Athletics

2018-19 Penn State men's basketball nonconference schedule set

Slate includes seven opponents with 2018 postseason experience

Nittany Lion forward and 2018 NIT Most Outstanding Player Lamar Stevens claps after a big play in the championship game in Madison Square Garden. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 2018-19 nonconference schedule for Penn State men’s basketball has been finalized by head coach Patrick Chambers. A complete list of the nonconference and Big Ten Conference game times and broadcast information will be announced later this summer.

The 2018-19 nonconference slate includes 11 games, with five at home in the Bryce Jordan Center, three away and three neutral-site contests. Seven of the nonconference opponents participated in postseason play last season, with five earning berths in the NCAA Tournament. Seven of the Nittany Lions’ foes recorded 20 or more wins in 2017-18.

“Our nonconference lineup will present challenges for us that will help our team develop and prepare us for our Big Ten Conference schedule,” said Chambers.

The season opener, one of the two Cancun Challenge games held in the Jordan Center, features a contest against North Florida on Friday, Nov. 9, in the first-ever meeting between the Nittany Lions and the Ospreys. Penn State then welcomes Jacksonville State on Monday, Nov. 12. The Gamecocks and Nittany Lions have not previously met in men’s basketball.

In the 2018 edition of the Gavitt Games, Penn State and DePaul meet for the second time in the unique series between the Big Ten and Big East. The Nittany Lions and Blue Demons square off Thursday, Nov. 15, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. This marks Penn State’s first game against DePaul in the Windy City since the 1981-82 season.

Penn State returns to action in the Cancun Challenge with a Tuesday, Nov. 20, game against NCAA Tournament participant Wright State at the Hotel Riviera Maya in Cancun, Mexico. The Raiders will be the first team the Nittany Lions play against in the Riviera Division of the two-division tournament. Either Bradley or SMU will be Penn State’s opponent in the fourth and final game of the Cancun Challenge on Wednesday, Nov. 21.

Virginia Tech and Penn State meet for the third time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, and for the ninth time in program history, on Tuesday, Nov. 27, in the Bryce Jordan Center. The two teams last played during the 2014-15 season, also in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, with a 61-58 Nittany Lion win.

The nonconference portion of the December schedule begins with a contest between Penn State and Colgate on Saturday, Dec. 8, in the Jordan Center followed by three straight games away from home. The Nittany Lions will travel the following week to Atlantic City for the inaugural Boardwalk Classic, facing North Carolina State in a collegiate hoops quadruple-header on Saturday, Dec. 15.

Duquesne returns to the Penn State schedule with a Wednesday, Dec. 19, game in Pittsburgh as the teams will meet for the 49th time. A home-and-home series with Alabama begins with the Nittany Lions visiting Tuscaloosa on Friday, Dec. 21, and the Crimson Tide returning the game during the 2019-20 season.

The Nittany Lions close the 2018 portion of their schedule by hosting UMBC on Saturday, Dec. 29, in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Retrievers became the first No. 16 seed in NCAA Tournament history to beat a No. 1 seed when they defeated Virginia in the 2018 NCAA South Region first round.

In addition to the 11 nonconference contests, the new 20-game Big Ten Conference schedule includes Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Purdue, Rutgers and Wisconsin to fill part of Penn State’s schedule as both home and away opponents in 2018-19.

Six "single play" league opponents are split with Indiana, Iowa and Michigan State visiting the Bryce Jordan Center and the Nittany Lions traveling to Minnesota, Northwestern and Ohio State.

The Penn State men’s basketball schedule with confirmed games is available on GoPSUSports.com.

For information, to renew Penn State men’s basketball season tickets, or to purchase new tickets for the 2018-19 season, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or visit GoPSUsports.com/climbwithus

2018-19 Penn State men’s basketball nonconference schedule

November
9 – North Florida (BJC)
12 – Jacksonville State (BJC)
15 – at DePaul – Gavitt Games
20 – at Cancun Challenge vs. Wright State
21 – at Cancun Challenge vs. Bradley/SMU
27 – Virginia Tech – Big Ten/ACC Challenge (BJC)

December 
8 – Colgate (BJC)
15 – vs. North Carolina State – Boardwalk Classic at Atlantic City
19 – at Duquesne
21 – at Alabama
29 – UMBC (BJC)

Last Updated July 16, 2018