West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries will get his first taste of the illustrious Pitt vs. West Virginia rivalry on Friday when the Mountaineers make the trip up north to take on the Panthers.
WVU started their 2024-2025 campaign 2-0 with wins over Robert Morris and UMass. Pittsburgh is 3-0 after defeating Gardner-Webb, Murray State and Radford.
DeVries has seen his fair share of rivalry games in his time as a basketball coach, such as one against Nebraska when he was an assistant at Creighton. He says he understands the meaning of the game and reiterated that his team is excited to play.
“Our guys are excited to play. It’s a fun game for everyone when you’re involved in rivalries like this. The fan bases are energized and it means a lot to both sides,” DeVries said.
In addition to being a rivalry game, it’ll be DeVries’ squad’s first road game. He sees it as a test and is looking forward to learning more about his team.
“I think it’s certainly a big test and it’s a road game too on top of it. Our first true road game as a group. So, we’re going to figure a lot of things out in those 40 minutes on Friday,” DeVries said. “I think our guys are excited about it. I know they’re ready to play; they’re ready or the challenge.”
DeVries also mentioned some of the challenges Pitt presents.
“I think they [present] a lot of issues they’re very balanced. That’s what I think I like most about their team is that they present a lot of problems and different ways that they can come at you and challenge your defense. And they’re very aggressive as well,” DeVries said. “I just think overall that they’re playing at a really high level right now and doing some good things.”
The Backyard Brawl tips off at 8 p.m. EST Friday and will be streamed to ESPN+.
