How to Watch Penn State Chase the Upset vs. No. 2 Michigan

Penn State is a big underdog against the unbeaten Wolverines in a Big Ten basketball game at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Kayden Mingo (4) shoots the ball as North Carolina Central Eagles guard Jae Slack (8) defends during the first half at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The search for its first Big Ten victory continues for Penn State men’s basketball, and it’s not an easy road ahead. The Nittany Lions host No. 2 Michigan on Tuesday after falling to No. 20 Illinois last weekend.

Penn State and Michigan met once last season, when the Nittany Lions lost on the road by four points. Of Penn State’s 17 all-time wins against Michigan, 10 are at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Prior to last year’s matchup, Penn State had won the series’ previous three contests, beating the Wolverines twice in 2024. These teams will face each other twice this season 2026, with the second meeting slated for Feb. 5 in Ann Arbor. 

Here’s what to know about Tuesday’s Penn State vs. Michigan game.

How to watch the Penn State-Michigan game

The Nittany Lions will host Michigan beginning at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday at the Bryce Jordan Center. FS1 will televise, with Connor Onion and Donny Marshall on the call.

Can't watch? Listen to Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi on the Penn State Sports Network. The audio broadcast also will be available on SiriusXM channel 372.

What is the Penn State-Michigan betting line?

Michigan is a 24.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel, with the over/under set at 164.5 points. Not surprising, since the Wolverines have won their last 10 games by at least 18 points and have scored at least 100 points six times.

Michigan is No. 1 in this week's Coaches Poll, No. 1 in the KenPom ratings and No. 2 in the AP Top 25. Penn State is 121st in the KenPom ratings.

About the Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Kayden Mingo (4) dribbles the ball to the basket as North Carolina Central Eagles guard Khalil Arnold defends. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Big Ten play has really tested Penn State so far, with the Nittany Lions losing to ranked opponents in two of their first three games. They will play at No. 5 Purdue on Saturday to cap a three-game stretch vs. top-20 teams.  

“You’ve got to show up and compete and have a level of competitive toughness and pride,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said. “As the leader of the program, I could use [our youth] as an excuse and complain about that, or I can continue to pour into these guys about trying to get better.

“And if we get better, it’s going to give us a chance to continue to compete against these teams that are very good and older and bigger, but get to a point where we could compete with them and beat them.”

The young team is still figuring it out and has kept scores relatively close since losing by 41 in its conference opener at Indiana. The Nittany Lions fell to Indiana by eight points. 

“I don’t believe in moral victories. If the scoreboard is on, you go and win. But I’m also a realist, too,” Rhoades said. “I see some of our guys really improving. Just got to continue to improve as a team and put yourself out there and compete against these teams and see what happens.”

Freshman Kayden Mingo continues to lead Penn State in scoring, averaging 14.9 per game. He put up 16 against Illinois on Saturday. The Nittany Lions actually netted more 3-pointers than the Illini (8-6) but still shot only 21 percent from long range.  

Freddie Dilione V, Penn State’s only returning starter, and freshman Melih Tunca also average double figures in scoring. Despite coming up short in battles down the stretch, Rhoades commended his team for always putting in the work and hitting the gym for extra reps to get it right. 

“When you hit a tough stretch and you don’t have that, that’s a problem,” Rhoades said. “The other day, we had four freshmen in the gym at 9 o’clock at night working on their game. We got the right dudes, just young and inexperienced and we’ve got to go through some stuff to figure it out.”

About the Michigan Wolverines

Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) dunks in the first half against the Southern California Trojans at Crisler Center. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Michigan (13-0) is one of six undefeated teams remaining in the country. The Wolverines have already defeated three other top-25 teams: No. 21 Auburn, No. 12 Gonzaga and No. 24 USC. All of those victories were by at least 30 points. Michigan has won 10 of its games by 20+ points and six by more than 40.

“They play with such great efficiency,” Rhoades said. “I think as you're watching tape, their length, their athleticism is all the way around their roster and the problems it creates for opponents. Everyone’s talking about their efficiency on offense, but I think it starts with their defense making it so hard for the other team to get into rhythm.

"I think they get rebounds and turnovers that turn into a really good offense for them and they have multiple players that can shoot the ball and really finish at the rim.”

Penn State has been very disciplined despite its youth, ranking fifth nationally in turnovers (9.1 per game). However, Michigan is going to test the Nittany Lions' patience with a defense that Rhoades called “potent.”

Five Wolverines average more than 10 points per game, led by forward Yaxel Lendeborg (15.1). Michigan shoots 37 percent from 3-point range and limits opponents to under 30 percent.

Lendeborg, Morzen Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara account for 40 percent of Michigan’s offensive production. Johnson leads the team with four 20-point games and put up 29 against the Trojans last week.

“On offense, they do a very good job with getting their mismatches, getting isolations and putting their best players in position to attack,” Rhoades said.

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