No rivalry is bigger for the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Pitt Panthers than their Backyard Brawl showdown. The rivalry stretches back over a century, but fell off when the two teams went to separate conferences in the 2010s. But the rivalry was renewed on the hardwood in 2018 and has been played annually since, and this coming season, it will be elevated onto a major stage.
The Pitt athletic department announced on Thursday that the upcoming Backyard Brawl between the Panthers and the Mountaineers will be moving from the Peterson Events Center to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh – it will be the first time the two teams have played each other at the arena. The Brawl is set to take place on Wednesday, December 9.
The Brawl is headed to @PPGPaintsArena 🥊
— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) June 18, 2026
📅 Wednesday, Dec. 9
🔗 https://t.co/15NVSqQF00 pic.twitter.com/CGg1zw94Cb
The game will take place as part of a doubleheader event that will be known as the Backyard Basketball Classic, with On3 reporting indicating the first game is expected to be a showdown between Duquesne and Robert Morris.
The Mountaineers won the most recent meeting between the two programs last season, defeating the Panthers 71-49 in a blowout win in Morgantown. Wet Virginia has won seven of the last nine meetings in the series, and leads the all-time series 102-90.
The Mountaineers will enter next season with momentum, as they enter head coach Ross Hodge's second season at the helm of the program after leading WVU to a 21-14 finish and College Basketball Crown Championship. Pitt, meanwhile, is coming off a 13-20 finish in Jeff Capel's eighth season leading the program.
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