On December 9, 2025, the West Virginia University Mountaineers will step onto the hardwood of PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh for the first time in program history, facing off against the University of Pittsburgh Panthers in a contest billed as the Backyard Basketball Classic, which will feature a doubleheader.
A Milestone in a Storied Rivalry
The matchup adds another chapter to a rivalry that dates back to 1904, a series in which WVU holds a 102‑90 record against Pitt. The game will be played on neutral ground despite being hosted in Pittsburgh, underscoring the unique nature of the event.
Pitt Athletic Director Allen Greene has said the game is expected to generate significant revenue, highlighting its importance as a neutral‑site attraction that will draw fans from both sides of the state line.
With a seating capacity of 18,087, PPG Paints Arena offers roughly 5,500 more seats than the Mountaineers’ traditional home, the Petersen Events Center, allowing the arena to accommodate a larger crowd for what promises to be a high‑stakes contest.
The venue, home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, has hosted numerous major events and serves as a modern replacement for the older Petersen Events Center, providing a state‑of‑the‑art setting for this historic basketball showdown.
The game will also mark the latest in a series of neutral‑site meetings between the programs, the most recent having taken place in 2006 at Madison Square Garden, while the last such encounter in Pittsburgh occurred in 1998 at the Civic Center.
Beyond the numbers, the contest reflects the broader basketball culture of the region’s Big Four sports venues, as the teams have now faced each other in all three of Pittsburgh’s major sports facilities.