West Virginia rolls over Pitt, gives coach Bob Huggins milestone victory

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — William Jeffress understands the dire situation standing like a fortress between Pitt and success on the basketball court.

“Most nights we walk in the gym,” he said, “the odds aren’t in our favor. Our team has been through a lot. We lost a lot.

“That’s OK because we’re still going to continue to keep our head high.”

After two games in four days, Pitt has a pair of 15-point defeasts on their resume, the latest a 74-59 loss to West Virginia on Friday night at the WVU Coliseum. Pitt is 0-2 for only the second time in the past 25 years.

The victory was No. 902 of WVU coach Bob Huggins’ career, tying him with Bob Knight for fifth place all-time.

West Virginia, which has won the past five Backyard Brawls, continually disrupted Pitt’s offensive flow, with 17 steals and 11 blocks. The Mountaineers (2-0) forced 32 turnovers in 40 minutes, directly resulting in 34 points. Overall, WVU shot 50.3% from the field (30 of 59) and 9 of 22 from beyond the 3-point arc.

“They run bodies at you,” coach Jeff Capel said. “We just didn’t handle that well.”

But the game – if not the result—was a welcome sight.

It marked the return of fans to one of college basketbal;’s most electric venues. A sellout crowd of 14,100 had a good time, shouting familiar insults at Pitt players, especially point guard Femi Odukale, who committed eight turnovers and scored only seven points after recording 20 in the opener.

After a 2020-2021 season of empty buildings and covid protocols, Pitt’s players weren’t accustomed to playing in a charged atmosphere.

“Incredible environment,” Capel said. “It’s good to see that type of environment in college basketball. It’s been a couple years since we’ve been able to play in front of a crowd like that.

“For all of our guys, this was the first time they have been in an environment like this.”

Pitt traded punches with the Mountaineers early in the game before the turnovers came too frequently for the Panthers to overcome. WVU led, 36-24, at halftime and by as many as 21 in the second half.

Without a 3-point shooting threat, Pitt didn’t have the ability to rally. The Panthers tried only six shots from beyond the arc, making three.

John Hugley, who played only six minutes of the first half after getting two quick fouls, led Pitt with 17 points. Mouhamadou Gueye added 10. Jalen Bridges and Taz Sherman led the Mountaineers with 18 and 17 points, respectively.

Capel liked the effort from his players more than what he saw Tuesday in 78-63 loss to The Citadel at Petersen Events Center. The margin of defeat was the same, but this time Capel walked away feeling proud, not frustrated.

“I through we fought. I think we got better,” he said.

But the Panthers continually made questionable decisions with the basketball.

“We have to value the basketball more,” Capel said. “I thought that, in itself, was the difference in the game.

“We have to be able to make simple passes. We have to be stronger.

“I thought all of our guys tried to do a little bit too much. There was a little bit too much dribbling, instead of making a simple decision. A lot of times those decisions were right there in front of you. We just weren’t able to see it against pressure.”

He liked Pitt’s half-court defense and wondered if West Virginia’s shooting percentage would have fallen off without the benefit of so many layups off turnovers.

“I thought we had a sense of urgency. Collectively as a group, I thought we did some good things defensively,” Capel said. “That’s something we did not do as well in the first game.

“It would be interesting to see if we took away their fast break points and points off turnovers, which the majority of them were layups, what their field goal percentage would be. I thought our half-court defense was good and I thought we played tougher. The result is disappointing, but we got better.”

It’s too early in the season to lose hope, something Jeffress recognizes.

“Tomorrow is a new day. You just have to continue to move forward,” he said. “Every time you step on the floor, it’s a new opportunity. Heart, that’s the only answer. Heart, effort, hard work.”