MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Let’s Brawl, baby.
WVU Men’s Basketball will host the University of Pittsburgh at the Hope Colliseum for the 192nd Backyard Brawl on Thursday at 7 p.m.
The Mountaineers aim to defeat the Panthers for the first time in three seasons, having lost their last two games against their bitter rivals. Both losses were in blowout fashion, 80-63 in 2023 and 86-62 in 2024.
WVU now has its fourth head coach in as many seasons, with Ross Hodge leading the program into the men’s basketball gauntlet this season. Hodge has led his Mountaineers to three consecutive wins to start his tenure.
WVU has been powered by its starting power forward, senior Brenen Lorient, so far this season. The University of North Texas transfer, who followed Hodge, is averaging 16.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game while shooting 56.3% in the young season.
The Mountaineers also have an honorable three-point marksman on the squad in senior combo guard Honor Huff. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga transfer has started the year slowly, averaging 15.7 points per game on only 31.3% from the field, but he led the nation in three-point field goals a season ago. There is no better game for the shooting stroke to start heating up than in a rivalry.
Pitt also enters the brawl with a 3-0 record. Head Coach Jeff Capel enters his eighth season leading the Panthers into catfights across the nation.
Sophomore guard Brandin Cummings has scored at all levels in his two appearances this season, averaging 18.5 points per game, while shooting 58.3% from downtown.
U92 Sports Director Quinn Robie and U92 Sports Producer Nico Caretto will bring play-by-play and color commentary to the match for the Moose. Starting at 6:30 p.m., Richard Rice IV, Domenic Brusco, Crystal Hanes and Conor Bratchford will bring full pregame show coverage.
If you want to hear them again, you’re in excellent luck, they will return at halftime and after the game to fully break down the entirety of the Backyard Brawl!
The broadcast can be heard locally on 91.7 FM, online at u92themoose.com, on Alexa-enabled devices, and via the TuneIn app.