Tshiebwe Dominates in 'Backyard Brawl'

Tshiebwe, West Virginia Prove Too Much for Panthers

Photo by Doug Johnson-SI West Virginia

In what was forecasted to be a tough, bruising match-up between West Virginia and heated rival Pitt, the 187th edition of the Backyard Brawl didn't disappoint. 

Neither did Mountaineer freshman forward Oscar Tshiebwe.

"You get 20 and 17 in a rivalry game like this as a true freshman and you still haven't figured out what you're doing, you're pretty good," head coach Bob Huggins stated about Tshiebwe's performance. 

After a ho-hum outing in the season opener against Akron, Tshiebwe burst onto the scene against Pitt, scoring all six of the Mountaineers' points to start the game. The 6-foot-9, 258-pound freshman continually out-muscled the Panthers on the glass, claiming a double-double with a little over two minutes remaining in the first half. 

Despite Tshiebwe's scoring cooling off during the second half, the former McDonald's All-American remained a force in the paint, finishing the game with three blocks, a steal and only one turnover. 

Although boasting a career night in just the second contest of the season, Huggins was quick to voice his frustration with his prized recruit's outing just a week ago. Tshiebwe played only 12 minutes against the Zips and capped off his official debut with only five points and five rebounds.

After becoming the catalyst to the Mountaineers' win over a bitter rival, however, Huggins was pleased to point out the strides Tshiebwe has made in only seven days.

"He (Tshiebwe) played within himself. He did what he can do. He wasn't running around hunting shots. Not running around 15-17 footers. He did what Oscar does better than most -- better than everybody."

West Virginia hosts Northern Colorado Monday at 7:00 pm.