Mike Rhoades' group tips against the Chargers on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Updated: Nov. 08, 2025, 10:37 a.m.Penn State travels to New Haven on Saturday. | Neil Renaldi | Special to PennLiveYou won’t often see a Big Ten basketball team playing a road game against a road game at a Northeast Conference school.
The Nittany Lions are traveling to New Haven in West Haven, Connecticut, for a 1 p.m. tipoff against the Chargers. Their stadium, the Hazell Center, has a 1,000-person seating capacity. Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center seats more than 15,000. Coach Mike Rhoades was asked why his team would do this, and the answer is pretty simple: New Haven agreed in exchange to play multiple future nonconference games in Happy Valley. “Some people told me I’m crazy to do it. You gottta put yourself out there. Let’s do it,” Rhoades said. “Ted runs a great program up there. He’s a very good coach, and they made a transition to Division I. They were looking for home games with an opportunity to get them to return the game multiple times.” It’s a big money-saving move for the Nittany Lions to get multiple nonconference games for the price of one. Power conference teams typically pay smaller schools a significant sum to play. “This has all changed, right? I’m not just a coach, but I oversee the program, and part of overseeing that program is overseeing the budget, too,” Rhoades said. “If there are opportunities, even in scheduling, where we could save money, make money, go out there and have opportunities for our guys and for our program — you’ve gotta look at it.”Penn State started its third season under Rhoades 1-0 with a narrow win over Fairfield. The Nittany Lions trailed by three with about two minutes left in the game but used a 11-0 run to secure the win“We’re going to go play in a little, small gym. It’s awesome,” Rhoades said. “It’ll be an awesome atmosphere for a young team to go on the road and play in a smaller gym like that. “Not everyone else is going to do it. We’re going to do it and see what happens. Now, I might be sitting here next week and you guys are saying, ‘What? Why did you do that?’ “But you gotta put yourself out there and go from there. I think scheduling, you’ve gotta be creative now. You’ve gotta try to find some different things that can benefit your program and the future of your program. That’s why we did it.Max Ralph is a sports reporter at PennLive, covering Penn State Athletics with a primary focus on Nittany Lion football. He is a 2024 Penn State graduate with a major in broadcast journalism, completing...If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
Penn-State-Football Mike-Rhoades Penn-State-Mens-Basketball Section:/Penn-State-Mens-Basketball
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Stock Watch: Why two entire Penn State position groups are moving in the wrong directionA key Penn State senior is also trending upward with four games remaining this year.
Read more »
‘Helping out our teammate’: Penn State star explains why he did now-viral good deedVega Ioane created a feel-good moment after Penn State's 38-14 loss at Ohio State.
Read more »
Countdown to Big Noon Saturday: Can Penn State Slow Indiana’s Surge?FOX Sports' Laken Litman, RJ Young and Michael Cohen highlight the storylines at the center of this week’s 'Big Noon Saturday' matchup.
Read more »
Penn State Casts Wide Net in Pursuing New Football CoachPenn State will interview plenty of candidates but likely will hire a coach from one of six categories.
Read more »
How to Watch Penn State Hockey's Big Ten Series vs. No. 1 Michigan StateThe Nittany Lions visit the Spartans for an early season matchup between two of the nation's top teams.
Read more »
Penn State’s Six for Saturday: A home win streak in peril, Indiana hunting a perfect 10, moreThe Hoosiers have never defeated Penn State in State College.
Read more »