West Virginia will host the Pitt Panthers at the Hope Coliseum for the Backyard Brawl on Thursday night. Both teams will enter the matchup with 3-0 records, aiming to gauge their standing against power conference competition when they square off. But the Panthers may be missing a critical component to their lineup during the game.
Pitt guard Brandin Cummings missed the Panthers’ last game with an ankle injury that he sustained during practice prior to the team’s home game against Eastern Michigan. On Wednesday, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported that the Cummings would be a game-time decision against the Mountaineers, per head coach Jeff Capel.
"I was really worried about the game from the standpoint of not having Beebah," Capel said after this week's win over Eastern Michigan. "He got hurt yesterday in practice. Right at the end, actually, the very last play, he rolled his ankle."
Pitt’s Brandin Cummings (lower body) will most likely be a game-time decision for Thursday’s game against West Virginia, per Jeff Capel.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 12, 2025
DNP in last game.
Averages 18.5 PPG.
In a small sample size, the sophomore guard appears to be taking his game to the next level in his second season with Pitt. He scored 18 points in the season-opening win over Youngstown State and poured in 19 in a win over Longwood, including knocking down five three-pointers. In 31 games played as a freshman, Cummings averaged 6.3 points per game.
With the Backyard Brawl set to tip off at 6 PM EST on FS1 on Thursday, keep an eye on the status of Cummings as we inch closer to game time in a highly anticipated matchup.
Other Key Players to Know
Pitt also returns the 6-foot-10 senior Cameron Corhen, who has elevated his game to start the 2025-26 season. He had a 23-point, 12-rebound, and 2-block performance against Youngstown State. He is averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds through 3 games, and last season he averaged 11 points and 5 rebounds.
The other notable big man presence is Papa Amadou Kante, who is earning more minutes as a sophomore at Pitt. He is the team’s second-leading rebounder, averaging nearly eight boards per game this season. Both he and Corhen figure to see plenty of matchups with WVU 7-footer Harlan Obioha in the paint.
Damarco Minor is an Oregon State transfer who is making his presence felt with the Panthers. Minor is a bit of a stat sheet stuffer who does it all, averaging roughly 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists with the Beavers last season. The 6-foot guard is once again proving to be productive as a Panther, averaging 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Both West Virginia and Pitt will figure to use this as a bit of a 'measuring stick' game, as it will be each team’s first matchup with another power conference opponent.