Penn State Returns to the Palestra to Play Michigan
Penn State will return to the Palestra in Philadelphia for the second consecutive season, hosting Michigan in January as part of its 2023-24 men's basketball schedule. First-year head coach Mike Rhoades also will take the Nittany Lions to Florida for a tournament and host eight games at the Bryce Jordan Center on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, a potential boost for home attendance.
Penn State's 2023-24 men's basketball schedule begins Nov. 6 with a home game against Delaware State. The Lions host three more games vs. Lehigh, St. Francis and Morehead State before heading to Orlando for the ESPN Events Invitational in late November. They're scheduled to play three tournament games, including a rematch against Texas A&M, which the Lions beat in the NCAA Tournament.
Penn State opens the Big Ten schedule at Maryland on Dec. 6 before hosting Ohio State, Le Moyne and Rider to close the calendar year. After a road trip to Michigan State on Jan. 4, the Lions will "host" Michigan at the Palestra on Jan. 7. Last season, Penn State hosted Purdue, then ranked No. 1 nationally, in a sold-out game at Philadelphia's iconic venue. The Lions took a 6-point lead at halftime before Purdue's Zach Edey took over, finishing with 30 points and 13 rebounds. After the game, then-Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry apologized.
Penn State's Big Ten home schedule includes games against Ohio State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Indiana. Check out Penn State's full men's basketball schedule here.
The Lions will play an exhibition game at Robert Morris on Oct. 27 to benefit Coaches vs. Cancer. After making the Big Ten Tournament final and the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, Penn State has a new coaching staff and almost entirely new roster that includes nine transfer players. Rhoades, a Pennsylvania native, spent the past six seasons as head coach at VCU.
"I didn't come back here because it’s my home state," Rhoades said. "I came back here because I want to win. I want to win in the Big Ten. I want to win at a cool university like Penn State."
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