Rapid Takeaways From West Virginia's Dominating Win in the Backyard Brawl

Initial thoughts from West Virginia's beatdown of Pitt.

Nov 13, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Ross Hodge talks with West Virginia Mountaineers guard Morris Ugusuk (23) during the first half against the Pittsburgh Panthers at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

West Virginia improved to 4-0 on Thursday night, taking down Pitt in the Backyard Brawl.

A few notes from tonight's action.

The freshmen are showing some promise

AmirJenkins has a lot of room to grow offensively, but on the other end of the floor, he can be an absolute pest on the ball. He's got good size, quick feet, and doesn't give a sliver of space for the opposing guard. Once he gets more comfortable shooting the ball and makes more plays at the rim, he's going to be an all-league type of talent.

How about DJ Thomas? When WVU's offense was trying to find its footing early on, Thomas was the one who kept collecting buckets to keep the game within reach when Pitt went on their run. The three-ball is still a work in progress, but it's a smooth-looking shot, and if he starts hitting those more consistently, look out. Love the way he plays controlled and at his own pace. Rarely gets sped up.

Eaglestaff is second-guessing offensively

There were a handful of times in the first half where I thought Eaglestaff either passed up a shot from range or had an opportunity to put the ball on the floor and get downhill, and instead ended up passing it. I'm not sure what it's going to take to uncork his potential, but the Mountaineers are going to need him to figure it out soon.

Ross Hodge is a defensive mastermind

We already knew the numbers from his time at North Texas, and we've seen some pretty good things in the first three games, but this was the true litmus test, and boy, did WVU play smothering defense. Rotations were on point, no backdoor cuts, and good communication. Of course, you're going to have some blips here and there, but for their first game against a high major, they impressed. Have to think this is going to be a well-oiled defensive machine once they get a few more games under their belt.

Feed the big fella

Harlan Obioha is a handful in the paint and will be for most teams, even in the Big 12. If he continues to score it like he did tonight, it's going to pull resources deep inside, which will then allow for some open looks on the perimeter. WVU may have found its engine on offense.

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