Report: Penn State basketball among headliners of early season non-conference tournament

Penn State basketball is expected to appear in the 2024 Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach, according to reports from Jon Rothstein last week. Mike Rhoades and the Nittany Lions join Clemson, San Francisco, and Fordham among some of the tournament’s other participants. Helping to fill out the first month of the season, Penn State is also expected to take on Virginia Tech in a neutral site game in November.

Penn State basketball to be featured in 2024 Sunshine Slam, per reports

The Nittany Lions will reportedly head south as they take form in year two under Mike Rhoades. Per Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today, Penn State basketball will be one of the featured teams in the 2024 Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach, Florida, on November 25 and 26. The university has not released an official schedule for the 2024-25 season.

The tournament, which has eight teams in total, will also include Clemson, San Francisco, and Fordham as the featured programs, according to Rothstein. His report does not give a timetable for an official announcement.

There isn’t much history between Penn State basketball and the other headliners of the Sunshine Slam. Penn State is 0-2 against Clemson since 2005. Taking on the Tigers in the 2022 ACC-Big Ten Challenge, Micah Shrewsberry’s Nittany Lions erased a seven-point deficit with 51 seconds remaining, but fell 101-94 in double overtime. The Nittany Lions defeated Fordham 73-54 in 2014, and have never played San Francisco.

Non-conference taking shape for the Nittany Lions

With Penn State’s reported participation in the Sunshine Slam, the early non-conference slate is starting to take form for Mike Rhoades and the Nittany Lions in 2024.

Last month, it was reported that Penn State basketball would face off against Virginia Tech at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore in mid-November. That matchup would feature a showdown between Rhoades and Hokies assistant JD Beyers, a member of Rhoades’ staff at Penn State for several weeks before leaving for Virginia Tech, where his wife is the head volleyball coach.

Penn State basketball went 6-5 in non-conference play in year one under Mike Rhoades. The Nittany Lions went 0-3 at the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando last November, with losses to Texas A&M, Butler, and VCU.