Pitt-West Virginia Preview: The 192nd Basketball Backyard Brawl

For the 192nd time, Pitt and West Virginia men’s basketball will hit the hardwood in the Backyard Brawl.

The Panthers and Mountaineers are both 3-0 on the season. WVU is 6-2 in the last eight meetings against the Panthers, however, Pitt has won the last two, including a 86-62 victory a year ago at the Petersen Events Center.

Pitt Outlook

Jeff Capel leads Pitt in his eighth season at the helm of the program, and has the Panthers off to a 3-0 start with wins over Youngstown State, Longwood and Eastern Michigan.

With only three players returning that provided sizable contributions from a season ago, Capel is still working through the early-season kinks following roster turnover in the offseason.

In the first two games, Pitt fought through early struggles before warming up to close out the Penguins and Lancers. Against EMU, the Panthers showed some excellent flashes early and played some of their most complete basketball of the young campaign.

Sophomore guard Brandin Cummings — one of the three returnees — leads Pitt with 18.5 points per game. He missed the Eastern Michigan matchup with a lower body injury and will be a game-time decision against WVU. Cummings has been a spark this season for the Panthers, shooting 50 percent from the floor and cashing in on seven of 12 three-point attempts.

Another returner, forward Cam Corhen is playing efficient basketball through three games, making 66.7 percent of his looks from the floor to score 15 points per game. The 6-10 senior is also averaging a double-double with 10.7 rebounds per game, along with six blocks on the season.

Oregon State transfer and fifth-year senior point guard Damarco Minor has brought a veteran presence to the Panthers. He has totaled 14.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, four assists and two steals per game.

Iowa State transfer Nojus Indrusaitis and Minor have each hit five three-pointers apiece. Freshmen Roman Siulepa and Omari Witherspoon, along with center Papa Kante have all added more than five points per game for the Panthers.

Capel has preached defensive toughness this season and while it has not been very consistent, Pitt has made it tough at times for opposing teams. The Panthers have held teams to 35.9 percent from the floor — 41st in the nation. Pitt also holds a plus-12 rebounding margin and has added five blocks per game, tied-67th in the country.

One of Pitt’s biggest concerns so far this season is its work at the charity stripe. The Panthers have gone to the free-throw line frequently with 28.3 attempts per game. However, Pitt is converting on just 68.2 percent of its tries — 232nd in Division I basketball.

Against West Virginia, Pitt will look to get rolling early and capitalize with its transition offense. The Panthers will also need to find a consistent stroke from 3-point range from several different options.

West Virginia

HEAD COACH

Ross Hodge (first year)

Hodge is looking to bring some stability to a West Virginia basketball program that has had a turbulent two-year stretch. WVU saw longtime men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins resign in 2023 after he was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving. The Mountaineers played the 2023-24 season with interim head coach Josh Eilfert and the 2024-25 campaign with Darian DeVries, who is now the head coach at Indiana.

Hodge joins the Mountaineers after eight seasons at North Texas, including the last two in which he served as the head coach, posting a 46-24 overall record in two years and a NIT appearance last season.

WEST VIRGINIA PREVIEW

It’s a new age at West Virginia under Hodge after returning zero of its scoring production and minutes played from a season ago.

West Virginia opened the season with wins over Mount St. Mary’s, Campbell and Lehigh. The Mountaineers are 146-13 at home against nonconference teams in the last 24 years.

In a 69-47 win over the Mountain Hawks on Sunday, senior North Texas forward transfer Brenen Lorient poured in a career-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including three triples. The 6-9 Lorient paces the Mountaineers this season with 16.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, to go along with a 56.3 percent clip from the floor.

Honor Huff has added 15.7 points per game and leads WVU with nine makes beyond the arc. Senior guard Jasper Floyd has also registered double-digit points with 11.3 per game.

West Virginia has six total players scoring more than three points per game.

The Mountaineers will pose a defensive challenge for the Panthers. WVU has held teams to 55.3 points per game this season — the 18th-best mark in the nation.

WVU has held teams to 36.3 percent shooting from the floor and 26.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers have also recorded 9.3 steals per game.

Offensively, West Virginia is shooting 43.5 percent from the floor — 247th in the country. From three, WVU is hitting on 33.3 percent of its shots. At the line, WVU sits just below Pitt with a shaky 67.8 percent rate.

Spread

Pitt is a 5.5-point road underdog against West Virginia, according to Bet MGM. Pitt is +200 on the money line and the over/under is set at 133.5.

Game Time

Pitt and West Virginia is set to tip off at 6:00 EST from the Hope Coliseum in Morgantown, W.Va.

TV

Pitt vs. West Virginia can be found on FS1 with Connor Onion (play-by-play) and Miles Simon (analyst) calling the game.

Radio

Pitt vs. West Virginia will be live on 93.7 The Fan as well with Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play) and Curtis Aiken (Analyst) calling the action.