The Backyard Brawl is one of the most well known rivalries in all of college sports. Anytime Pitt and West Virginia meet in any sort of competition, the passion is undeniable from each side. The two programs have played 190 times in men’s basketball, with West Virginia owning a 101-89 edge all time, although the Panthers have current bragging rights after an 80-63 win over the Mountaineers back in November.

For many years, the two teams played annually, and sometimes even twice a season as members of the Big East conference. The games always instilled a passion between the two teams, the student sections, and alumni.

When thinking back of some of the most memorable moments in Pitt basketball history, it’s hard to get too far without rattling off legendary brawl performances. Like Ronald Ramon crushing the Mountaineers’ hopes with buzzer beater 3-pointer back in 2008, or Pitt’s memorable upset over West Virginia in 2010 in front of a raucous Oakland Zoo, a game that needed three overtimes to decide the final.

Fans remember those games vividly, but so do the players who participated in those epic clashes, so when the Zoo Crew, a team made up primarily of Pitt alumni, takes on Best Virginia, an alumni squad made up of former Mountaineers tonight at the Petersen Events Center in the second round of The Basketball Tournament, there will be no love lost for either side.

Zoo Crew head coach Gilbert Brown played for Pitt from 2007-2011. He is a current staff member for the Pitt basketball program, but he remembers those old Brawls like they were yesterday.

“It's something different,” Brown said of Pitt's rivalry with West Virginia. “I was here for five years, and those games, I think everybody in Pittsburgh and West Virginia knows what those games mean to us. I have no doubt in my mind that these guys are going to come ready.”

Brown held a personal 6-3 career record against the Mountaineers and can still recall the details of some of those contests. Mike Young can't relate to those experiences, however. The star player for the Zoo Crew played for Pitt from 2013-2017, right when the Panthers left the Big East for the ACC. The two rivals did not meet during those years, making tonight’s game with Best Virginia the closest thing he will ever get to playing in the Brawl.

Young, the seventh leading scorer in Pitt history, topped the Zoo Crew with a team-high 24 points in a dramatic 98-95 opening round win on Saturday. His performance helped propel his team forward to the round of 32 and kept the million dollar hope alive. The first round victory also means he gets his first chance to play a group of players from West Virginia in a meaningful game.

“I've been to a few of them in the stands,” Young said of his Backyard Brawl experiences. “I just never played in the actual game. I know what it means, though, don't worry about it.”

There should not be any need for extra motivation in TBT. The winning team takes home a million dollars, of course, but getting to settle some old scores with your primary college rival is an added bonus.

“I’ve got to get a win,” Young said of tonight’s game. “We’re home, we in Pittsburgh. It's our home game for us. Hopefully we have some more fans next game. We gotta get a win. That's all I'm thinking about.”

The Zoo Crew looked right at home playing at the Petersen Events Center on Saturday night. The team, which features seven former Pitt stars, shot exceptionally well draining 14 3-pointers and shot 59.4% from the floor. There was an energetic crowd of fans supporting the former Pitt stars, including the entire 2024-25 team, who was off to the side and as vocal as anyone in the gymnasium.

“Anytime I'm in Pittsburgh, I come back and I work out here,” Young said of returning to his alma mater. "I work out with the guys and just try to be around anytime I'm here. They know me, I know them. So for them to come out to the game and support us, that was big.”

The Zoo Crew looked to be in firm control over Million $ Worth of Game in the first round, but a late comeback bid forced a closer than expected finish. Zoo Crew’s Jamel Artis buried a game winning free throw to outlast Million $ Worth of Game by a score of 98-95 in the Elam Ending.

The first round game taught some valuable lessons, which was to be expected. An event like TBT, forces teams to come together quickly. The hope for the Zoo Crew is that it will be more prepared for tonight’s battle with Best Virginia. Young believes the cohesion built years ago with his teammates will prove beneficial as the tournament advances.

“This isn't the first time we've been around each other, played basketball with each other or against each other,” he explained. "So we are pretty familiar with each other's game. It's a quick turnaround, but we figured it out.”

The winner of Monday’s game will advance to the Elite 8 round set for Wednesday, also at the Petersen Events Center and will take on either Happy Valley Hoopers or Stars of Storrs.