Retooled Pitt Roster Unfamiliar with Nature of Backyard Brawl

The Pitt Panthers are almost entirely brand new, meaning they have little idea of what the Backyard Brawl is like.

PITTSBURGH -- The Backyard Brawl is a foreign concept to most of these Pitt Panthers. Dramatic roster turnover means that just one player from last year's team that lost 74-59 to West Virginia in Morgantown last season.

It was a miserable loss for Pitt. They faced off against the Mountaineers and their trademark pressure defense with just one healthy scholarship point guard and naturally, they turned the ball over at a disastrously-high rate - 31 times, to be exact, 11 more than the next highest total from a game that season. 

But this is a different group that will meet the Mountaineers at the Petersen Events Center this weekend and head coach Jeff Capel is trying to wipe the slate clean. He hasn't talked about the dozens of games these two teams have played and the disdain they've created. All he wants is for his guys to be focused. 

“The rest of our team is new," Capel said. "We just talked about what we have to do. I’m trying to get into them about the history of it or the rivalry or anything like that. We’re just talking about the things we need to do, controlling what we can control and to be as prepared as we can be. That’s it.”

The players have a healthy distance between them and the Backyard Brawl. Even starting point guard Nelly Cummings, a western Pennsylvania native, didn't really know what the game meant until he saw Pitt football edge out West Virginia this past September at Acrisure Stadium. 

“Honestly, I’ve been away for a little bit, so I haven’t had a chance to feel it," Cummings said. "But being at that football game, I could feel that energy so I remember how crazy that game can get. So I’m excited for all the energy and the atmosphere that’s going to be here.”

Fellow backcourt starter Jamarius Burton, who had to sit out last year's game with an injury has seen it live, but not played in it. He's excited to bring the atmosphere back home after one year in Morgantown. He relishes games like this and is eager to tip the ball with a raucous crowd around him. 

“I’m looking forward to it," Burton said. "I love rivalry games when there’s a lot of fans in the crowd. We’re hoping that the Zoo shows out again so we can have that energy and feed off the crowd. It’ll just be a good opportunity for us.”

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