'I'm Cool With That:' Picked Last in the Big Ten, Penn State Basketball Ready to Overachieve

The Penn State men’s basketball team finished last in the Big Ten in 2025-26, and that expectation is carrying over to this season. The Nittany Lions were ranked 18th in the preseason Big Ten poll by the Columbus Dispatch.

Head coach Mike Rhoades has said that his last team was the “weakest” and “softest” he has coached. To fix that, Rhoades said he wanted tougher players on the roster this year.

“We went out there and found it,” Rhoades said on Big Ten Network during Big Ten Basketball Media Days. “We got some older guys. We got some bigger, tougher guys. That's important. Maybe not as deep as the rest of the league, but I like our group, and we had to address that, the character of competition and the character of toughness. We needed that for sure.”

Penn State basketball is ranked 18th in the unofficial Big Ten preseason poll pic.twitter.com/bHKFlX8mKX
— Will Horstman (@WillHorstman_) October 8, 2026

Rhoades conducted a roster overhaul this offseason after 10 players from last season’s team left. Penn State signed six transfers and added two professional players from Europe while making the important retention of center Ivan Jurić, who’s the youngest player on the team as a sophomore.

Forward Josh Reed is also back on the roster for his fifth season, but his eligibility is up in the air due to the ongoing 5-in-5 eligibility lawsuit in Ohio. Reed and the players in that case recently filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Ohio, according to Ohio-based basketball reporter Paul Fritschner.

Reed currently is ineligible to play, and Rhoades didn’t have any update on his status when most recently asked about it at practice two weeks ago. While Reed works out his eligibility, Jurić said he noticed how the new players answered some questions heading into this season.

“Toughness — that was a big question for us,” Ivan Jurić said on Big Ten Network. “We brought a lot of guys from all different kinds of places, from winning programs that won in the past, that know how to win, that know what it takes to win, and I think those are the biggest questions that were answered.”

Recruiting players from winning programs

Miami (OH) RedHawks wing Brant Byers (22) dribbles the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers in an NCAA Tournament game. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Penn State didn’t win much last season. The Nittany Lions were 12-20 overall and 3-17 in Big Ten play, losing in the first round of the conference tournament.

Rhoades said that this season he wants players who know what winning looks and feels like. His most notable transfer addition was wing Brant Byers, who came from a Miami (Ohio) team that went undefeated in the 2025-26 regular season.

“Brant went through [winning] last year at a high level, and he's a big part of it,” Rhoades said. “We wanted him to bring that with him, and he's done a great job.”

Byers was a starter for RedHawks, averaging 14.2 points per game with 39.2 percent shooting from 3-point range across 34 appearances. Byers helped Miami (Ohio) to an NCAA Tournament appearance and a 32-2 record. Penn State has never won more than 27 games.

Byers, a Pennsylvania native who grew up a Penn State basketball fan, believes it starts with him to bring that winning mentality to the Nittany Lions. Rhoades told Byers that he could help Penn State build a basketball program. Part of the transfer pitch Rhoades gave him was being a main reason why Penn State could build a basketball program.

“I think just being the same person every day, bringing that consistency, doing the things that it takes to win, not just during game day, but also during practices, during off days,” Byers said on Big Ten Network. “I think they all go into bringing that winning attitude.”

‘We have to overachieve at Penn State’

Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades calls out a play to his team during the game against Rutgers. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Rhoades is running physical practices at Penn State as he gets his team prepared for the 2026-27 season and wasn’t afraid to call out players’ mistakes during an open practice in September.

“We have to overachieve at Penn State,” Rhoades said. “It is what it is in the Big Ten for us. I'm cool with that. I'm excited about that, but we have to have a level of toughness and grit and fight to find a way to overachieve on a Saturday night on the road in the Big Ten because that's pretty darn hard to do.”

This season’s roster doesn’t have as much depth as Rhoades would like, but Penn State added veteran players — all six transfer additions have at least two seasons of collegiate experience. In addition to Byers, Rhoades highlighted Davidson transfer Roberts Blums as another player who came from a “winning culture.”

Blums played a key part in the Wildcats’ 20-14 season in 2025-26. He averaged a team-high 12.4 points per game with 40.7 percent shooting from 3-point range and was the standout of Penn State’s recent open practice.

Dasonte Bowen might surprise fans

St. Bonaventure Bonnies guard Dasonte Bowen (5) moves the ball past North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8). — St. Bonaventure Bonnies guard Dasonte Bowen (5) moves the ball past North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) in the second half at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Point guard is the biggest question mark on Penn State’s roster after losing standout freshman Kayden Mingo to Baylor. However, Jurić provided some optimism. When asked who on the roster isn’t getting enough attention, Jurić said point guard Dasonte Bowen.

"He just likes to share the ball, plays so hard defensively, really is a vocal leader on the court, knows where to get his guys,” Jurić said. “I think him being a leader for us is really important."

Bowen, a transfer from St. Bonaventure, was first considered as the backup to point guard Jay Rodgers when he first committed to the Nittany Lions in June. But that could change.

In the summer, Bowen won three “Wild Lion of the Week” awards, given to the player who exhibits the most effort in workouts.

During Penn State’s open practice two weeks ago, Bowen operated as the point guard for the first unit. He averaged 10.9 points and 4.8 assists per game as a starter for the Bonnies last season and seems to be on track to start again.

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