Coming into the 2025-26 season, the Big Ten was once again expected to be one of the top men’s basketball conferences in the nation, and more than two months later, that remains the case.

Five teams from the conference are currently ranked in the AP Top 25, with two more receiving votes, and despite hanging tough with some of those top teams, Penn State is winless through five Big Ten games.

Four of the Nittany Lions’ five losses in conference play have come by single digits, including a four-point loss to No. 12 Michigan State and a two-point loss to No. 4 Michigan.

While he said his team is “not there yet,” head coach Mike Rhoades hasn’t lost any hope for his young team to get over the hump.

“We battle. I said this from the start, we have a good group of guys. We work really hard. There’s very little BS. They’re coachable. They do care,” he said. “We just got to get better. We got to continue to take the next steps. You got to have a level of resiliency. You got to have a level of character when you go through stretches like this. I think this group does have that. We’re just young.”

The good news for Penn State is that it’s already played four currently ranked teams and only has two more of those matchups for the rest of the season.

However, especially with a young group, a five-game skid to start conference play can take a mental toll on a team.

“It’s frustrating. It’s hard. I feel for the guys, but it is what it is. This is where we’re at right now. How arae you going to move forward from it? This is the draw we have right now. This was the schedule they gave to us,” Rhoades said.

“I know that’s hard, especially for 18 to 22-year-olds, but if you just try to stack days upon days, you be all about the process, you be all about trying to get better, you’re putting yourself in a better position to get the results you want. We played some pretty good basketball, but not good enough to win in the Big Ten.”

With eight freshmen, Penn State’s inexperience has come to light in late-game situations, and now, the team’s depth will be tested as well.

The team’s top point guard, Kayden Mingo, will be out “for a while” with a broken nose, according to Rhoades, while forward Tibor Mirtic will also be out for the near future, rehabbing a knee injury.

The Nittany Lions’ depth will be tested as they look for their first conference win when UCLA, which was ranked No. 12 in the preseason and has since slipped from the poll, comes to Happy Valley on Wednesday.

Rhoades said the Bruins are similar to many matchups Penn State has already seen, with a physical frontcourt that can “put you in isolation and big boy you,” along with guards with playmaking abilities.

After the 0-5 start, one of the biggest changes Rhoades wants to see from his team is becoming more physical defensively, which will be a challenge against UCLA.

Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center, and the game will be televised on FS1.