Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia: 2018-19 College Basketball game preview, TV schedule
Last season, Pittsburgh gave West Virginia a fight in the Backyard Brawl matchup. With better talent, can the Panthers pull out the victory this year?
TV Schedule: Saturday, November 8, 12:00 pm ET. ESPN2
Arena: WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia
When these two teams met last season in the beginning of the revival of the “Backyard Brawl”, Pittsburgh fell to West Virginia in a 69-60 close battle. That turned out to be the last time Panthers fans got to enjoy basketball, with the team going 3-19 to end the season, including losing all 19 ACC games. It led to the firing of Kevin Stallings, with Duke assistant Jeff Capel being tapped as his replacement.
It’s been a major boost to the program, with the Panthers starting out 7-2, despite coming off a disappointing home loss to Niagara this week. Their previous wins over Saint Louis and Duquesne this season might already be more impressive than anything accomplished last season, and it’s being done by a trio of freshmen that Capel brought in late from the 2018 recruiting class.
Xavier Johnson looks like a star already just seven games into his college career, leading the Panthers with 16.3 ppg and 5.2 apg. Fellow freshman Trey McGowens is a double-digit scorer while forward Au’Diese Toney leads the team down low with 6.9 rpg. With sixth man senior Jared Wilson-Frame scoring 13.4 ppg off the bench, Pittsburgh has much more offensive firepower this season to win more than the eight total games a year ago.
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They’ll need it against West Virginia (5-3), who is also coming off a disappointing effort themselves in the Jimmy V Classic. The Mountaineers average over 80 ppg on the season but managed just 56 points in the loss to the Florida Gators. Only one player scored in double figures, while leading scorers James Bolden, Lamont West, and Sagaba Konate combined to go 3-26 from the field.
That’s likely to not repeat itself, which will be a problem from Pittsburgh’s frontcourt. It’s been a clear weakness for the team overall and the Mountaineers have a trio of double-digit scorers (Konate, West, and Esa Amhad) who are capable of having big nights on the Panthers. On the flip side, West Virginia will have to worry about their opponents’ improved backcourt and their ability to score on a perimeter defense in WVU that’s been susceptible to high volume scorers.
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After winning four straight games in the Backyard Brawl by Pittsburgh, it’s been West Virginia whose gained the upper hand in the last two. And while the Panthers are much better talent wise that last season, the Mountaineers still have the advantage in that department. Add that the game is in the always difficult Coliseum in Morgantown, and it should be a third straight win in the series for WVU.