Penn State will be returning to the “Cathedral of College Basketball” for a home game during the 2023-24 season. Last year, they faced off against number one ranked Purdue, which was the first time since 2007 the number one team in the country played a game at the Palestra.
The fairytale hopes that Penn State could knock off the best team in the country was squashed when Purdue beat the Nittany Lions 76-63 in the historical Philadelphia venue.
That was the first time that Penn State lost a Big Ten game when playing at the Palestra. They previously played against Michigan State in 2017, winning 72-63 and then again in 2020 versus Iowa, knocking off the Hawkeyes 89-86.
Penn State has used playing at the Palestra to bring their program front and center to the Philadelphia area for recruiting purposes. Philadelphia has been a hot spot for the program over the years, so playing a high profile game in a famous arena has been a good way to put the team into the spotlight.
Mike Rhoades tells me that Penn State will play one Big Ten home game next season at The Palestra.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 15, 2023
With the Nittany Lions returning back to the Palestra for another Big Ten game this season, here are five of the best matchups that could potentially happen.