Pitt and West Virginia will put their undefeated records on the line in the annual basketball Backyard Brawl on Thursday in Morgantown W.Va.
First-year Mountaineers coach Ross Hodge learned the first day on the job about the importance of the game. It’s the 192nd meeting between Pitt (3-0) and West Virginia (3-0), and the Mountaineers hold a 101-90 series lead. West Virginia has won six of the past eight meetings in the series
“I had this job for about one minute and somebody (asked me about this game),” said Hodge, hired away from North Texas. “I think everyone associated with our program understands how big the game is. You can ‘coach speak’ it or you can ignore it. But that would be disingenuous. It means a lot to this state, to our fan base and to us.”
Hodge continued: “Once the ball goes up it turns back into can you execute at the highest level possible. You know you’ll play with intensity, energy and passion. But can you play with emotions and not be emotional? Can you not let the game itself break you down.”
Brenen Lorient had a breakout game when the Mountaineers beat Lehigh 69-47 on Sunday at home. The senior transfer from North Texas scored 26 points, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded three steals.
Pitt picked up a 78-66 home win over Eastern Michigan on Monday. Cameron Corhen led Pitt with 16 points and seven rebounds. Roman Siulepa had 11 points and five rebounds. The Australia native said he’s working to offer consistent energy in both halves for the Panthers.
“One of my strengths is being able to take what the coaches say and start out strong,” Siulepa said. “I’ve got to be better in the second half, though, and come out with that same energy.”
Panthers leading scorer Brandin Cummings (ankle) sat out against Eastern Michigan and is considered a game-time decision per coach Jeff Capel. Cummings, who was injured in practice on Sunday, is averaging 18.5 points.
After three games in six days, Hodge was happy to have two days of practice before serving as hosts for the rivalry game.
“It was nice to get back to practice,” Hodge said. “We got to do some fine tuning and clean things up on both sides of the floor.”
