Pitt visits WVU for Backyard Brawl

On paper, West Virginia doesn’t stand a chance.

The Mountaineers have just one player… On paper, West Virginia doesn’t stand a chance.

The Mountaineers have just one player averaging double figures, they’re not that big, and they’re getting out-rebounded by almost seven rebounds per game.

But guess what?

When it comes to the Backyard Brawl, everything gets put aside, especially the records.

“I think, because it is such a big rival and they are a bubble team [for the NCAA Tournament], I expect to see their very best,” said Jaron Brown, the starting small forward for the Panthers.

On Saturday, Pitt (23-2 overall, 9-2 Big East) heads into West Virginia hoping to build upon its huge win against Connecticut and looking to keep their hopes of getting a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament alive.

“If we win out, we should get the No. 1 seed,” said Mark McCarroll, who is coming off a 15-point, four-rebound performance against Connecticut.

Pitt has won 34 of its last 37 games, and 42 of its last 47. Combining its last three seasons, Pittsburgh is 80-13 for a .860 winning percentage.

In Big East games, Pittsburgh is 35-8 over the last three seasons and currently ranks second all-time among league programs, over a three-year period.

A victory over West Virginia would also give Pitt’s senior class of Jaron Brown, Toree Morris and Julius Page its 100th career win. The class has put together the school’s all-time winningest four-year period.

“It is amazing what we have been able to accomplish since we have been together.” Morris said.

The Mountaineers (14-8, 6-5), meanwhile, have won three out of their last four conference games and are making a real run at the NCAA tournament. And a win over the fourth-ranked Panthers would do wonders for their program.

“They always have been pretty good and always seem to find a way to win down there,” said Jamie Dixon, Pitt’s men’s head basketball coach. “The coaches have really done a great job.”

West Virginia coach John Beilein is the master of the unorthodox, instructing his players to use every second of the shot clock before taking a high-percentage shot; the Mountaineers play tough, in-your-face defense with their 1-3-1 defense and generally make life miserable for opposing teams. West Virginia’s squad doesn’t win style points, but recently, it has been winning games.

“Their defense is really coming together and playing like a very experienced team right now,” Dixon said.

The game is the 165th meeting between the two schools. Pitt has won each of the last four contests, including two straight at the WVU Coliseum. The game has been sold out for weeks and is expected to be the largest crowd in the history of Coliseum; the previous mark was also a game between the Panthers and Mountaineers, with a crowd of 16,704, in 1982.

“People have been talking about this game for weeks, the rivalry is up and rolling, and it doesn’t hurt that Pitt is ranked No. 5 in the nation,” said Debby Travinski, the ticket manager for West Virginia University.

The game on Saturday is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be televised on Fox Sports Net.