​It’s a very exciting time for Penn State basketball, as things can truly only go up from what we saw a year ago. Mike Rhoades, the Penn State head coach, is tasked with making the Nittany Lions a lot better than they were a season ago.It was a ridiculously bad season on all fronts, and I’d go as far as to say that if it happens again, we’re going to see some major changes to the basketball program.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementI think one could already argue that there should have been changes this offseason, but Pat Kraft decided to give Rhoades another chance at being the head coach, and he changed up his philosophy a good bit.Instead of going after a ton of high school guys and being young, Rhoades went with older players, some from overseas and some straight from the transfer portal from other college programs.Penn State will have some exciting games next year, including one against Pittsburgh. It was recently announced that that game against Pittsburgh will be played at the Palestra, one of the best college basketball venues around. Rhoades had great things to say about playing at the Palestra, and it goes to show how big this game should be for the fan base.”Games like this are what college basketball is all about: great history, passionate fan bases and high-level competition,” said Peter and Ann Tombros Endowed Head Coach Mike Rhoades. “The Palestra is one of the most iconic venues in college basketball, and the opportunity to celebrate its 100th anniversary while renewing an in-state rivalry for the 150th time makes this a special event for everyone connected to our program. We know there will be tremendous energy in the building, and we’re excited for our players to experience that atmosphere as they represent Penn State. We can’t wait to take the floor in Philadelphia and compete.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementI hate that Penn State hasn’t played Pitt every single season in every sport. It makes absolutely no sense to me that the two biggest schools in Pennsylvania don’t play one another every year, especially in football or basketball.This is a game that should literally take place every single year, and I wouldn’t mind if it were always at the Palestra as well.