ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference unveiled its 2018-19 men’s basketball schedule today (Aug. 21), rolling out the league’s new 20-game format. Penn State’s 15-game regular-season home schedule includes 10 Big Ten opponents at the Bryce Jordan Center along with five nonconference games. Game times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.
As determined by the Big Ten Conference earlier this year, the Nittany Lions will face seven programs in “double play” action with home and away games against Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Purdue, Rutgers and Wisconsin. Six "single play" opponents round out the schedule with Indiana, Iowa and Michigan State on the Nittany Lions’ conference home schedule with road games at Minnesota, Northwestern and Ohio State.
Penn State’s 27th season in the Big Ten Conference begins with games in December. For the sixth time in eight years, the Nittany Lions will open on the road, traveling to Maryland on Saturday, Dec. 1. The Nittany Lions return home to the Bryce Jordan Center for a Tuesday, Dec. 4 matchup with Indiana in the only meeting of the year between the two programs.
The month of January is highlighted by five home games after Penn State begins the 2019 portion of the league schedule at Michigan on Thursday, Jan. 3. The Nittany Lions welcome Wisconsin to the BJC on Sunday, Jan. 6, and then head to Nebraska for the earliest-ever conference matchup between the two institutions on Thursday, Jan. 10.
Four of the last five games in January are in the BJC with the month’s final road contest at Minnesota on Saturday, Jan. 19. A pair of back-to-back home games vs. Michigan State (Sunday, Jan. 13) and Iowa (Thursday, Jan. 16) bookend the trip to Minneapolis with games back in Happy Valley against Rutgers (Saturday, Jan. 26) and Purdue (Thursday, Jan. 31).
The Nittany Lions open February with two games on the road, at Northwestern Monday, Feb. 4 and at Ohio State Thursday, Feb. 7. The game at Columbus wraps up the “single play” away opponents for 2018-19 with second meetings for six of the Lions’ last seven opponents completing the regular-season slate.
Two Tuesday night home games, against Michigan on Feb. 12 and Nebraska, Feb. 19 are split with a Saturday, Feb. 16 affair at Purdue. A mid-week game with Maryland at the BJC on Wednesday, Feb. 27 closes out the month after a Saturday, Feb. 23 game at Illinois.
Penn State hits the road for its first two games of March, heading to Wisconsin on Saturday, March 2 and at Rutgers on Wednesday, March 6. The Nittany Lions return to the BJC for a Sunday, March 10 tilt vs. Illinois for their regular-season finale.
The Big Ten Conference Tournament, presented by SoFi, returns to the United Center in Chicago for the 22nd annual event, March 13-17, 2019.
Penn State men’s basketball season tickets for the 15-game home schedule will be available for public purchase beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 27. Fans interested in obtaining seats for the 2018-19 campaign may view the location and sightlines to the BJC court using Virtual Venue. For reference, a color-coded map of season ticket price breakdowns is available here.
Student season tickets, which in 2018-19 include every home game on the schedule, go on sale at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 22. The $35 student season ticket, plus handling fee, may be purchased with credit or debit cards. Additional information and the link to initiate purchase is available at gopsusports.com/studentcentral.
Penn State opens the 2018-19 season on Friday, Nov. 9 against North Florida with pre-game activities that include the raising of the 2018 National Invitation Tournament championship banner.
Keep up to date with the latest information from Coach Patrick Chambers and the Nittany Lions on Twitter by following @Coach_Chambers and @PennStateMBB, on Facebook and Instagram at @PennStateMBB.
2018-19 Penn State Big Ten Conference Schedule
Home games are in bold caps.
December
- Saturday, Dec. 1 – at Maryland
- Tuesday, Dec. 4 – INDIANA
January
- Thursday, Jan. 3 – at Michigan
- Sunday, Jan. 6 – WISCONSIN
- Thursday, Jan. 10 – at Nebraska
- Sunday, Jan. 13 – MICHIGAN STATE
- Wednesday, Jan. 16 – IOWA
- Saturday, Jan. 19 – at Minnesota
- Saturday, Jan. 26 – RUTGERS
- Thursday, Jan. 31 – PURDUE
February
- Monday, Feb. 4 – at Northwestern
- Thursday, Feb. 7 – at Ohio State
- Tuesday, Feb. 12 – MICHIGAN
- Saturday, Feb. 16 – at Purdue
- Tuesday, Feb. 19 – NEBRASKA
- Saturday, Feb. 23 – at Illinois
- Wednesday, Feb. 27 – MARYLAND
March
- Saturday, March 2 – at Wisconsin
- Wednesday, March 6 – at Rutgers
- Sunday, March 10 – ILLINOIS
Home single play
- Indiana – Tuesday, Dec. 4
- Michigan State – Sunday, Jan. 13
- Iowa – Wednesday, Jan. 16
Away single play
- Minnesota – Saturday, Jan. 19
- Northwestern – Monday, Feb. 4
- Ohio State – Thursday, Feb. 7