--West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins said he'll know if his team is ready for a major opponent after the game. They have to take better care of the ball. Pittsburgh can shoot the ball well and they do a good job of spreading you because they have multiple guys that can make shots.
--Obviously it's more difficult for early season scouting because of all the changes. They exchanged exhibition game videos so they have seen them and Pitt has seen the Mountaineers.
--Last season's game is meaningless for scouting because there is so much turnover. Pitt brought in guys that can make shots and they do a spread style of deal. Last time West Virginia pressed from start to finish and both teams are a whole lot different.
--Blake Hinson is a challenge given what he can do. Huggins expects John Hugley to play and he is a load on the block. Fede Federiko is really mobile, can run and is a shot blocker. He isn't able to score it the way Hugley scores it but in terms of what he can do defensively and keep balls alive he has been very good for them.
--1,000 victories would mean he's older and Huggins doesn't want to overstay his time but he feels good about it now when it comes to remaining coaching. Huggins still has the energy to do it and can still relate to the guys. He is enjoying this year and this team, but he doesn't know how long he will continue coaching but he doesn't plan to overstay his welcome.
--Huggins would rather have a team that has played at Pittsburgh before but they have guys that have played in some really hard places such as the SEC or big time leagues in big time places with great atmospheres. They bring Joe Toussaint off the bench and he has played in every big arena in the Big 10 so it won't be any different.
--Huggins doesn't think his team understands the rivalry. West Virginia don't have guys who grew up watching the rivalry or hearing about it and they haven't talked about it at all. They haven't spent five seconds talking about it.
--Huggins said that when he played here and they played Pitt it was different than when the two teams played in the Big East. It was a big-time rivalry here and the Big East it was a great rivalry but they played them twice in the year and in the tournament. Jamie Dixon is gone it's a different era for them and a different style of play. Their tickets are a lot more expensive. It's an entirely different ball-game.
--As it currently stands, Pitt will come to West Virginia next year and that's the end of the deal. An extension is above his pay grade, that's the athletic director's decision. Huggins thinks that 99-percent of the situations the coaches do it but because of the familiarity and how close the schools are that's done at that level. In negotiations you're talking about a football game and a basketball game so that comes into play, too.
--Huggins didn't even know the early signing period was going on that's how much attention he has paid to it. It's totally different and if you look at the guys playing for West Virginia they are sophomores and they didn't play much as freshmen. They have talented freshmen now and they aren't going to play much. When you recruit guys that have played in major leagues and arenas they are more prepared. They are going to try to recruit freshmen but it's not the priority it once was.
--Look at the guys West Virginia is going to lose, they will probably replace those guys through the portal and you have to get the right guys. They're probably going to be replaced by portal guys instead of freshmen.
--Tre Mitchell was really good. He practiced the whole practice. He was moving well and shooting well. His understanding of what they want from him is a lot greater now. He is fine and he's shocked he is where he is today. