How to Watch, What to Watch, When Penn State Hosts UCLA in Big Ten Basketball

The Bruins visit Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center for the first time, as the Nittany Lions seek their first Big Ten win.

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Freddie Dilione V (5) defends against Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) during the first half at Mackey Arena. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State men’s basketball seeks to end a three-game skid after losing to three straight ranked opponents to start 2026. The Nittany Lions will play two of their next three games at the Bryce Jordan Center, beginning with Wednesday’s matchup with UCLA. They’re also looking for their first Big Ten win of the season.  

“You know, life in the Big 10, we got to get right back to work,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said Monday. “Got a good UCLA team coming in here Wednesday. This past week, we played some good basketball, not enough to win against two very good teams, but really proud of our guys' effort, our approach. They’re doing things the right way and we just have to keep pushing to get over the hump.”

Here's what you need to know about the Penn State-UCLA game.

How to watch, stream Penn State vs. UCLA

Penn State hosts UCLA for an 8:30 p.m. ET matchup on Wednesday. FS1 will televise the game with Noah Reed and Donny Marshall on the call. It can be streamed on the Fox Sports app. 

If you can’t watch, the Penn State Sports Network will broadcast the game with Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi. The radio broadcast also is available on SiriusXM channel 381.

What is the Penn State-UCLA betting line?

UCLA is a 4.5-point favorite over the Nittany Lions, according to FanDuel, which sets the over/under at 150.5 points. Penn State has covered its last three games as a major underdog vs. Purdue, Michigan and Illinois.

UCLA is No. 39, according to the latest KenPom ratings, while Penn State is No. 104.

RELATED: Mike Rhoades finds "hope" despite Penn State's winless Big Ten start

About the Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Freddie Dilione V. (5) drives the ball around Purdue Boilermakers guard Jack Benter (14) during the first half at Mackey Arena. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Penn State (9-7, 0-5 Big Ten) looks to get back in the win column against UCLA, the first unranked opponent it has faced since late December. All four of Penn State’s losses to ranked teams were decided by single digits.

The Nittany Lions will be without freshman guard Kayden Mingo for a third straight game as he continues his rehab process. Additionally, freshman forward Tibor Mirtic will be out with a knee injury. 

“We can’t afford any injuries and we have two that we really need back, but their health is No. 1,” Rhoades said. “We just gotta keep pushing forward until we get those guys back, hopefully sooner than later, but we’ll follow doctors’ plans.”  

Stepping up in their absences have been Freddie Dilione V and Ivan Juric. Dilione has played all but eight minutes since Mingo suffered an injury in practice prior to Penn State’s game against Michigan on Jan. 6. He had a career-high, and team-leading, 25 points in a 93-85 loss to Purdue on Saturday.

“He’s gotten us in offense and all that, and what we need is his defense to be like his offense, you know, that’s the key,” Rhoades said of Dilione. “That’s really hard when you’re playing 38 minutes and asking him to be doing everything, but that’s the next step for him.”

Juric, as the team’s big man, has been rapidly improving during his freshman season. He had 10 rebounds and nine points against a tough Boilermakers defense. 

“When you’re a freshman big man, you’re usually a backup playing limited minutes, and [Juric] is a huge part of what we do,” Rhoades said. “And for him to be learning all this, going through Big Ten play, says a lot about him and his potential, which is a great word to have tied to you.”

Penn State shot 3-pointers more efficiently against Purdue, but Rhoades would like some of the open looks the team has missed to start dropping. Against Purdue, the Nittany Lions netted 12 3-pointers, four above their previous per-game average. UCLA allows just 7.4 3-pointers per game and limits opponents to shooting 30 percent from distance.

In the Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State averages 15 more points per game than it does on the road. It also concedes about 10 fewer points to opponents.

About the UCLA Bruins

UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) shoots over Maryland Terrapins forward Elijah Saunders (13) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

UCLA (11-5, 3-2 Big Ten) is traveling to the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time in program history. Wednesday marks just the third matchup between the two programs. Last season the Bruins defeated the Nittany Lions 78-54 at Pauley Pavilion in their first Big Ten meeting. The only other Penn State-UCLA matchup was in the 1991 NCAA Tournament, where Penn State upset the fourth-seeded Bruins 74-69.  

The Bruins have struggled away from Pauley Pavilion this season with a 1-5 record. Penn State will be just the fourth true road game for UCLA, which lost three neutral-site games earlier this season. 

Rhoades said the Bruins are similar to other teams the Nittany Lions have already faced from a size and physicality standpoint. 

“They have a front-court line that can have big games, put you in isolation and big-boy you,” Rhoades explained. “I think they’re very physical and tough. We have to make sure we bring it, because they will.”

Five Bruins average double-figure scoring averages, compared to just three Nittany Lions. Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau leads with 17.5 points per game, and senior guard Skyy Clark adds 13.5. UCLA is coming off a 67-55 home win against Maryland, which Penn State faces on Saturday.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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