PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Sometimes it’s great to look at a rivalry from the eyes of someone who has watched it, but never played in it. Someone who is connected to it and will be a part of it for the first time as Pitt hosts West Virginia for the men’s basketball version of the Backyard Brawl Friday night on 93.7 The Fan at 8p.
“Being from the area, you know,” said Pitt freshman guard Beebah Cummings during the Jeff Capel Show. “You know what it is. You know what the Backyard Brawl is all about. You know Pitt and West Virginia fans don’t get along too well.”
Cummings watched his brother play in it during the second game of his lone season with Pitt. West Virginia dominated. Those were different teams, it was two coaches ago when Bob Huggins had those imposing Mountaineer teams. This is again early in the season, same uniforms, but a contrasting look to what you are used to.
“It’s a very different team, but they have a really good coach (Darian Devries) who did a really good job in the portal,” said Pitt head coach Jeff Capel during his radio show. “They’ve played very, very well in their first few games against Robert Morris and UMass. They dominated Robert Morris right from the beginning, they jumped out to a 30-2 lead. They had a huge lead also against UMass.”
The 2-0 Mountaineers are led by the coaches’ son. 6’7” Tucker DeVries is averaging 17.5 points per game and six rebounds, still early, but was an Honorable Mention AP All-American last year with Drake. He scored 734 points last season on 552 field goal attempts. 6’3” guard Javon Small was Honorable Mention All-Big 12 at Oklahoma State last year and 6’8”, 240-pound Amani Hansberry is averaging nearly a double-double after transferring from Illinois.
“It will be very different stylistically from what a lot of people are used to seeing from West Virginia,” Capel said. “In the past, you saw these teams that were big, physical, strong, rugged. They are strong and they do have a level of physicality because they play very hard. It’s just not the big, rugged, strong older guys you once had.”
Early on the 3-0 Panthers have four starters averaging in double figures, but it’s their first game against a power conference. Obviously, it’s also the Basketbrawl.
“I understand the rivalry, have great respect for it,” Capel said. “The proximity. They are in a great conference that we think could help us, having a game against a Big 12 team. What it means for the fans of both places. We are excited about it.”
“I have a great respect for all traditions and rivalries. This is a huge one in college basketball.”
“I haven’t really processed it yet,” Cummings said. “After the game, I’m probably going to be like, that’s crazy, I just played in the Backyard Brawl.”
The Voice of the Panthers Bill Hillgrove and Pitt great Curtis Aiken have the call of the game with pregame starting at 7:30p on 93.7 The Fan.