Can Penn State Get a Big Ten Win? How to Watch the Nittany Lions vs. Wisconsin

Penn State hosts the Badgers at Rec Hall looking for its first Big Ten victory of the season.

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Kayden Mingo (4) looks to pass as Maryland Terrapins guard David Coit (8) defends during the first half at Xfinity Center. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Penn State is one of two Big Ten men’s basketball teams that haven’t won a conference game yet. After losing by 23 points to Maryland on Sunday, the Nittany Lions look to snap a five-game losing streak against Wisconsin. 

Penn State returns to Rec Hall, the basketball arena modeled after the Palestra, on Thursday to host the Badgers. This is the third straight season that the basketball court is making its return, and the Nittany Lions have only been back five times since moving to the Bryce Jordan Center in 1996. 

“I mean, we all love a little throwback in us, right?” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said Tuesday from the media room in Rec Hall. “It’s an old arena, it’s an old gym. People are on top of you now with the way it's configured, I just think it’s cool. Penn Staters love it. It’s something different.”

Rec Hall was the home of Penn State basketball for 67 years until 1996. Wisconsin was the last team Penn State faced at Rec Hall before the move, and the Nittany Lions won 79-50. 

“I think playing in Rec Hall for a lot of people, old Penn Staters, new Penn Staters, basketball fans, it’s a cool place to see college basketball games and it’s cool for our players to be a part of that,” Rhoades said.

Here's what you need to know about Thursday's Penn State-Wisconsin game.

How to watch, stream Penn State vs. Wisconsin

The Nittany Lions host Wisconsin for a 7 p.m. ET tip-off on FS1. Noah Reed and Calbert Cheaney will be on the broadcast, which can be streamed on the Fox Sports app.

Can't watch? Listen to Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi on the Penn State Sports Network.

What is the Penn State-Wisconsin betting line?

Wisconsin is a 5.5-point favorite, according to DraftKings, which set the over/under at 159.5. Penn State has won two straight over the Badgers, which nevertheless leads the series 44-13. Wisconsin is 40th in the latest KenPom ratings, while Penn State is 118th.

About the Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Kayden Mingo (4) looks to pass as Maryland Terrapins guard David Coit (8) defends during the first half at Xfinity Center. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Penn State (0-7 Big Ten) has struggled mightily and been inconsistent against conference. The Nittany Lions started Big Ten play facing four ranked teams in their first six games, which wasn’t an easy stretch for one of the youngest rosters in college basketball. 

Penn State kept those ranked matchups close, losing the four games by a combined 22 points. But it has lost by wider margins to unranked Big Ten teams. 

Penn State played three games without freshman guard Kayden Mingo, who sustained a broken nose the day before a Jan. 6 game vs. Michigan. Mingo returned against Maryland last weekend, leading the Nittany Lions with 19 points. 

“He was a little rusty, I think, at times,” Rhoades said. “But you know, he takes great ownership in his play, good or bad, to continue to learn and get better. And his approach is really good. He’s a guy that you have great dialogue with about doing things better, doing things the right way, and he’s beyond his years that way.”

Most of Penn State’s struggles have come on defense. If the Nittany Lions can limit opponents’ offensive rebounding chances and win more battles on the glass, they will have a better chance at winning. 

“We don’t play consistently in half-court defense, just enough to get enough stops, continuous stops and when we have, we haven’t rebounded a high enough clip, getting clean rebounds and one-and-dones to create our offense,” Rhoades said.

About the Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin Badgers guard Nick Boyd (2) works around Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Langston Reynolds (6) during the second half at Williams Arena. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Wisconsin (5-2 Big Ten) is on a four-game win streak heading into its matchup against Penn State. Three of its five losses were to ranked opponents. 

The Badgers were the only team to defeat Michigan in arguably their biggest win of the season. Penn State came close, but couldn’t close out its game vs. the Wolverines and lost by two. 

Wisconsin has three players averaging double-digits scoring, with senior guard Nick Boyd, a San Diego State transfer, leading the way at 19.9 points per game. 

Penn State has struggled to contain its opponents’ best scorers; Maryland’s David Coit had 43 points against the Nittany Lions. They will need to limit Boyd’s performance and not allow him to make early shots and get into a rhythm in an effort to slow the Badgers’ offensive success. 

“We have to improve with our half-court defense, and some of it is just continuing to get more experience and helping some of these guys understand the tough sports we’re getting ourselves in there and the why of it,” Rhoades said. “And then, of course, when we do have a good possession, you go to finish it with a rebound, and we’re just not doing enough of that this year. That has really hurt us.”

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