way to All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors as a junior, but he entered the NBA draft and became a late first-round pick. Plus, veteran scorers Zach Hicks (11.6 PPG), Nick Kern Jr. (11.5), and Puff Johnson (10.2) all ran out of eligibility.

The only big building block to return was starter Freddie Dilione V, who now leads the team in scoring (14.0) and steals (71). Nebraska transfer Eli Rice and returning sophomore Dominick Stewart represent the two other contributors back on the roster, but the rest of this season's difference makers came from recruiting or the transfer portal.

Top-40 recruit Kayden Mingo (4) represents the highest-rated prospect in Penn State history out of New York. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Rhoades was able to pull off the biggest recruiting win in program history, securing the commitment of PSU's highest-rated prospect in Kayden Mingo. A consensus top-40 guard out of New York, the freshman leads the Nittany Lions with 97 assists and ranks second with 13.9 points per game. A depth piece at Cincinnati for three years, Josh Reed has flourished to score over 10 points per contest in his senior season. Joining Mingo in a loaded freshman class, Croatian center Ivan Jurić adds 9.2 points and a team-leading 5.2 rebounds per game while Turkish guard Tunca Melih logs over 8.2 points in 26 games this year.

The overall trend under Rhoades has been bleak, and his job was always going to be tough when you consider that previous head coach Micah Shrewsberry — now at Notre Dame — led the Nittany Lions to the NCAA Round of 32 in just his second season before bolting for South Bend. However, it's important to remember the lack of resources this PSU program gets compared to the rest of the conference, especially when the school is home to the country's most dominant wrestling program, which takes away some of the revenue-sharing split. Also note that this program has only made the NCAA Tournament just three times this century. With that said, it would be a nightmare if Nebraska doesn't pull away for an easy victory after four days' rest and a big crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena.