Penn State adds eyebrow-raising road trip to 2025-26 schedule

Penn State basketball will hit the road in early November for a non-conference matchup that can only be described as unique. On Thursday, the University of New Haven announced that the Nittany Lions will travel to West Haven, Connecticut, for an early-season contest with the Chargers.

The matchup is scheduled to take place on November 8, according to a social media release from the New Haven basketball program.

Mark your calendars.#BlueAndGold pic.twitter.com/7DScPNR8UW

— New Haven Men’s Basketball (@UNewHavenMBB) June 12, 2025

The game will be among the Chargers’ first as a Division I basketball program, making the jump from Division II beginning on July 1. New Haven is set to join the Northeast Conference next month, which includes programs such as Fairleigh Dickinson, Saint Francis, and Mercyhurst.

The Chargers had been a member of the Northeast-10 Conference, where the program made three Division II NCAA Tournament appearances since 2019. Last year, the Chargers went 7-13 in conference and 12-17 overall.

An undoubtedly unusual decision for a program that generated nearly $2 million in ticket sales in 2024 to travel to a Division I newcomer, the scheduling is receiving praise from some and criticism from others.

Judging by the NEC using the term “B1G” and how neither them or New Haven specified a branch campus, it seems like Penn State main is the PSU that the Chargers will host this November.

In other words, a Big Ten team will be playing in this arena pic.twitter.com/lGaHcQLu7F

— Will Horstman (@WillHorstman_) June 12, 2025

Mike Rhoades and Penn State basketball will return to Connecticut later in November to take on Providence in the 2025 Hall of Fame Showcase at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

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