West Virginia vs. Pitt Preview & Game Thread

The West Virginia Mountaineers (3-0) square off against the Pitt Panthers (3-0) Thursday evening inside Hope Coliseum for the 192nd edition of the Backyard Brawl. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. EST and the action will be televised on FS1.

West Virginia leads the all-time series 101-90.

Pitt has hammered West Virginia the last two seasons after the Mountaineers had won five-straight in the series since renewing the rivalry in 2017. Bob Huggins was relentless against the Panthers, increasing his margin of victory in each of those five seasons.

Last season, in Darian DeVries first season at the helm and an entire new roster, the Mountaineers were overwhelmed in Oakland 86-62.

West Virginia will have the homecourt advantage for an opportunity to turn the tide in the series. Pitt will face a similar challenge the Mountaineers endured last season. Theres not a Panther on the roster that’s visited Morgantown.

Pitt returns one starter from a season ago, forward Cameron Corhen. The senior scored 14 points and had five rebounds against WVU last season, while sophomore guard Brandin Cummings came off the bench and recorded six points and two assists.

Cummings currently leads the Panthers in scoring with 18.5 points per game, while Corhen is averaging a double double 15 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

West Virginia started the season at a slower pace than some had envisioned. The Mountaineers’ first two games of the season were within a three-day window, capped by an eight-point win over Campbell. Then, after an additional day off between games, WVU tossed aside Lehigh on Sunday 69-47.

Senior forward Brenen Lorient has been steady, averaging team-highs 16.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard Honor Huff is starting to find his space within the offense and has hit some pivotal buckets early in the schedule and is second on the team in scoring at 15.7 ppg and Jasper Floyd is a steady hand at the point, averaging 11.3 points and a team-best four assists per game.

GAME THREAD

U16 Timeout: West Virginia leads 7-6. WVU point guard Jasper Floyds leads all scorers with three points after a drive to the basbasket and the foul.

U12 Timeout: Pitt leads 14-10. Pitt freshman guard Omari Witherspoon has a game-high 8 points.

U8 Timeout: Pitt leads 23-19.

U4 Timeout: West Virginia is on a 6-0 run. WVU freshman forward DJ Thomas has a pair of threes and leads all scorers with 10 points.

HALFTIME: West Virginia leads 34-25. The Mountaineers held the Panthers without a field goal the last six minutes of the half. WVU is 13-31 from the floor, Pitt is 10-26. WVU is winning the glass 20-14 with six offensive rebounds, resulting in 12 second chance points.

GAME THREAD

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