Penn State Basketball Gets Another Shot at Rival Pitt, This Time at the Palestra

Penn State men’s basketball will renew its rivalry with its most historic opponent this upcoming season. The Nittany Lions announced Thursday that they’ll play Pitt at The Palestra in Philadelphia on Nov. 8.

This will be the 150th all-time meeting between the teams, and Penn State holds a 76-73 advantage in the series. Tipoff time, broadcast and ticket information will be announced at a later date.

"Games like this are what college basketball is all about: great history, passionate fan bases and high-level competition," Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said in a statement. "The Palestra is one of the most iconic venues in college basketball, and the opportunity to celebrate its 100th anniversary while renewing an in-state rivalry for the 150th time makes this a special event for everyone connected to our program, and we're excited for our players to experience that atmosphere as they represent Penn State. We can’t wait to take the floor in Philadelphia and compete.”

Added Pitt coach Jeff Capel, "Every basketball player and coach in this country understands the significance of playing at the Palestra. It's one of the great venues in the history of the sport, and to play Penn State there in its 100th Anniversary year is a truly unique opportunity. Our players will be walking into a building with a century of history behind it, and after the atmosphere we saw in Hershey last year, I can't wait to see the energy our fans bring to a place like the Palestra."

Facing Pitt for the 150th time

The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team takes on the Pitt Panthers at the Giant Center in Hershey. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Penn State hasn’t played any other team more often than Pitt in its history. The series dates to 1906, and the two teams commonly played throughout the 20th century.

However, the Penn State-Pitt matchup began to slow down after 2000, as the teams met only nine times prior to Rhoades becoming head coach in 2023. Rhoades wanted to reignite the rivalry and scheduled a game against the Panthers at the Giant Center last season, Penn State’s first since 2017.

“Regional matchups, old-school traditions and rivalry matchups — we should always play them, in my opinion,” Rhoades said prior to last season’s Pitt game. “Especially in basketball, when you play 31 games. We should have those.”

Pitt ended up winning last season’s game in Hershey by an 80-46 landslide in a game that Rhoades called "discouraging and embarrassing." But that hasn’t stopped him Rhoades and Penn State from playing Pitt again. He said prior to last year’s game that he’d be interested in facing Pitt more often in future schedules, and he came through on his word with Thursday’s announcement.

The drive between the Bryce Jordan Center and The Palestra is just over three hours, and this game will add a marquee opponent to the Nittany Lions’ non-conference schedule, too.

“Everybody has a different scheduling philosophy. I understand that, but we'll always try to see if we can pull these games off,” Rhoades said last year. “Plus, instead of traveling all the way out West or to different places, if you can make it work geographically, it saves your budget too, which we all need to do these days as well.”

Rhoades wants to play at The Palestra

The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team hosts Illinois inside The Palestra on Jan. 3, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Palestra, known as “The Cathedral of College Basketball,” will celebrate its 100th anniversary this season and is home to the University of Pennsylvania's basketball programs. Penn State has played there on 64 occasions dating back to 1927.

Recently, the Nittany Lions have started an annual tradition of playing a Big Ten regular-season game at The Palestra, typically on the first weekend of January. Last season, Penn State hosted Illinois on Jan. 3, which the Fighting Illini won, 73-65.

The Palestra is an old-school arena with bleachers close to the court and sound echoing off the high ceiling with exposed support bars. Charles Klauder designed the venue, and he was also the architect for Rec Hall on Penn State’s campus.

Rhoades wants to showcase his program in Philadelphia and other cities in Pennsylvania to bring more viewers to the team. He mentioned that a weeknight game at the Bryce Jordan Center might not have the best attendance, but a weekend game against a notable opponent at a venue like The Palestra would.

“To try to build this program and get more people to watch what we're trying to do and how we're building it, I think we got to think outside the box,” Rhoades said after the Illinois game last season. “Like at Illinois, they sell their place out. Everybody goes there. Not everybody's gonna go up the mountain on a Wednesday night or even on the weekends over break. That's okay. I mean, it is what it is for now, so we'll go to them.”

Where does Penn State’s 2026-27 schedule stand?

Penn State Nittany Lions basketball coach reacts during a game against the Pitt Panthers at the Giant Center. — Penn State Nittany Lions basketball coach reacts during a game against the Pitt Panthers at the Giant Center in Hershey. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Penn State’s game against Pitt won’t be the only non-conference matchup against power-conference competition. The Nittany Lions are also slated to play in the 2026 Battle 4 Atlantis in a group with Wake Forest, Memphis and Mississippi State.

Rhoades’ squad will play two games against two of those opponents between Nov. 25-27. The matchups will be announced at a later date and will take place at Imperial Arena on Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Penn State’s Big Ten home and away opponents were announced earlier this offseason. The home schedule includes a game against the defending national champions, Michigan.

Prior to regular-season action, the Nittany Lions will play a preseason exhibition against St. Bonaventure at Buffalo’s KeyBank Center on Oct. 17.

Penn State is coming off of a 12-20 season and underwent dramatic roster turnover ahead of Rhoades’ fourth season in Happy Valley.

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