# 2024–25 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team

The 2024–25 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team represents Penn State University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They are led by second-year head coach Mike Rhoades, and play their home games at Bryce Jordan Center located in State College, Pennsylvania as members of the Big Ten Conference.

## Previous season

The Nittany Lions finished the 2023–24 season 16–17, 9–11 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for 10th place. As the No. 11 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Michigan in the first round before losing to Indiana in the second round.

## Offseason
### Departures

Penn State departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Kayne Clary | 0 | G | 5'11" | 192 | Sophomore | Virginia Beach, VA | Dismissed from the team; transferred to Mississippi State |
| Jameel Brown | 5 | G | 6'4" | 188 | Sophomore | Philadelphia, PA | Transferred to Temple |
| Bragi Guðmundsson | 6 | G | 6'5" | 185 | Freshman | Grindavík, Iceland | Transferred to Campbell |
| Leo O'Boyle | 11 | F | 6'7" | 225 | GS Senior | Scranton, PA | Graduated |
| Favour Aire | 12 | F | 6'11" | 220 | Sophomore | Ekpoma, Nigeria | Transferred to Bryant |
| Demetrius Lilley | 14 | F | 6'10" | 245 | Sophomore | Philadelphia, PA | Transferred to La Salle |
| Dan Conlan | 15 | G | 6'4" | 186 | Senior | Sewickley, PA | Walk-on; graduated |
| RayQuawndis Mitchell | 21 | G | 6'5" | 195 | GS Senior | Blaine, MN | Graduated |
| Qudus Wahab | 22 | F | 6'11" | 245 | GS Senior | Lagos, Nigeria | Graduated/signed to play professionally in Greece with Lavrio |
| Andy Christos | 33 | G | 6'5" | 186 | Senior | Madison, NJ | Walk-on; graduated |

### Incoming transfers

Penn State incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Freddie Dilione V | 4 | G | 6'5" | 180 | Sophomore | Fayetteville, NC | Tennessee |
| Eli Rice | 11 | G | 6'8" | 213 | Sophomore | Bradenton, FL | Nebraska |
| Yanic Konan Niederhauser | 14 | F | 6'11" | 215 | Junior | Fräschels, Switzerland | Northern Illinois |
| Kachi Nzech | 15 | C | 6'8" | 230 | Sophomore | Upper Darby, PA | Xavier |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Miles Goodman #22 C | Seattle, Washington | Southern California Academy | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Nov 6, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Jahvin Carter SG | Alcoa, Tennessee | Alcoa High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jun 26, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Dominick Stewart PG | Lanham, Maryland | Southern California Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 22, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Hudson Ward SF | Edmonton, Alberta | Western Canada Prep Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jan 31, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 39 247Sports: 25 ESPN: — ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Penn State 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024. "2024 Penn State Nittany Lions Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024. "Penn State 2024 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024. ||||||

