Pitt Plays Desperate, Wins Big
MORGANTOWN -- Pitt Panthers head coach Jeff Capel rode the bus down to Morgantown, West Virginia carrying an 0-4 record against West Virginia during his tenure in Pittsburgh.
But a miserable mark against his current school's most hated rival didn't matter much to him because his Panthers had been punched in the mouth quickly after a 4-0 start built on blowout wins over mid-majors. After dropping three of their first four meetings with high-major opponents, Pitt didn't have time for rivalries.
“We need to win a basketball game," Capel said a day before tip off of the 190th Backyard Brawl. "So I’m not worried about the past or anything like that. Have great respect for it, have great respect for their program, but we need to win a basketball game."
And win a basketball game, they did - by 17 points, in fact.
The 80-63 final score looks on paper like it was achieved solely through Pitt's 16-3 advantage in 3-point field goals, but it wasn't. The Panthers had to fight and claw their way out of a game that was separated by one point at halftime and just eight points with 10 minutes left to play. The triples kept them in it but it was toughness and resilience that helped them pull away.
In previous games against high-major competition, the physicality and speed affected the Panthers, including their young guards. But against West Virginia, Pitt embraced the pressure and thrived under it. They won the rebounding battle, scored 17 points off just nine turnovers and the bench outscored West Virginia's 25-3.
The combination of little wins born from going after rebounds, sharing the basketball, drawing charges, defending with pride and securing 50-50 balls, were compounded by a strong shooting night and resulted in a decisive victory.
"I’m really proud of our team, to show fight and resiliency and togetherness," Capel said. "Guys made big plays throughout the whole game. I can talk about every one of them because every one of them stepped in and did some huge things."
Against West Virginia, Pitt was the better team. They were more talented, more purposefully constructed and, well, their head coach hadn't been fired months before the start of the season, leading to a mass player exodus. The Panthers had every reason to win this game but entered on uneven footing - not just because they had dropped three of their last four but because of how those three losses occurred.
Instead, Press Virginia was neutralized by a team that had wilted in front of similar challenges earlier this season.
As the final minutes ticked off the clock, Pitt's lead grew from eight to 12 to 17 and then 20. A small contingent of about 45 Oakland Zoo members, tucked way up in the furthest reaches of the WVU Coliseum, were the loudest people in the gym. Their cheers of "Let's Go Pitt" and "Go Home Mountaineers" exuded a catharsis that could be felt all over the stadium.
In past years, it'd been West Virginia fans who'd taken over the Petersen Events Center from the upper decks as their team finished off a blowout win. This time, it was Pitt fans and members of the Oakland Zoo who walked into enemy territory and enjoyed every second of this victory and even some afterward, taking time to receive a show of love from the Pitt players and sing "Sweet Caroline" from their seats long after the final buzzer sounded.
The program needed this. Jeff Capel needed this. The players needed this. The fans needed this.
Pitt has just wrapped up a brutal five-game stretch against high-major opponents with a blowout win over their rivals from south of the Pennsylvania border. They finished 2-3 during that stretch when an hour into the last game, 1-4 looked more than plausible - maybe even likely.
But instead of spiraling, the Panthers showed resolve. West Virginia is far from a world-beater, especially this season. They entered the Backyard Brawl ranked 109th in KenPom and 209th in the NET rankings and they'll leave even lower. Doesn't matter.
Pitt just needed to win - to do, see and feel what it takes to come out on top again, against this opponent in particular and in general. They now have a clear runway - three straight games against mid-majors - that could propel them into the bulk of ACC play with momentum if they take care of business.
After getting out-muscled by Florida and losing twice in a row on their home floor, that didn't seem possible. Now the Panthers have their feet back under them and look more ready for bigger challenges.
"I think during this five-game stretch, we’ve learned a lot about our team," Capel said. "I’ve learned a lot about our team and we have some stuff that we can continue to get better and build on."
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