Penn State Nittany Lions basketball

The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team representing the Pennsylvania State University. They are a member of the Big Ten Conference and play home games at the 15,261-seat Bryce Jordan Center, moving there from Rec Hall during the 1995–96 season. Their student cheering section is known as the Legion Of Blue.

The program has nine NCAA tournament appearances with its best finish coming in 1954, reaching the Final Four. Its most recent appearance was in 2011, when the team lost to the Temple Owls in the round of 64. The program also has 11 appearances in the National Invitation Tournament, with the most recent being in 2018, when they beat Utah to win the NIT championship. They also won the NIT championship in 2009.

NCAA tournament results
The Nittany Lions have appeared in the NCAA Tournament nine times. Their combined record is 9–11.

NIT results
The Nittany Lions have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 11 times. Their combined record is 27–9. They were NIT champions in 2009 and 2018.

CBI results
The Nittany Lions have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) once. Their record is 1–1.

Points
+ 2020 B1G Tournament and 2020 NCAA Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic.

Other Players
The following is a list of undrafted Penn State players who have played at least one NBA regular or post-season game.
 * Josh Reaves
 * Tim Frazier
 * Chris Babb
 * John Amaechi
 * Joe Crispin
 * Tom Hovasse
 * Herschel Baltimore
 * John Barr

Season by Season Records
List of Penn State Nittany Lions basketball seasons

Overcoming Historical Irrelevance
At a school where the football program captures the vast majority of media and fan interest, the basketball program has historically struggled to draw fans and administrative support. Penn State is consistently ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten in attendance and revenue, which has been attributed to local apathy and noncompetitive teams. The Bryce Jordan Center has far more seats than can regularly be filled, and large, black curtains cover parts of the upper deck during most non-conference and weekday games.

Penn State has come close to breaking through on several occasions in the 21st century, only to fall back to mediocrity. They reached the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in over 50 years in 2001 after upsetting #2 North Carolina in the Round of 32, only to fall to a 3–13 record in the Big Ten the next year. The 2008-09 and 2017-18 teams won the NIT, but did not reach the tournament the next year.

Penn State hoops reached new levels of popularity during the 2019–20 season after fielding a team that peaked at #9 in the Associated Press (AP) poll. The team hosted its first sellout since 2011 in a February showdown against Minnesota, a contest they would win 83–77, extending a mid-season win streak that would eventually reach eight games. Students rallied around the idea of Penn State as a "basketball school," and players such as seniors Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins became household names across campus, even among non-basketball fans. In what was referred to as "the most Penn State basketball thing ever" by fans on social media, the season was cancelled prior to the start of the Big Ten Tournament due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Stevens finished only seven points from becoming Penn State's all-time leading scorer, a feat that would almost certainly have been reached had the season not been cut short. Though an NCAA Tournament bracket was never officially revealed, head coach Pat Chambers announced that the 2019-20 team would be included on the team banner of tournament appearances.

Penn State Men's Basketball Radio Affiliates

 * WAEB (790 AM) Allentown
 * WTNA (1430 AM) Altoona
 * WILK-FM (103.1 FM) Avoca
 * WNNA (106.1 FM) Beaver Springs
 * WRAX (1600 AM) Bedford
 * WISR (680 AM) Butler
 * WCPA (900 AM) Clearfield
 * WQQP (95.9 FM) DuBois
 * WPSE (1450 AM) Erie
 * WFRA (1450 AM) Franklin
 * WGET (1320 AM) Gettysburg
 * WHVR (1280 AM) Hanover
 * WHGB (1400 AM) Harrisburg
 * W237DE (95.3 FM) Harrisburg
 * WODS (1300 AM) Hazleton


 * WRKK (1200 AM) Hughesville
 * WDBF-FM (106.3 FM) Huntingdon
 * WLPA (1490 AM) Lancaster
 * WNPV (1440 AM) Lansdale
 * WLBR (1270 AM) Lebanon
 * WIBF (92.5 FM) Lewistown
 * WOGA (92.3 FM) Mansfield
 * WMGW (1490 AM) Meadville
 * WUZZ (1280 AM) New Castle
 * WVNJ (1160 AM) New York City, NY
 * WVTT (96.7 FM) Olean, NY
 * WNTP (990 AM) Philadelphia
 * KQV (1410 AM) Pittsburgh
 * WPPA (1360 AM) Pottsville
 * WRAW (1340 AM) Reading


 * WAAF (910 AM) Scranton
 * WQWK (1450 AM) State College
 * WKOK (1070 AM) Sunbury
 * WTIV (1230 AM) Titusville
 * WTZN (1310 AM) Troy
 * WTRN (1340 AM) Tyrone
 * W264BZ (100.7 FM) Tyrone
 * WICU (1310 AM) Warren
 * WNBT-FM (104.5 FM) Wellsboro
 * WILK (980 AM) Wilkes-Barre
 * WRAK (1400 AM) Williamsport
 * WSBA (910 AM) York