UNIVERSITY PARK — The Penn State men’s basketball team will return to one of college basketball’s most iconic stages when the Nittany Lions take on Pitt on Sunday, Nov. 8, inside Philadelphia’s historic Palestra this fall.

The matchup will celebrate the Palestra’s 100th anniversary while renewing an in-state rivalry for the 150th all-time meeting between Penn State and Pitt.

The Palestra has long been intertwined with Penn State basketball history. The Nittany Lions played their first game there on Jan. 27, 1927, less than a month after the building opened on New Year’s Day. Penn State’s longtime home, Rec Hall, was designed by the same architect, Charles Klauder, with construction beginning just weeks after the Palestra opened before Rec Hall debuted in January 1929.

Penn State enters the milestone 150th matchup with Pitt leading the all-time series 76-73. It marks the second-straight season the longtime Keystone State rivals will meet at a neutral site after facing off at the GIANT Center in Hershey during the 2025-26 season.

The Panthers are 7-15 all-time inside the Palestra and will be playing on the historic court for the 23rd time. Pitt has not played there since defeating Penn, 78-58, on Nov. 25, 2011. On top of the previous 22 appearances, Pitt played two Olympic trial tournament games at the Palestra in 1935-36, defeating St. John’s 29-21 and losing to Temple 41-37. Last season in Hershey, the Panthers beat Penn State, 80-46.

The Nittany Lions have played 64 games at the Palestra and own a 25-39 all-time record there, including a 15-11 mark against opponents other than Penn. Penn State has found success in recent years in Philadelphia, winning five of its last eight games at the Palestra and 14 of its last 24 contests in the venue.

The Nittany Lions have hosted six Big Ten games inside the Palestra in recent years, creating several memorable moments inside the Cathedral of College Basketball. The Nittany Lions earned a 72-63 victory over Michigan State in 2017 in the first regular-season Big Ten game played in Philadelphia, upset No. 23 Iowa 89-86 in front of a sold-out crowd in 2020, rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat Michigan 79-73 in 2024 and have continued to showcase power conference basketball on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.

Game time, television information and ticket details will be announced at a later date.