MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia and Pitt agreed to renew the basketball Backyard Brawl with a four-game series beginning during the 2017-18 season.
Mountaineers athletics director Shane Lyons and Pitt’s Scott Barnes announced the resumption of the series Thursday. Both officials had been willing participants since landing their current positions about four months apart in early 2015, but the Brawl was only able to restart after the departure of Panthers coach Jamie Dixon (who now will come to Morgantown annually as TCU’s coach).
With former Vanderbilt coach Kevn Stallings beginning his tenure at Pitt, the deal was done fairly quickly.
“The fans are the real winners because whether the game is in the WVU Coliseum or the Petersen Events Center, it will be great for college basketball,” Lyons said.
Backyard Basketball
The series is slated begin in Pittsburgh during the 2017-18 season before returning to Morgantown during 2018-19. Pitt will host again in 2019-20 and West Virginia gets the game in 2020-21.
“This has been such a great rivalry, and it is a game that fans of both schools look forward to,” WVU coach Bob Huggins said. “Pitt has been our biggest rival since I can remember and we have been theirs. The game makes sense.”
The teams haven’t met since Feb. 16, 2012, a 66-48 West Virginia win that gave the Mountaineers a 96-88 series lead.
“I saw the passion and intensity of the Pitt-West Virginia series from afar and felt it was important that we work to renew the series,” said Stallings. “I can’t wait to witness this rivalry firsthand.”
The Backyard Brawl football series resumes in 2022 with a four-year series.