Pitt Basketball Crushes West Virginia In Backyard Brawl: 3 Takeaways

Pitt basketball had its defense step up in the biggest game of the year to this point and added one in the win column for the Backyard Brawl rivalry with an 86-62 win over West Virginia.

Pitt basketball got out to a hot start offensively scoring on five of its first seven possessions. It was Damian Dunn and Ishmael Leggett who led the way for the Panthers in the early stages. Jeff Capel’s team would quickly pull ahead into a double-digit lead and never look back. With just over seven minutes to go in the first half, Pitt led by as much as 21. The Mountaineers tried to fight their way back, but a buzzer-beater from Dunn sent the Panthers into the break ahead 44-22.

The relentlessness that has been on display so far from Pitt continued on Friday night. Guillermo Diaz Graham built off of his strong first half by adding rebounds on both ends of the floor and points. These Panthers would lead by as much as 31 on multiple occasions in the second half. West Virginia couldn’t keep up and took those country roads back home with an 86-62 beating.

Takeaway #1: Dominance on the glass set the tone early

While the Panthers have won the rebound battle in every game this season, none were as convincing as it was Friday night against West Virginia. Pitt limited the Mountaineers to just five offensive rebounds and finished with 13 more rebounds.

This has been something the Panthers have struggled with in the early portion of the season, and Capel made it clear after multiple games that the rebounding needed to be better. It may not have been perfect for 40 minutes Friday night, but it set the tone for how the rest of the season needs to be played.

“We think we have a team that has some size and can do some things,” said Capel. “And I think we can be a good rebounding team.”

Pitt has a lot of size that can go toe-to-toe with the most physical teams in all of college basketball. This group has to want it every night as much as they did against the Mountaineers.

Takeaway #2: Panthers depth shines despite Jaland Lowe’s off-night

It wasn’t the best performance for Jaland Lowe offensively. He scored just 8 points after shooting 2-11 from the field and 1-8 from behind the arc. However, the team around him didn’t let that drag them down.

Pitt knew early on that shots weren’t falling for Lowe the way he and the rest of the team would’ve wanted. In addition to Dunn’s 23 points, Cam Corhen scored a season-high 14 points. Guillermo Diaz Graham added 10 points of his own, and the Panthers got 16 points from the bench.

“We trust each other, I think that’s the biggest thing,” said Dunn. “We have confidence in not only our starters but 1-15 or 16. We trust each other to go out, make plays and really just to compete and hold your own and win… It can be anybody on any given day.”

Last season’s team wouldn’t have responded this way. If Blake Hinson or Bub Carrington had a bad night, it pulled down the entire team. This Pitt team is different and showed in the Backyard Brawl that it will step up when needed.

Takeaway #3: Pitt wanted it more

To say the Panthers came into this game fired up is an understatement. While they’ve had a strong start to the season, this one just meant more to Pitt and its players.

“We were ready to go, we were dialed up right from the beginning,” said Capel. “Our guys understood that there’s a different energy in the building, and we’re playing against a rival from a really good conference. This was a big-time game for us.”

Pitt’s effort on the court was noticeable for all 40 minutes. Capel’s team was first to almost every loose ball, whether it was on the ground or in the air. That’s the effort every coach wants to see.

As if the tempers weren’t already high, Guillermo Diaz Graham had a little more motivation to come back out of the locker and perform at a high level after taking contact to the face. Fuel was definitely added to the fire.

“I’m not going to lie, it got me fired up,” said Diaz Graham. “When I came back, I was ready to kill him. I went there [the locker room], I was cussing and I was mad and when I came back, I was ready.”

While Dunn is new to the team, it showed him a side of Guillermo Diaz Graham that he hadn’t seen before.

“This is my first time [seeing him fired up like that],” said Dunn. “We were just talking in the back that maybe you have to put an elbow in his mouth every game and get him fired up.”

Next Game for Pitt (4-0): vs. VMI (3-1) – Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. EST

Next Game for West Virginia (1-2):  vs. Iona (1-3) – Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. EST