Get your cheesesteaks ready, folks, because Penn State basketball is returning to the Palestra.

After defeating Drexel 63-57 in December 2015, the Nittany Lions will return to the hallowed arena, this time squaring up against a much more formidable foe. The Lions will take to the hardwood against Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday, Jan. 7, according to Philly.com.

Philadelphia, a high school basketball hotbed, has been a direct pipeline of sorts for head coach Pat Chambers, who pulled off the trifecta in signing Tony Carr, Nazeer Bostick, and Lamar Stevens — all from Roman Catholic HS. Given his recent success attracting top high school talent from the area, Chambers will use the Philly exposure against top-flight competition to woo even more elite talent.

Speaking of recruiting tools, it’s understood that high-profile recruits like exposure. Exposure comes with playing elite-caliber programs, and Penn State’s unfinished 2016-17 slate has no shortage of that. Pitt, Duke, Georgia Tech, and a loaded Big Ten schedule should be all the ammunition Chambers needs to further his recruiting efforts and help expedite the program building renovation he’s currently executing at Penn State.

Two of the ESPN Top-100 players for 2017 — PG Quade Green and SG David Beatty — hail from the Philadelphia area, so the Lions will be looking to kill two birds with one stone in January: Knock off a top Big Ten opponent, and do so in the backyards of the nation’s hottest recruits.