How to Watch New-Look Penn State Basketball in its Opener vs. Fairfield

The Nittany Lions introduce a transformed roster that features Kayden Mingo, the program's highest-ranked recruit ever.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades reacts during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Penn State opens the 2025-26 men's basketball season Monday night at the Bryce Jordan Center, where the Nittany Lions will introduce a completely transformed roster. The Nittany Lions host Fairfield in their season-opener.

Penn State debuts an eight-player freshman class that includes guard Kayden Mingo, the program's highest-ranked recruit ever and a freshman captain. In all, nine of the team's 13 players are new to the roster, with two playing overseas last season.

Here's what to know about Penn State's opener vs. Fairfield and how to watch.

How to watch, stream Penn State vs. Fairfield

Penn State's opener is available only on BIG+, the Big Ten Network's streaming service. Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi will be on the radio broadcast, available on the Penn State Sports Network or Sirius XM channel 372.

What is the Penn State-Fairfield betting line?

Penn State is a 15.5-point favorite over Fairfield, which went 12-20 overall and 8-12 in the MAAC last season. The over/under total is 149.5 points. Penn State went 1-1 during the exhibition season, beating Shippensburg 86-67 and losing to Dayton 78-62.

Penn State coach Mike Rhoades

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades looks on during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Rhoades returns for his third season at Penn State seeking to erase the memory of a forgettable 2024-25 season. After a solid non-conference start, the Nittany Lions went 6-14 in Big Ten play and 16-15 overall.

The Nittany Lions won their first two Big Ten games, including an 81-70 victory over then-No. 8 Purdue, but fell apart in January. Penn State lost 11 of 12 conference games, a string that tied to a season-ending injury to leader Puff Johnson. Rhoades' two-year record at Penn State is 32-32.

About the Nittany Lions

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Freddie Dilione V (4) moves the ball up the court during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State opens the season 95th in the KenPom rankings, but no one really can project what to expect from this team. Just three of the team's 13 players return from last season, none of whom averaged more than 10 points per game.

Guard Freddie Dilione V is the top returning scorer, averaging 9.4 points per game last year. Forward Josh Reed averaged 4.8, and guard Dominick Stewart averaged 2.8. Dilione averaged 18.5 points in Penn State's two preseason wins and shot 50 percent from the field. Eli Rice is back on the court for Penn State after redshirting due to injury last season, when he played one game.

Only two other Nittany Lions played college basketball last season. Forward Josh Reed, the team's lone senior, transferred to Penn State from Cincinnati. He spent three seasons with the Bearcats, averaging 4.8 point per game last season. Sasa Ciani, a 6-10 forward, averaged 9.9 points per game at the University of Illinois-Chicago last year and also spent a season at Xavier.

Penn State recruited globally during the offseason, bringing in four players with international experience. Freshman forward Ivan Juric comes to Penn State from Croatia via Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas.

Freshman guard Melih Tunca played in Turkey, and freshman forward Tibor Mirtic joined the Nittany Lions from Slovenia, where he played in the country's top professional league. Ciani played professionally in Slovenia as well.

Penn State's player to watch

Freshman 6’3 PG Kayden Mingo had a strong debut for Penn State.

18 Points
3 Rebounds
4 Assists
6/10 FG

Despite only being a freshman Mingo looked comfortable against a strong defensive Dayton team getting to his spots and creating for himself and his teammates at a high… pic.twitter.com/MSZPlZIyTL

— KJ (@KJScouting) October 19, 2025

Mingo, one of eight freshmen on Penn State's roster, is the highest-ranked recruit in program history. He was 39th in ESPN's 2025 recruiting rankings and was the Gatorade Player of the Year in New York as a senior at Long Island Lutheran.

Mingo was voted as a team captain as a freshman and averaged 12.5 points and 5.5 assists in Penn State's two preseason games, both of which he started. The 6-3 guard should be the most electric player on Penn State's roster.