2024–25 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team

2024–25 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball
2024–25 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	7–1 (0–0 Big Ten)
Head coach	Mike Rhoades (2nd season);
Associate head coach	Jamal Brunt (2nd season)
Assistant coaches	Brent Scott (2nd season); Jimmy Martelli (2nd season);
Home arena	Bryce Jordan Center
	Seasons ← 2023–24 2025–26 →

2024–25 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Oregon	0	–	0	–	8	–	0	1.000
No. 15 Wisconsin	0	–	0	–	8	–	0	1.000
Maryland	0	–	0	–	7	–	1	.875
Penn State	0	–	0	–	7	–	1	.875
No. 13 Purdue	0	–	0	–	7	–	1	.875
Illinois	0	–	0	–	6	–	1	.857
Iowa	0	–	0	–	6	–	1	.857
Michigan	0	–	0	–	6	–	1	.857
Nebraska	0	–	0	–	6	–	1	.857
UCLA	0	–	0	–	6	–	1	.857
Washington	0	–	0	–	6	–	1	.857
Michigan State	0	–	0	–	6	–	2	.750
Northwestern	0	–	0	–	6	–	2	.750
No. 14 Indiana	0	–	0	–	5	–	2	.714
Ohio State	0	–	0	–	5	–	2	.714
Minnesota	0	–	0	–	6	–	3	.667
Rutgers	0	–	0	–	5	–	3	.625
USC	0	–	0	–	5	–	3	.625

† 2025 Big Ten tournament winner As of December 1, 2024 Rankings from AP Poll

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^[1]
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
Miles Goodman #22 C	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
Jahvin Carter SG	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
Dominick Stewart PG	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
Hudson Ward SF	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
Justin Houser #17 C	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.

Roster

2024–25 Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Jahvin Carter	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Fr	Alcoa HS	Alcoa, TN
G	1	Ace Baldwin Jr.	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	GS	VCU	Baltimore, MD
G	2	D'Marco Dunn	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Sr	North Carolina	Tucson, AZ
G	3	Nick Kern Jr.	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sr	VCU	St. Louis, MO
G	4	Freddie Dilione V	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	So	Tennessee	Fayetteville, NC
G/F	5	Puff Johnson	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	GS	North Carolina	Moon Township, PA
G	7	Dominick Stewart	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fr	Southern California Academy	Ocean Springs, MS
F	8	Miles Goodman	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Fr	Southern California Academy	Seattle, WA
F	10	Joe Sedora (W)	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Fr	Red Lion Area Sr. HS	York, PA
G	11	Eli Rice	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	So	Nebraska	Bradenton, FL
F	14	Yanic Konan Niederhauser	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	Jr	Northern Illinois	Fräschels, Switzerland
F	15	Kachi Nzeh	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	So	Xavier	Upper Darby, PA
F	24	Zach Hicks	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sr	Temple	Camden, NJ
F	52	Hudson Ward	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Fr	Western Canada Prep Academy	Leduc, AB

Head coach

Mike Rhoades (Lebanon Valley)

Assistant coach(es)

Jamal Brunt (Randolph–Macon)
Brent Scott (Rice)
Jimmy Martelli (Dickinson)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

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 championships	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	Purdue						Bryce Jordan Center State College, PA
December 10, 2024 7:00 p.m., Peacock	at Rutgers						Jersey Mike's Arena Piscataway, NJ
December 14, 2024* 12:30 p.m., BTN	Coppin State						Bryce Jordan Center State College, PA
December 21, 2024* 12:00 p.m.	vs. Drexel Holiday Hoopfest						Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA
December 29, 2024* 1:00 p.m., Peacock	Penn						Bryce Jordan Center State College, PA
January 2, 2025 7:00 p.m., Peacock	Northwestern						Bryce Jordan Center State College, PA
January 5, 2025 12:00 p.m., BTN	vs. Indiana						Palestra Philadelphia, PA
January 8, 2025 9:00 p.m., BTN	at Illinois						State Farm Center Champaign, IL
January 12, 2025 4:00 p.m., BTN	Oregon						Bryce Jordan Center State College, PA
January 15, 2025 7:30 p.m., BTN	at Michigan State						Breslin Center East Lansing, MI
January 20, 2025 6:30 p.m., Peacock	Rutgers						Bryce Jordan Center State College, PA
January 24, 2025 9:00 p.m., FS1	at Iowa						Carver–Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, IA
January 27, 2025 6:30 p.m., BTN	at Michigan						Crisler Center Ann Arbor, MI
January 30, 2025 6:30 p.m., FS1	Ohio State						Rec Hall State College, PA
February 4, 2025 7:00 p.m., BTN	Minnesota						Bryce Jordan Center State College, PA
February 8, 2025 4:00 p.m., BTN	at UCLA						Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
February 11, 2025 9:00 p.m., BTN	at USC						Galen Center Los Angeles, CA
February 15, 2025 2:00 p.m., BTN	Washington						Bryce Jordan Center State College, PA
February 19, 2025 6:30 p.m., BTN	Nebraska						Bryce Jordan Center State College, PA
February 22, 2025 2:00 p.m., BTN	at Minnesota						Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN
February 26, 2025 8:30 p.m., BTN	at Indiana						Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Blommington, IN
March 1, 2025 12:00 p.m., BTN	Maryland						Bryce Jordan Center State College, PA
March 8, 2025 1:00 p.m., Peacock	at Wisconsin						Kohl Center Madison, WI
Big Ten tournament
March 12–16, 2025 TBA	vs.						Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Sources:^[2]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	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
Coaches	—	—	—	RV

Notes

References

^ Wogenrich, Mark. "Kanye Clary, Penn State's Leading Scorer, No Longer With the Team". All Penn State. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 9, 2024. Nittany Lions coach Mike Rhoades said he made a "coach's decision" regarding Clary's future with the program.
^ "2024–25 Men's Basketball Schedule". Penn State University Athletics. Retrieved 29 August 2023.

[1] Wogenrich, Mark. "Kanye Clary, Penn State's Leading Scorer, No Longer With the Team". All Penn State. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 9, 2024. Nittany Lions coach Mike Rhoades said he made a "coach's decision" regarding Clary's future with the program.

[2] "2024–25 Men's Basketball Schedule". Penn State University Athletics. Retrieved 29 August 2023.

[1]

v t e Penn State Nittany Lions basketball
Venues	Armory (1896–1929) Rec Hall (1929–1996) Bryce Jordan Center (1996–present)
Culture & lore	Legion of Blue Nittany Lion "Fight On, State" Penn State Blue Band
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics