Can Penn State End the Losing Streak? Where to Watch the Nittany Lions vs. Maryland

Someone has to win their first Big Ten game when the Terps host the Nittany Lions.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades has a moment with forward Ivan Juric during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Two of the Big Ten’s bottom-ranked teams face off Sunday, when Penn State and Maryland meet in a Big Ten men’s basketball game to determine who gets its first conference win.

Both teams are 0-6 in the Big Ten and also seek to end four-game losing streaks, as neither has won yet in 2026. Who gets into the Big Ten win column first? Here’s where to watch, and what to watch, as Penn State visits Maryland.

How to watch, stream Penn State vs. Maryland

Maryland is hosting Penn State for their only matchup of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for noon ET, and Big Ten Network will televise with Jason Horowitz and Earl Watson on the call.

Can’t watch? Listen to Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi on the Penn State Sports Network. The radio broadcast also will be available on SiriusXM channel 382. 

What is the Penn State-Maryland betting line?

DraftKings lists Maryland as a 2.5-point home favorite over the Nittany Lions, who have not been favored in a Big Ten game this season. Penn State, however, gets the edge according to the KenPom rankings. The Nittany Lions are 106th, while the Terps at 127th.

Maryland leads the series with Penn State 18-16, having won their last meeting 68-64 in State College. Penn State is 2-11 on the road vs. the Terps.

About the Nittany Lions

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Melih Tunca (9) dribbles the ball towards the basket during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State (9-8, 0-6 Big Ten) is having a rough start to 2026 after facing four ranked teams in its first six conference games. On Wednesday, the Nittany Lions fell to unranked UCLA 71-60, and their roster took another hit.

Freddie Dilione V sprained his right ankle in the first half against the Bruins, making him the third Nittany Lion to miss time. Freshman guard Kayden Mingo has missed three games, and Tibor Mirtic has missed two. 

Dilione and Mingo, neither of whom is expected to play, are Penn State’s leading scorers, leaving more of the workload to freshman guard Melih Tunca. He played 33 minutes against UCLA and never came off the court in the second half. 

“Everybody has injuries, and we couldn’t afford any, especially [with Dilione] being the priority guy making plays for us,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said after the UCLA game. “So it hurt us, but we battled. We still had opportunities to stay in striking distance, just not enough.”

Penn State’s rebounding hasn’t been consistent, and UCLA took advantage of second-chance points to set itself apart by winning on the glass. Penn State didn’t have as many second-chance opportunities and needed to rebound defensively better down the stretch to close the gap. 

The Nittany Lions are young, and mistakes are bound to happen, but Rhoades said that experiences like these only help them get better. 

“I mean, it is what it is, you just have to keep pushing and keep moving forward,” Rhoades said. “You have to get a rebound on the backside, you have to execute a play a little better, and some of it is with experience and it’s coming around, and you just gotta figure it out.”

About the Maryland Terrapins

Maryland Terrapins guard David Coit (8) shoots the ball against the USC Trojans' Kam Woods (13) and Jordan Marsh (7) in the first half at Galen Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Maryland (7-10, 0-6 Big Ten) is also on a four-game losing streak after dropping games to Oregon, Indiana, UCLA and USC over the past two weeks. The Terrapins are .500 when playing on their home court at the Xfinity Center in College Park. 

After playing Penn State, Maryland will face a similar stretch the Nittany Lions just battled through, with games against ranked opponents in Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue in the next two weeks. 

Guard David Coit has been one of Maryland's most dangerous scorers as of late. He scored 30 points at USC, getting 19 in the first half and hitting four 3-pointers. 

Coit already has three 30-point games this season and nine in his career, which should get Penn State’s attention. The Nittany Lions just gave up 30 points to UCLA’s Trent Perry and sometimes struggle to contain their opponents’ best offensive threats. How the Nittany Lions handle Coit will be an interesting point in this game.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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