When Jeff Capel accepted the Pitt coaching job in 2018, he turned to some trusted friends in the Pittsburgh professional sports scene to get a sense of what to expect.
“People … would tell me when (Pitt basketball) had it going (under former coaches Ben Howland and Jamie Dixon), this was the hardest ticket to get,” Capel said. “My hope is that we can get back to that so every game is like that.”
That’s the type of environment Capel, his players and their opponents from West Virginia will expect Friday night in the 191st basketball Backyard Brawl between the Panthers and Mountaineers. WVU leads 101-89.
Expect a charged atmosphere and a run on tickets at Petersen Events Center when the undefeated teams — Pitt 3-0, WVU 2-0 — get together.
“We hope to have these types of environments all the time,” Capel said. “Hopefully, we can build it so every time we play here, it’s like that.
“It will be interesting to see how we react to it. I know we’ll be juiced. Will we be jittery? Will we have to slow down a little bit? This will be our first time in this type of environment.”
In his first year on the job, WVU coach Darian DeVries has the same type of curiosity about his team.
“Any time you’re going into your first road game against a really good opponent like Pitt and it’s a rivalry game, you’re going to get really, really tested,” he said. “It’s something you can’t prepare for until you’re in that situation and in that environment and see how your guys respond. We’re going to figure a lot of things out in those 40 minutes on Friday.
“There’s a little different buzz in the air when you’re getting ready to play these type of games. Fun game for everyone. Fan bases are energized. It means a lot to both sides. It’s a series I’d certainly love to see us continue to do for as long as possible.”
Capel likes what he’s seen this season, but this is the Panthers’ first game against a team from a power conference. It’s a game that could help Pitt’s resume if the Panthers win and the Mountaineers don’t fall flat in the Big 12.
“That’s all I heard at the end of last year that our nonconference schedule is what (kept Pitt out of the NCAA Tournament),” he said. “We’re excited about the opportunity we have to play (Friday) against a really good team, a very proud program and a team from a really good conference.”
DeVries will have no players from last season on the floor Friday night. Only two returned from a team that finished 9-23, 4-14 in the Big 12, during the 2023-2024 season:
• Aden Tagaloa-Nelson is a safety on the football team and is unavailable until the end of that season.
• Ofri Naveh hasn’t played in the first two games and might be redshirted.
“It’s the nature of the beast now,” said Capel, who’s had roster makeovers of his own throughout his time at Pitt.
The best player among WVU’s transfers and freshmen might be Tucker DeVries, son of the coach and an honorable-mention All-American with Drake last season. He was Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and the conference tournament’s Most Outstanding Player two years in a row. He was the only Division I player to average at least 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals. He ranked ninth nationally in scoring (21.6 per game).
“I was a fan of his from afar last year,” Capel said. “I think the thing for me that stands out is he has a great feel for the game. He really knows how to play. Certainly, he knows the system. He’s a really good player, a really smart player … has a great competitive spirit about him. It seems like in watching him that he has a joy for playing basketball.”
Capel said the Mountaineers are a different group than previous WVU teams.
“It seems like, just in the two games, they’re more offensively oriented than coach (Bob) Huggins’ teams,” he said. “They still play good defense, but they’re not as physical and rugged as those teams were, at least in the two games they’ve played.”
West Virginia opened the season with victories against Robert Morris (87-59) and UMass (75-69).