This week Penn State released the 2006 Men's Basketball Schedule. Here is how it looks:
| Date | Team |
| 1-Nov | Edinsboro (exhibition) |
| 6-Nov | Shippensburg (exhibition) |
| 10-Nov | Morehead State |
| 13-Nov | UNC Greensboro |
| 17-Nov | Stoney Brook |
| 21-Nov | Bucknell |
| 25-Nov | St. Joseph's |
| 28-Nov | at Georgia Tech (B10/ACC Challenge) |
| 2-Dec | Morgan State |
| 6-Dec | Hartford |
| 9-Dec | at Seton Hall |
| 13-Dec | Long Island |
| 16-Dec | Southeastern Louisiana |
| 23-Dec | Maine |
| 30-Dec | VMI |
| 3-Jan | Northwestern |
| 6-Jan | at Purdue |
| 13-Jan | Indiana |
| 17-Jan | at Michigan |
| 20-Jan | Michigan State |
| 24-Jan | at Iowa |
| 27-Jan | at Minnesota |
| 3-Feb | Purdue |
| 7-Feb | Wisconsin |
| 10-Feb | at Northwestern |
| 14-Feb | Ohio State |
| 17-Feb | at Wisconsin |
| 21-Feb | at Ohio State |
| 24-Feb | Illinois |
| 27-Feb | Iowa |
| 3-Mar | at Indiana |
It's not a schedule that is going to impress many people, but there are fifteen teams on the schedule that made either the NCAA or NIT tournament last season. But given our talent level, this should prove to be a challenging bunch of games.
For the first time in several years there is actually some excitement about this team. Last years squad managed to pull themselves out of the bottom of the Big Ten standings and doubled their win total from the previous year going 15-15 and earning a birth in the NIT. Geary Claxton and Big Ten Freshman of the year Jamell Cornley return to lead a squad that won seven games in the Big Ten last season.
Ed DeChellis has the program headed in the right direction. Teams no longer take Penn State for granted as an easy victory. The Nittany Lions are starting to see their success on the court transfer over to recruiting. Rivals Top 150 player Taylor Battle (PG, Albany, NY) has given a verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions showing it is possible to lure talent to Happy Valley.