Penn State Hall of Fame Showcase slate includes Harvard, Boston

Two more opponents are set on the Penn State men’s basketball schedule for the 2025-26 season. First reported by Rocco Miller and since confirmed by Blue White Illustrated, head coach Mike Rhoades and the Nittany Lions will host Boston University and Harvard this season.

The two games will serve as part of the three-game Hall of Fame Showcase in which Penn State will travel to Uncasville, Conn., to face Providence on Nov. 22. No time has been set for the Nittany Lions’ tip with the Friars as part of a double-header at Mohegan Sun Arena that will also include Boston and Harvard in the other game.

Last season, Harvard finished at No. 256 in the NCAA NET rankings with an 12-15 overall record, going 7-7 in the Ivy League. Boston University, meanwhile, went 16-16 on the year with a 10-8 mark in the Patriot League.

Dates, tip-off times, and television coverage has not yet been announced for either game.

Penn State works to finish scheduling

Now into the second week of the program’s summer access, currently working out 11 players with a 12th unofficially added to the roster on Tuesday with the verbal commitment of Slovenian power forward Tibor Mirtic, the Nittany Lions are working to quickly acclimate a dramatically turned over roster. Only Eli Rice, Freddie Dilione, and Dominick Stewart return from the 2024-25 roster, with Yanic Konan Niederhauser set to hear his name called in the NBA Draft either Wednesday or Thursday evening.

Given the circumstances in which Penn State has added a transfer in Josh Reed, six true freshmen, and two international pickups to the roster, Rhoades and his staff have worked to find balance in the schedule. Late last month, meeting with reporters at the program’s annual Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Tournament, Rhoades acknowledged that process as being nearly complete.

“We have two more games to finish up here. Scheduling has gone later, just because people before they schedule a complete schedule, they want to have a complete roster, which I don’t know if that’s possible these days. So we’re sort of in the same boat as everybody else,” said Rhoades. “There’s some games we got done that we feel good about. A little bit of travel, but also trying to have a good balance, like last year, some good games, home games that get our guys going, and then a good enough schedule to get ready for the Big Ten schedule. Because once you get in that, as everybody knows, it’s a beast. So I want to have great balance. We’re close to announcing it, we just got to finish up a couple contracts.”

Where things stand for Penn State

Guards Freddie Dilione, Dominick Stewart, Kayden Mingo, Reggie Grodin, Melih Tunca
Wings Eli Rice, Mason Blackwood, Josh Reed, Chris Lotito
Bigs Justin Hauser, Ivan Juric, Tibor Mirtic

Penn State scholarship breakdown by class

Fifth year (0): 
Fourth year (1): Josh Reed
Third year (2): Freddie Dilione, Eli Rice
Second year (1): Dominick Stewart
First year (8): Justin Hauser, Mason Blackwood, Kayden Mingo, Ivan Juric, Reggie Grodin, Melih Tunca, Chris Lotito, Tibor Mirtic

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