Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades talks to the team during a timeout in a game against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Penn State and Pitt to Renew Their Rivalry — in Basketball

Originally posted on Penn State Nittany Lions on SI
By Mark Wogenrich | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 1:03 PM ET

The Penn State-Pitt football rivalry might have gone dormant, but at least we have basketball. The Nittany Lions and Panthers will meet in a neutral-site game in Hershey in December, setting up an intriguing matchup just before Christmas.

The 149th edition of Penn State-Pitt basketball is set for Dec. 21 at the Giant Center in Hershey. The teams will meet for the first time since 2017, when the Nittany Lions routed Pitt 85-54 in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn.

Penn State holds a 76-72 series lead over the Panthers in a rivalry that dates to 1906. Penn State's 2017 win over Pitt ended a seven-game losing streak. This will be the third consecutive neutral-site game the teams have played. Pitt won 81-73 in a tournament game in Newark, N.J., in 2016.

Here's how the two teams announced the game on social media Thursday. Penn State went for the standard "Keystone State" reference.

A Keystone State clash in the Sweetest Place on Earth. 12.21.25. ️

: https://t.co/DLJEbb8NUu #WeAre pic.twitter.com/IOPk0flftz
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) July 31, 2025

Pitt, meanwhile, re-introduced the teams as "bitter rivals."

Bitter rivals at the sweetest place

https://t.co/XJc2Ii8MZN pic.twitter.com/LER1ZFPAby
— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) July 31, 2025

Penn State will field a very different roster next season under third-year coach Mike Rhoades. The Nittany Lions return just three players from last year's 16-15 team: redshirt junior Freddie Dilione V is back with redshirt sophomore Eli Rice and sophomore Dominick Stewart.

Rhoades signed four international players, including two from Slovenia, and transfer forward Josh Reed from Cincinnati. Penn State's 2025 recruiting class also includes guard Kayden Mingo, a top-40 player nationally and the highest-ranked recruit in Penn State basketball history.

Pitt went 17-15 last season and 8-12 in the ACC. Jeff Capel enters his eighth season as the Panthers' head coach.

"Pitt and Penn State is a natural rivalry that makes a great deal of sense to play in the current collegiate landscape," Capel said in a statement. "The trip to Hershey in December will give Pitt fans across the state an opportunity to see the team in action and will be a great way to tip off the holiday season."

Game time and ticket information will be announced at a later date.

This article first appeared on Penn State Nittany Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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