Pitt, West Virginia extend basketball Backyard Brawl through 2027-28 season

Pitt and West Virginia can’t get enough of each other.

Officials at both schools Thursday announced a four-game extension of the basketball version of the Backyard Brawl that will run through the 2027-28 season.

The teams will meet at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center during the 2024-25 and 2026-27 seasons and will play in Morgantown, W.Va., in 2025-26 and 2027-28. Dates and tipoff times will be announced later.

Pitt players Jaland Lowe and Zack Austin, whose eligibility extends into the next time the Panthers visit Morgantown, weren’t consulted about extending the series. But they approve for the most basic of reasons.

“It was fun,” Austin said of Pitt’s 80-63 victory at the WVU Coliseum on Dec. 6.

No one had as much fun as the Panthers’ Blake Hinson, who recorded career highs with 29 points and nine 3-pointers.

“I’m ready,” said Lowe, a freshman who made three of four shot attempts that night in his first collegiate game on another team’s floor.

“I loved it down there … like a second home,” he said, with a smile.

Speaking of having fun at your opponent’s expense, West Virginia has won six of the past seven meetings, part of a series that includes 190 games and stretches back to 1906. WVU leads, 101-89.

Continuing the series is a tribute to both administrations because Pitt and West Virginia have been playing in separate conferences since they left the Big East after the 2011-12 season. After a five-season hiatus, they have met six times.

Pitt coach Jeff Capel joined WVU interim head coach Josh Eilert in endorsing the extension.

“The Backyard Brawl game is one of the most anticipated matchups on the schedule each year for the two fan bases,” Capel said in statement. “These kinds of games are what makes college athletics so special. We are excited to extend the series and look forward to four more matchups that will have both fan bases eagerly awaiting the day tickets go on sale.”

Said Eilert in a statement: “The Backyard Brawl is great for both schools, the fan bases and especially for college basketball. I have been at WVU for 17 of these games, and without question, they are our biggest rival. For the last six years, it’s been one of the highlights of our nonconference schedule and will certainly be for the next four years. I would like to thank (WVU athletic director) Wren Baker, our administration and Pitt for extending the Backyard Brawl.”

Pitt and West Virginia have been amenable to meeting in several sports over the years, including football. There are six future football Brawls scheduled, including this year’s game Sept. 14 at Acrisure Stadium. As part of a mutual agreement reached in 2022, the teams also will meet in 2025 and 2029, 2030, 2031 and 2032.