# Penn State Basketball's Preseason Win and Player Updates

> Penn State's exhibition win over Drexel highlights key player updates and defensive shifts ahead of Nov 2 regular season opener.
- Title: Penn State Basketball's Preseason Win and Player Updates
- Summary: Penn State's exhibition win over Drexel highlights key player updates and defensive shifts ahead of Nov 2 regular season opener.
- Keywords: penn state, nittany lions, drexel, mike rhoades, roko prkačin, elibility process, exhibition game, canisius, november 2, bryce jordan center, b1g, thomas allard
- Source: Penn State Nittany Lions On SI — https://si.com/college/pennstate/basketball/what-we-learned-from-penn-state-basketball-final-exhibition-win-over-drexel
- Published: 2026-10-27T14:26:46+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: penn state, nittany lions, drexel, mike rhoades, roko prkačin, elibility process, exhibition game, canisius, november 2, bryce jordan center, b1g, thomas allard
## Exhibition Win Over Drexel
Penn State men's basketball closed out preseason with 68-57 exhibition win over Drexel on Monday.
## Roko Prkačin Eligibility Update
Head coach Mike Rhoades confirmed forward Roko Prkačin is still going through eligibility process.

> Forward Roko Prkačin is still "going through the eligibility process," Rhoades said at his postgame press conference
## Prkačin's Professional Background
Prkačin, 23, signed with Penn State after playing professionally overseas with Nanterre 92 of France’s top division.
## Prkačin's Impact on Team Performance
Without Prkačin, Penn State didn't play as well in the interior and could lose a key frontcourt role.
## Eligibility Status and Future Role
Prkačin hasn't been cleared to play yet, so he hasn't played in either exhibition games for Penn State.
## Defensive Strategy Shift
Coach Rhoades is making major defensive changes after team struggled with pressing.
## Pressing Depth Concerns
Rhoades doesn't have enough depth to press for an entire game, so team will focus on quarter-court defense.
## Pressing Players Identified
Rhoades identified François Wibaut and Dasonte Bowen as players who can handle press defense.

> forward François Wibaut, who had two steals, is a player who can "really guard the ball" and would be "a heck of a presser"
## Slow Start Fix Priority
Rhoades prioritizes fixing team's slow starts after trailing by 15 points in previous games.
## 1A on the List
Rhoades described team's starting issues as "1A on the list" needing immediate attention.

> It's 1A on the list, Rhoades said. I thought we were like that the other day. We can't afford to be passive starting the game
## Team Scoring Leaders
Jurić led scoring with 17 points, followed by Reed at 15 and Bowen at 12 in exhibition games.
## Thomas Allard's Role
Allard, a Division II transfer, started both games with 34 minutes against Drexel.
## Allard's Performance
Allard scored two points after 0-for-4 from 3-point range but had team-high +15 and four rebounds.
## Regular Season Opener
Penn State opens regular season Nov 2 against Canisius at Bryce Jordan Center with tip-off at 7:30 p.m. ET on B1G+.
## Key takeaway

Penn State's exhibition win over Drexel shows defensive improvements but player eligibility issues and depth concerns ahead of Nov 2 regular season opener.