Penn State to Face Illinois in Palestra Game

Penn State Men’s Basketball will face Illinois at Philadelphia’s historic Palestra, known as the Cathedral of College Basketball for its central role in the Big 5 rivalry, on Saturday, Jan. 3. The program announced the date and matchup in a social media post along with the release of their full Big 10 schedule.

The Palestra opened in 1927 and has hosted more regular season and postseason games than any other arena in the sport during that time. The Nittany Lions played their first game there later that year and have played a total of 63 games there so far, most recently against Michigan in 2024. Their matchup with the Fighting Illini should end up as a major conference battle, as Illinois made the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32 last season, spending much of the year ranked before a three game losing streak in February.

Penn State, meanwhile, entered the new year with high expectations after knocking off then-No. 8 Purdue on the way to a 12-2 start. Conference play proved more challenging for the Nittany Lions, and a 1-11 tailspin sank their hopes of making it back to the tournament for the first time since 2023. Incoming Penn State freshman Justin Houser grew up in the Philadelphia area, spending three years of his high school career at the Phelps School in Malvern.

Tickets for recent matchups at the Palestra went on-sale beginning in late October or early November: as of yet, the team hasn’t made an announcement.