Penn State men’s basketball (9-5, 0-3 Big Ten) lost to No. 20 Illinois (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) 73-65 at The Palestra, falling to 0-3 in conference play this season.

The Nittany Lions fell behind by double digits in less than five minutes and spent the rest of the night trying to claw back.

How It Happened

Mike Rhoades started Ivan Jurić, Kayden Mingo, Freddie Dilione, Josh Reed, and Eli Rice. Illinois won the opening tip, and Kylan Boswell scored five quick points off a three-pointer and a floater. Andrej Stojakovic grabbed the offensive rebound on the next possession, and David Mirkovic made it 7-0 with the mismatch on Mingo inside.

Rice responded with a triple to get Penn State on the board, but after a second Stojakovic offensive rebound, Boswell scored on the second chance opportunity. Stojakovic then scored back-to-back layups inside, forcing Rhoades to call a timeout with the Nittany Lions down 13-3 4:27 into play.

Out of the timeout, Dominick Stewart connected from range, and Mingo followed with a steal that led to a Melih Tunca layup plus the foul. Tunca converted the free throw to cap an 8-0 Penn State run and cut the deficit to 13-9.

Ben Humrichous answered with a putback, but Tunca scored again off an offensive rebound, and Saša Ciani tipped one in to make it a four-point game.

The Illini responded with a Humrichous three from the wing before Keaton Wagler finished a layup in transition. He followed it up with a step-back three and another fast-break layup off a Penn State turnover. Juric stopped the run at the line, but Penn State headed into the media timeout trailing 27-15 with 6:57 left in the first half.

Zvonimir Ivisic came out of the break with a quick three, but Rice answered with a pull-up jumper. Wagler scored inside again to push the lead back to 14. After another Penn State miss, Juric was fouled and split a pair at the line. Illinois couldn’t hit on the other end, and Rice knocked down a three to pull Penn State within 11 with just over five minutes remaining.

Wagler returned to the line moments later and hit one of two free throws. Both teams struggled to convert over the next few possessions, trading misses. With 3:09 remaining in the half, Stojakovic hit a pair of free throws at the line. Mason Blackwell answered on the other end by converting on his first collegiate three-pointer, shrinking the deficit to single digits.

YEAAAA MASE @Blackwood_Mase #WeAre | : Big Ten Network pic.twitter.com/zNmxa3YL4A

— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) January 4, 2026

Illinois answered at the line again, as Ivisic split a pair of free throws. Boswell then knocked down two free throws, and then Stojakovic made the Nittany Lions pay, hitting the turnaround jumper in the lane to push the Illini’s advantage to 14 going into the half.

Penn State opened the second half with a turnover, but Jurić capitalized shortly later, knocking down a three. Illinois answered in transition, with Boswell finishing a fast-break layup before Mirkovic scored inside to extend the lead.

Mingo connected from beyond the arc, but Mirkovic converted a pair of free throws to answer. Mingo answered again with a jumper in the lane, and then Dilione hit a three before finishing a second-chance layup to pull the Nittany Lions within nine. Illinois responded with a Jake Davis three and Mirkovic fast-break layup off a turnover, forcing Penn State to call a timeout.

Out of the break, Dilione scored again inside, but Illinois went back to the line as Mirkovic knocked down both free throws. Ciani answered with a layup, but Penn State couldn’t convert off another steal.

Tibor Mirtič finished in transition to make it an eight-point game, but Stojakovic attacked the rim and finished a driving layup. Boswell followed with a three, pushing the lead back to 13. After Illinois converted two more free throws, Rice answered with a second-chance layup, and Mingo followed with a pair of free throws. Wagler converted two free throws for Illinois to make it 68-54, but Mingo finished a driving layup with 2:24 left to pull Penn State within 12.

After another Illinois trip to the line, Mingo attacked again, finishing a driving layup before knocking down a three to make it a 10-point game with just over a minute remaining. Illinois closed out the game at the line to secure a 73-65 win.

Takeaways

• Illinois dominated the offensive boards, piling up second-chance opportunities and winning the rebounding battle 48-37.
• Despite multiple chances to cut the deficit in the second half, the Nittany Lions shot just 34.8% from the field and 8-for-38 from three.
• Mingo finished with 16 points and five assists, accounting for a large portion of Penn State’s late scoring.

What’s Next?

Penn State is set to host No. 2 Michigan at the Bryce Jordan Center at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, January 6. The game will be nationally televised on FS1.