After finishing last in the Big Ten last season with a 3-17 conference record, Penn State men’s basketball is optimistic about turning things around in 2026-27.

Only three players returned to Happy Valley for Mike Rhoades’ fourth season in charge.

“We were so young last year, and the position we were in, we were in,” Rhoades said. “We just didn’t have enough toughness, enough grit, and we couldn’t draw the line in the sand at times in Big Ten play.”

Penn State recruited six players from the transfer portal, two from overseas, and one high school commit. The team worked all offseason to learn the new play style and environment Rhoades is bringing back to the table.

With higher standards, Penn State is prepared to come back stronger against conference opponents.

“We got some older guys, we got some bigger, tougher guys, and that’s important,” he said. “It might not be as deep as the rest of the league, but I like our group, and we had to address the character of competition and toughness.”

A notable player Penn State recruited was former Miami Ohio guard Brant Byers.

Byers was a key contributor to the RedHawks’ 31-0 regular-season finish and March Madness victory against SMU. He averaged 14.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.6 assists last season.

The Pennsylvania native is happy to wear his home colors and aims to bring a winning culture to Happy Valley.

“It starts with me personally bringing over those values and those things we did every day last year that gave us a chance to be successful; I think Ivan [Jurić] could say the same thing,” Byers said. “I just think being the same person every day, bringing that consistency, doing the things that it takes to win not just during gameday, but also during practices, during off days, things like that.”

After Miami Ohio’s record-breaking season and NCAA Tournament appearance, Byers is prepared to be one of Penn State’s premier players and help elevate conference play.

The 6-foot-8 guard is not only dominant in the paint, but shot 47.8% from the field last season.

“If we were going to bring anybody in, they had to fit me, and they had to hit that toughness barometer, as we call it,” Rhoades said. “Coming from a winning program, culture programs, that know what it looks like and what it feels like, and Brant went through it last year at a high level, and he’s a big part of it.”

Despite searching for new talent, one of Penn State’s rising stars decided to stay.

Ivan Juric, who averaged 10.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists last season, is aiming to take a bigger step after an impressive freshman season.

The 7-foot forward, like Byers, was not just dominant at the rim, but shot 57.7% from the field. The Croatian native quickly learned that Big Ten competition was filled with talent, but believes consistency will push Penn State forward.

“I learned that the league is very fast-paced and physical,” Juric said. “There are a lot of athletes in this league, so you have to be consistent every day. You have to be consistent in the weight room, practice every day, and you have to practice as best as you can just to even have a chance to win this league.”

Juric believes the Nittany Lions filled in their missing pieces.

While knowing the Big Ten is one of the most competitive leagues, he thinks a more physical Penn State team has arrived.

“I think toughness was a big question for us,” Juric said. “We brought a lot of guys from all different kinds of places, from winning programs that won in the past and know what it takes to win, and I think those are the biggest questions that were answered.”

While Rhoades and the players are confident, Rhoades still believes it will be a process to build Penn State into a “tougher” program.

“We’re not there yet, but I like where we’re heading, and we have to overachieve at Penn State,” Rhoades said. “It is what it is in the Big Ten for us. I’m cool with that, and I’m excited about that, but we have to have a level of toughness, grit, and fight to find a way to overachieve on a Saturday night on the road in the Big Ten because that’s pretty darn hard to do.”