Initial Takeaways From WVU Basketball's Assertive Backyard Brawl Win Over Pitt

Don't look now, but the WVU men's basketball might be for real.

After going 3-0 in a stretch of games against low-major and mid-major competition that were a bit too close for comfort for West Virginia fans, there were questions of exactly how well the Mountaineers would measure up against power conference competition. They got their first chance to prove themselves against such a team when hosting Pitt in The Backyard Brawl at Hope Coliseum on Thursday night, and they did not disappoint.

The Mountaineers asserted themselves as a team that can be competitive against Power 5 competition, looking more dominant than they have all season in a 71-49 win over the Panthers in a game that completed a football-men's basketball sweep of the Mountaineers' biggest rivals. Here are some takeaways from the victorious effort on Thursday.

Ross Hodge's Defense Will Lock Your Team Down

You had likely heard about how dangerous a Ross Hodge-coached team can be defensively amidst all the hype around his hiring. And we had already seen a glimpse of it, as they held their first three opponents to an average of 55.3 points per game. But you never know what to make of a strong defensive effort against lower-level competition.

But it's hard to deny what we saw on Thursday as anything but top-level defense. Pitt at one point had a 10-minute drought scoring from the field, committed 12 turnovers in the loss, and scored just 49 points. The Panthers shot just 20-of-53 from the field, including a lousy 25 percent from behind-the-arc, and the Mountaineers tallied five blocks and six steals in the win, in addition to outscoring Pitt 21-8 in points off turnovers. Playing at this level, plenty of teams will struggle with WVU's defense this year.

Harlan Obioha Is Figuring It Out

Obioha shed a ton of weight, adjusted to a role where he is the primary big man on his team, and is being asked to play more minutes at a higher level of Division 1 basketball – so it shouldn't be surprising it took him a bit of time to fully adjust. But he showed his true potential on Thursday, racking up 19 points, six rebounds, two blocks, and two assists. Obioha could be the program's best post player in years if he keeps this level of play up.

Rebounding Looked Better

After getting outrebounded early in non-conference play, there were some rebounding concerns for the Mountaineers. Things will be better when Jackson Fields is healthy and Chance Moore can join the rotations, but they have already started looking up against Pitt. The Mountaineers were very competitive on the boards against Pitt, and won the rebounding battle 34-31.

DJ Thomas Doesn't Play Like A Freshman

There's a good chance that if the Mountaineers had a healthy Jackson Fields right now, Thomas never would have gotten the minutes he's seen as a true freshman who was originally recruited to play at a mid-major level by this staff. But he has excelled in his opportunity so far, and looked incredible against power conference competition on Thursday, tallying 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists in the victory, including knocking down a pair of three-point baskets. He could be a crucial piece to the future of the program.