Penn State men’s basketball lost for the first time this season Sunday to Pitt at the Palestra. The loss exposed some weaknesses head coach Mike Rhoades must address as the non-conference schedule continues.

The Nittany Lions’ slate resumes with a home game against Mercyhurst on Thursday, and there are key aspects to watch as they prepare for Big Ten play. Here’s everything to know about the Penn State-Mercyhurst game, which serves as the Nittany Lions’ “Hoops for Troops” game for military appreciation.

How to watch Penn State-Mercyhurst

Penn State will host Mercyhurst at 6:30 p.m. inside the Bryce Jordan Center. B1G+, the Big Ten’s streaming service, will air the game with Rocco Pellegrino and Alex Harkins on the call. Fans can also listen to Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi on the Penn State Sports Network.

Who is projected to win the Penn State-Mercyhurst game?

FanDuel favors Penn State by 20.5 points, with the over/under set at 147.5 points. KenPom projects an 84-67 win for the Nittany Lions, who have a 94-percent chance of winning by the site. Penn State is the 97th team nationally in KenPom’s ratings, while Mercyhurst is 315th.

Penn State vs. Mercyhurst series history

While located in Erie, Pennsylvania, Mercyhurst has never played Penn State before. The Lakers made the jump from Division II to Division I ahead of the 2024-25 season.

About the Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State (2-1) was supposed to be an effective 3-point shooting team this season, but that hasn’t materialized in a game yet. The Nittany Lions are shooting 26.3 percent from 3-point range, which isn’t close to their potential with the shooters they have.

To try to overcome this, Rhoades could try to get shooters like wing Brant Byers going early. Rhoades doesn’t have a problem with getting shooters open within the offense, but the issue is the team isn’t making shots it should.

Byers, who shot over 39 percent from three last season at Miami (Ohio), has made 4 of 20 3-pointers this season. Guard Roberts Blums, a 40 percent 3-point shooter from Davidson, would also help, but he’s set to miss his third consecutive game with a broken finger.

Penn State doesn’t have a player making 3-pointers at a clip higher than 31 percent with at least five attempts. While the Nittany Lions would likely beat Mercyhurst even if they’re lackluster from three again, the same can’t be said once Big Ten play starts.

Defensively, Penn State needs to take more control in the paint. The Nittany Lions have allowed 90 points in the paint over their last two games, an 82-76 loss to Pitt and a 97-93 win over Chattanooga.

Mercyhurst doesn’t have a player who is at least 6-10 in its rotation. Forward Chris Leman is the tallest at 6-9 but plays nine minutes per game. So long as Penn State isn’t caught off balance by the Lakers, it shouldn’t allow too many points from the paint.

Roko Prkačin (17.3 points per game) leads the Nittany Lions in scoring, while Josh Reed adds 16. Ivan Juric is off to a strong start, averaging 15 points and 12.7 rebounds in three games.

About the Mercyhurst Lakers

Mercyhurst (1-2) comes to the Bryce Jordan Center after a 78-43 loss to Marquette, an 83-56 loss to Notre Dame and an 89-50 win over Penn State Shenango. The Lakers aren’t shooting the ball well, knocking down 39.6 percent of field goals and 21.5 percent of 3-pointers.

Guard Jake Lemelman is the leading scorer with 15.7 points per game. Forward Deraje Agbaosi averages 8.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, but he could see problems keeping up that production against Penn State’s taller frontcourt.

Agbaosi is listed at 6-7 and 215 pounds. Penn State's Jurić (7-0, 250 pounds) and Prkačin (6-8, 230 pounds) should control the interior over Mercyhurst’s undersized frontcourt.