Penn State's Mike Rhoades defiant in the face of criticism: 'I got four years left on my contract'

It wouldn't be shocking if Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades found himself on a bit of a hot seat heading into next season.

He's still got basketball left to coach in this 2025-26 campaign, but Penn State has struggled. With one game remaining in the regular season, the Nittany Lions are 12-18 and they've lost six of their last eight.

Penn State is guaranteed to finish this season with a losing record, and barring a miraculous run through the Big Ten Tournament, Rhoades will be 0-3 when it comes to making the NCAA Tournament.

Any criticism toward Rhoades is valid at this point, but the head coach was defiant on Wednesday evening after a 94-62 loss to Ohio State. 

He was asked by a reporter if he felt he had coached his last game at Bryce Jordan Center.

“My last game? I got four years left on my contract,” Rhoades responded (h/t On3). “Do you think it’s gonna be my last game?”

To the reporter's credit, they answered the rebuttal question by saying they weren't sure if this was Rhoades' last home game at Penn State because it wasn't their decision.

“Yeah, I’m gonna coach my butt off, go as hard as I can,” Rhoades continued. “Wake up tomorrow, work hard. Work harder than I ever have and just keep going and keep coaching.”

Mike Rhoades has not replicated the success he had at VCU with Penn State

Rhoades seemed like a great hire for Penn State when the Nittany Lions plucked him away from VCU when Micah Shrewsberry took the job at Notre Dame. Rhoades had taken VCU to the NCAA Tournament three times, and he boasted a 129-61 record in six seasons. 

The Nittany Lions still have one more regular-season game to go, but as it currently stands, Rhoades is 44-50 in three seasons at Penn State.

Still, he feels like he's the right person for the job.

“Because I care. I’m gonna fight,” Rhoades said. “There’s some things you gotta deal with and we’ll deal with them. Try to keep building your program. It’s a different landscape than it’s ever been before, so you just got to continue to respond different ways to it and fight for your program and to keep pushing.”