How to Watch Northwestern Men's Basketball vs Penn State: Preview, Predictions, TV Channel

The Wildcats will host Penn State Thursday, with the hopes of securing another Big Ten win.

Jan 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) and Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli (2) go for a rebound in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On Thursday, the 9-11 Northwestern University men's basketball program will look to notch a victory against a finally beatable Big Ten opponent, the 9-11 Penn State Nittany Lions.

Thanks to Northwestern's surprise upset 74-68 away win over the USC Trojans, the Wildcats are now 1-8 in Big Ten play. Penn State is just 0-9. At present, the Wildcats are tied for the 15th-best record in the conference — meaning they are on the cusp of missing out on a Big Ten Tournament berth entirely without picking up a few more inter-conference wins.

Northwestern actually has a semi-respectable 6-4 home record this season, and may be able to avoid yet another losing skid after its disappointing road result against UCLA over the weekend.

Game Preview

Penn State is led by guards Kayden Mingo and Freddie Dilione V, both of whom are notching solid double-digit scoring averages of and above 13.5 points a night.

The Nittany Lions are in the midst of a brutal seven-game losing streak of their own, and are hungry to snap the skid before essentially getting booted out of a Big Ten Tournament slot before February.

Penn State is the conference's youngest squad, and its winless record against Big Ten opponents is a bit misleading. The Nittany Lions have suited up against seven of the Big Ten's top eight squads, sporting a combined 54-28 inter-conference record. The other Big Ten clubs Penn State has yet to play sport a 27-44 conference record, so one wonders if they're really as vulnerable as their record suggests.

Northwestern X-Factors

Mingo is connecting on just 23 percent of his triple takes, while Dilione is making a more effective 32.2 percent. Keeping both backcourt players outside of the paint is the key here.

As usual, the Wildcats need someone not named Nick Martinelli to step up and establish himself as a jump-shooting threat early on. Otherwise, Penn State will be able to trap Martinelli — knowing no Wildcats can capitalize. Still, Martinelli is the best player on the floor, and against a mediocre opponent that could be enough.

Final Score Prediction: Northwestern 72, Penn State 60.

How to Watch, Listen

• Matchup: Northwestern (9-11, 1-8 B1G) vs Penn State (9-10, 0-8 B1G)
• When: Thursday, January 29
• Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, IL
• Time: 7 p.m. CST 
• Watch: Peacock (TV)
• Listen: WGN Radio 720 AM, The Varsity Network

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