The first major test of the Ross Hodge era appears to be set, as West Virginia and Pittsburgh have announced that the men’s basketball Backyard Brawl will be played on Nov. 13 in Morgantown.
The Mountaineers could still add another name opponent before facing the Panthers, but that seems unlikely. With Nov. 3 marking the opening of the men’s basketball schedule, this gives the Mountaineers 10 days of potential game action before facing Pitt, and past indications suggest that they’d fill it with lower-level opponents.
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The announcement of this game wasn’t a surprise, as the schools had agreed to a four-year deal to play at WVU Coliseum and the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh. This year marks the third year of the agreement, and Pitt coach Jeff Capel has shown no hesitation to keep playing this series. While Hodge is new to Morgantown, it seems unlikely he would object to extending the series after 2026.
Read more: Basketball Backyard Brawl Set for Nov. 13
West Virginia will be looking for a much better showing than last year, as the Mountaineers failed to show up in Pittsburgh. Pitt claimed an 86-62 win last year at the Petersen Events Center, which proved very costly to the Mountaineers in March. That was supposed to be the Mountaineers’ big non-conference test away from home, and they failed it miserably.
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Given that West Virginia came up a win short of the NCAA tournament last year — and it’s clear that it did, as the last team out — we can say that the Mountaineers missed out when they lost that November game. West Virginia ended up with four road wins on the season — Kansas, Cincinnati, Utah and Colorado.
Only the Jayhawks made the tournament from that group. And while winning at Allen Fieldhouse usually means a lot, Kansas simply wasn’t Kansas last year. A Quad 1 win at Pitt would have gotten the Mountaineers in the field.
Mountaineers Need a Home Victory
This year is obviously different. The game returns to Morgantown, so it might not be a Quad 1 game. But it’s still a big one. Under Capel, Pitt has tended to be pretty decent. The Panthers have finished in Quad 2 territory or better for home games in four of his past five seasons.
Those games matter. Quad 1 wins are meaningful, but Quad 2 games are also pretty helpful. West Virginia needs a good mix of both to make it back to the NCAA tournament.
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Besides the tournament, West Virginia really just needs to get a win over Pitt. The Panthers have won the past two in this series, and neither game was close. It also would help Hodge a lot to win fans to his side. There’s nothing fans love more than a winner, and there’s nothing WVU fans love more than a coach who beats Pitt.
How Will The Teams Match Up?
Obviously, there’s not a lot of carryover in the transfer portal era. And from the Panthers’ perspective, that’s probably for the best.
Pitt was dreadful away from the Petersen Events Center last year. West Virginia might have only gotten four road wins last year, but at least three of them counted as Quad 1 victories. The Panthers got three, and only Ohio State was a Quad 1 victory. That’s why Pitt wasn’t all that close to getting in last season.
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What we do know about the Panthers is that they won’t push the tempo. Much like Clemson, whom WVU will see in the Charleston Classic, speed isn’t Pitt’s game. The Panthers take their time on offense and make sure they get a good shot.
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That makes this an even more telling matchup as to how Hodge will coach in Morgantown. If he’s going to follow the North Texas blueprint, this game could go to the first team to get to 50 points. Remember, Capel’s best team at Pitt played Iowa State in an NCAA tournament game and held the Cyclones to 41. The Panthers aren’t afraid of a grinder, and Hodge certainly isn’t either.
What Else Can We Expect From the WVU Schedule?
The Mountaineers have announced three name opponents by adding the basketball Backyard Brawl. They still need a solid road game or neutral site contest, as well as maybe one more strong home game. When a team misses out on the tournament by one game, they usually course correct to try to fix it the next year. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Mountaineers add a game from the Big East or Big Ten.
