Penn State men’s basketball doesn’t begin its regular season until November 23, but the Nittany Lions will unofficially start their first campaign under head coach Mike Rhoades nearly a month earlier. 

The Nittany Lions will travel to Robert Morris on Friday, October 27 for a charity exhibition matchup benefitting the American Cancer Society as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative, as announced by Penn State Athletics Thursday afternoon. 

Both squads are playing in support of two cancer patients in Alex Peavey and Matthew Sweet, respectively. Peavey, a personal friend of Rhoades, is in the midst of a five-year battle with two stage-four cancers but has continued to persevere through his journey with the creation of the Peavey Project. 

Rhoades, a longstanding partner with the Peavey Project, aims to raise funds for Peavey and Sweet through ticket sales and additional proceeds. Last season, Sweet served as Robert Morris’ Director of Basketball Operations before developing a rare form of lung cancer in March. 

“We are excited to go on the road to play a charity exhibition game at Robert Morris and support Matthew Sweet’s battle against lung cancer,” Rhoades said in a press release. “It will be an early opportunity for our new team to not only play a quality opponent in the UPMC Events Center but also play for a great cause.”

Tipoff at UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, Pennsylvania is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday, October 27, and tickets will go on sale on Monday, October 2.