WVU vs. Pitt – Final Brawl?

The West Virginia Mountaineers face the Pittsburgh Panthers for the second time this season on Thursday night. The Mountaineers lost the first game to the Panthers in the Coliseum just a few weeks ago and have lost six of their last 10 games. Many pundits, bloggers and fans alike believe this is the last Backyard Brawl for a while.

Kevin Jones continues to lead the Mountaineers in points and rebounds averaging 20.6 and 11.2, respectively. Truck Bryant is averaging 16.8 PPG. Jabarie Hinds and Bryant are leading the team in assists combining for an average 6.5 per game.  The Mountaineers are 60th in the nation in PPG averaging 73.6 and 95th in the nation in field goal percentage averaging 45.4%.

Ashton Gibbs and Tray Woodall lead the Panthers in scoring combining for an average 29.6 PPG. Woodall also leads the team in assists averaging 6.5 per game.  Nasir Robinson leads the team in rebounds averaging 2.8 offensive rebounds and 3.7 defensive rebounds per game. Pitt is 112th in the nation in PPG averaging 70.7 and 94th in the nation in field goal percentage averaging 45.4%.

Again, this could very well be the last basketball edition of the Backyard Brawl for some time. The Mountaineers haven’t won in the Petersen Center since 2005. Now would be the perfect time to break that streak. The game can be seen on ESPN and tips at 9:00.