#### 2025 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2025) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Justin Houser #17 C | Camp Hill, Pennsylvania | The Phelps School | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Jun 27, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 39 247Sports: 25 ESPN: — |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Penn State 2025 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024. "2025 Penn State Nittany Lions Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024. "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024. "Penn State 2025 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 25, 2024* 8:00 p.m. | vs. Lafayette | W 79–64 | | 15 – Niederhauser | 5 – Tied | 9 – Baldwin | Sorrentino Gymnasium (1,650) Annville, PA |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 7:30 p.m., B1G+ | Binghamton | W 108–66 | 1–0 | 22 – Hicks | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Bryce Jordan Center (7,687) State College, PA |
| November 8, 2024* 6:00 p.m., BTN | UMBC | W 103–54 | 2–0 | 18 – Niederhauser | 9 – Niederhauser | 8 – Baldwin | Bryce Jordan Center (7,353) State College, PA |
| November 12, 2024* 7:00 p.m., Peacock | Saint Francis (PA) | W 92–62 | 3–0 | 20 – Johnson | 7 – Niederhauser | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (6,626) State College, PA |
| November 15, 2024* 7:30 p.m., Peacock | vs. Virginia Tech Hall of Fame Series Baltimore | W 86–64 | 4–0 | 19 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 10 – Baldwin | CFG Bank Arena (4,868) Baltimore, MD |
| November 20, 2024* 7:00 p.m., B1G+ | Purdue Fort Wayne Sunshine Slam campus site game | W 102–89 | 5–0 | 25 – Baldwin Jr. | 10 – Niederhauser | 11 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (6,547) State College, PA |
| November 25, 2024* 4:00 p.m., CBSSN | vs. Fordham Sunshine Slam Beach Division semifinals | W 85–66 | 6–0 | 20 – Kern Jr. | 13 – Kern Jr. | 7 – Baldwin Jr. | Ocean Center Daytona Beach, FL |
| November 26, 2024* 4:00 p.m., CBSSN | vs. Clemson Sunshine Slam Beach Division championship game | L 67–75 | 6–1 | 20 – Baldwin Jr. | 6 – Tied | 11 – Baldwin Jr. | Ocean Center Daytona Beach, FL |
| December 1, 2024* 2:00 p.m., BTN | Buffalo | W 87–64 | 7–1 | 27 – Niederhauser | 8 – Johnson | 10 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (7,214) State College, PA |
| December 5, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 8 Purdue | W 81–70 | 8–1 (1–0) | 17 – Baldwin Jr. | 8 – Kern | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (8,802) State College, PA |
| December 10, 2024 7:00 p.m., Peacock | at Rutgers | L 76–80 | 8–2 (1–1) | 20 – Hicks | 7 – Kern | 7 – Baldwin Jr. | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| December 14, 2024* 12:30 p.m., BTN | Coppin State | W 99–51 | 9–2 | 14 – Niederhauser | 8 – Johnson | 16 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (6,557) State College, PA |
| December 21, 2024* 12:00 p.m. | vs. Drexel Holiday Hoopfest | W 75–64 | 10–2 | 18 – Niederhauser | 10 – Johnson | 6 – Tied | Wells Fargo Center (2,312) Philadelphia, PA |
| December 29, 2024* 1:00 p.m., Peacock | Penn | W 86–66 | 11–2 | 23 – Baldwin Jr. | 15 – Niederhauser | 10 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (7,862) State College, PA |
| January 2, 2025 7:00 p.m., Peacock | Northwestern | W 84–80 | 12–2 (2–1) | 20 – Hicks | 9 – Niederhauser | 7 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (5,579) State College, PA |
| January 5, 2025 12:00 p.m., BTN | vs. Indiana | L 71–77 | 12–3 (2–2) | 21 – Kern Jr. | 8 – Niederhauser | 7 – Baldwin Jr. | Palestra (6,126) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 8, 2025 9:00 p.m., BTN | at No. 13 Illinois | L 52–91 | 12–4 (2–3) | 13 – Kern Jr. | 7 – Hicks | 2 – Tied | State Farm Center (13,883) Champaign, IL |
| January 12, 2025 4:00 p.m., BTN | No. 15 Oregon | L 81–82 | 12–5 (2–4) | 21 – Dilione V | 8 – Kern Jr. | 4 – Tied | Bryce Jordan Center (8,972) State College, PA |
| January 15, 2025 7:30 p.m., BTN | at No. 12 Michigan State | L 85–90 | 12–6 (2–5) | 20 – Baldwin Jr. | 7 – Kern Jr. | 9 – Baldwin Jr. | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| January 20, 2025 6:30 p.m., Peacock | Rutgers | W 80–72 | 13–6 (3–5) | 22 – Baldwin Jr. | 6 – Tied | 8 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (7,351) State College, PA |
| January 24, 2025 9:00 p.m., FS1 | at Iowa | L 75–76 | 13–7 (3–6) | 18 – Kern Jr. | 7 – Tied | 7 – Baldwin Jr. | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (8,619) Iowa City, IA |
| January 27, 2025 6:30 p.m., BTN | at Michigan | L 72–76 | 13–8 (3–7) | 16 – Kern Jr. | 10 – Kern Jr. | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Crisler Center (12,707) Ann Arbor, MI |
| January 30, 2025 6:30 p.m., FS1 | Ohio State | L 64–83 | 13–9 (3–8) | 21 – Niederhauser | 5 – Niederhauser | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Rec Hall (6,198) State College, PA |
| February 4, 2025 7:00 p.m., BTN | Minnesota | L 61–69 | 13–10 (3–9) | 18 – Dunn | 7 – Kern Jr. | 5 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (6,750) State College, PA |
| February 8, 2025 4:00 p.m., BTN | at UCLA | L 54–78 | 13–11 (3–10) | 14 – Hicks | 8 – Hicks | 3 – Baldwin Jr. | Pauley Pavilion (9,156) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 11, 2025 9:00 p.m., BTN | at USC | L 67–92 | 13–12 (3–11) | 18 – Baldwin Jr. | 5 – Dunn | 4 – Baldwin Jr. | Galen Center (4,638) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 15, 2025 2:00 p.m., BTN | Washington | L 73–75 | 13–13 (3–12) | 20 – Baldwin Jr. | 11 – Niederhauser | 8 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (9,933) State College, PA |
| February 19, 2025 6:30 p.m., BTN | Nebraska | W 89–72 | 14–13 (4–12) | 19 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 7 – Kern Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (7,115) State College, PA |
| February 22, 2025 2:00 p.m., BTN | at Minnesota | W 69–60 | 15–13 (5–12) | 24 – Niederhauser | 7 – Niederhauser | 7 – Baldwin Jr. | Williams Arena (11,292) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 26, 2025 8:30 p.m., BTN | at Indiana | L 78–83 | 15–14 (5–13) | 22 – Baldwin Jr. | 7 – Niederhauser | 5 – Baldwin Jr. | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Blommington, IN |
| March 1, 2025 12:00 p.m., BTN | No. 16 Maryland | L 64–68 | 15–15 (5–14) | 18 – Baldwin Jr. | 9 – Hicks | 4 – Hicks | Bryce Jordan Center (10,298) State College, PA |
| March 8, 2025 1:00 p.m., Peacock | at No. 12 Wisconsin | W 86–75 | 16–15 (6–14) | 25 – Dunn | 11 – Niederhauser | 9 – Baldwin Jr. | Kohl Center (16,838) Madison, WI |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Sources:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | — | — | — | RV | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |