The Penn State men’s basketball season is almost here. A lot has changed with the roster since the Nittany Lions last took the court in March, but it’s still Mike Rhoades at the helm of the program for his fourth year. 

Penn State is starting fresh, returning only 26.5 percent of its minutes and 29.4 percent of its scoring from last year’s team that went 3-17 in the Big Ten. But instead of having one of the youngest rosters in college basketball again, Rhoades added six transfers with at least two seasons of collegiate experience plus two international players with professional experience overseas.

The Nittany Lions might be ranked last in the preseason Big Ten poll by the Columbus Dispatch, but this revamped roster should be better than Rhoades’ last team, which the coach called the “weakest” and “softest” he’s ever coached. Here’s what to watch this season at Penn State, which opens the regular season against Canisius on Nov. 2 at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Does Penn State make the most of its limited NIL budget?

A new report from Matt Norlander and Isaac Trotter of CBS Sports says that Penn State’s NIL budget for the 2026-27 season falls in the range of $7.1-9.9 million, which is the sixth spending tier across power conferences. Earlier this year, Jon Sauber of the Centre Daily Times reported the Nittany Lions’ budget “nearly doubled” from a figure of “around $4 million” last season.

Based on Sauber’s reporting, it appears Penn State’s budget sits toward the bottom side of that CBS Sports tier range, which also includes Big Ten schools Purdue, Iowa, Rutgers and Northwestern. The only Big Ten team below the Nittany Lions’ tier is Washington, which spends $5-7 million, according to CBS Sports.

In other words, Rhoades had a limited NIL budget compared to most conference foes when he constructed his roster for this upcoming season. It will be important that each of his acquisitions reach their potential for the Nittany Lions to see success this year.

How much each Penn State player makes in NIL isn’t disclosed, but wing Brant Byers, guard Roberts Blums, forward Roko Prkačin, forward François Wibaut, guard Dasonte Bowen, guard Jay Rodgers and forward Tim Oboh likely each got a significant share of the team’s budget. It probably wasn’t cheap to get center Ivan Jurić and forward Josh Reed back for another year, either.

Rhoades said at Big Ten Media Day that his squad is “maybe not as deep as the rest of the league.” With that nine-man rotation, Penn State seems to be all-in on being correct in its evaluations, because there doesn’t appear to be much room for error in its NIL budget.

Will Josh Reed remain eligible?

Currently, Reed is eligible to play for Penn State this season, but his status could change as the 5-in-5 eligibility lawsuit in Ohio is ongoing. 

According to Ohio-based basketball reporter Paul Fritschner, the Supreme Court of Ohio issued a stay of the Ohio Court of Appeals’ decision on Oct. 14, reversing a decision that made Reed and the other athletes ineligible.

The Ohio Supreme Court asked both sides, the athletes and the NCAA, to submit briefs that address Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s recent executive order, which looks to give Class of 2022 athletes eligibility at Ohio schools under the new 5-in-5 model.

While Penn State isn’t located in Ohio, Reed can still play for the Nittany Lions for now because the players suing in the Ohio case were originally granted a preliminary injunction. The Ohio Court of Appeals reversed the decision, but the Supreme Court of Ohio reversed that judgment back, pending both sides' response to DeWine’s executive order.

Reed exhausted his eligibility last season under the previous rules because he never redshirted throughout a four-year career. The NCAA’s new eligibility rules that give all players five seasons of eligibility exclude Class of 2022 players like Reed, which is why he’s suing.

Since Reed is currently eligible to play, it’s important for Penn State that he remains eligible. Reed figures to play a key role this season, as long as he’s allowed to compete. 

Does Mike Rhoades avoid the hot seat?

Toward the end of last season, Rhoades was asked why he should remain Penn State’s head coach. The Nittany Lions went 12-20 in Rhoades’ third year, another step backward after a promising 16-17 and 9-11 conference record in his first season.

It’s now Year 4 for Rhoades, who is 44-52 in three seasons at Penn State, including an 18-42 record in Big Ten play. If this season’s results don’t improve, Rhoades will certainly have to answer similar job status questions again.

Rhoades’ buyout dropped from $9 million last season to $6 million in 2062-27. It’s difficult to build a basketball program at Penn State, but the pressure will only increase.

Penn State lineup notes

A look at Penn State’s projected starting lineup:

• Point guard: Dasonte Bowen

• Shooting guard: Brant Byers

• Small forward: Josh Reed

• Power forward: Roko Prkačin

• Center: Ivan Jurić

Penn State provided a glimpse into its roster in a 68-65 exhibition win over St. Bonaventure on Oct. 17. Of note, Bowen and Prkačin didn’t play, Blums came off the bench and Rodgers didn’t start at point guard even though Bowen wasn’t playing.

Once Bowen is available, he likely starts at point guard. Jurić said on Big Ten Network recently that Bowen, a fifth-year senior transfer from St. Bonaventure, is a player who isn’t getting enough attention. Rodgers will come in off the bench as the backup point guard.

With Blums, who scored 17 points in the exhibition game, as the team’s sixth man, Byers’ best spot in the starting five could be shooting guard. This would allow Penn State to fit Reed and Prkačin in the first unit as well.

According to a projection model made by college basketball metrics guru Evan Miyakawa, Prkačin is the 12th-best newcomer in the country. The 23-year-old seems to offer immediate plug-and-play potential in the lineup.

Jurić is a lock to be the starter at center. A starting lineup of Bowen, Byers, Reed, Prkačin and Jurić with Blums, Rodgers, Wibaut, Oboh and guard Thomas Allard coming off the bench seems to be the best guess at what the rotation will look like. 

Another exhibition game at Drexel on Monday will give another glimpse at the Nittany Lions’ rotation before the regular season and Year 4 of the Rhoades era officially begins.