The 2017–18 Youngstown State Penguins men's basketball team represented Youngstown State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Penguins, led by first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, played their home games at the Beeghly Center as members of the Horizon League. They finished the season 8–24, 6–12 in Horizon League play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They lost in the first round of the Horizon League tournament to Cleveland State.
Previous season
The Penguins finished the 2016–17 season 13–21, 5–13 in Horizon League play to finish in a tie for eighth place. As the No. 9 seed in the Horizon League tournament, they defeated Cleveland State and Oakland before losing to Northern Kentucky in the semifinals.
On March 7, 2017, Jerry Slocum announced he was retiring as head coach at Youngstown State. He had a record of 142–232 in 12 years at the school. On March 27, the school hired Jerrod Calhoun from Division II Fairmont State as the new head coach.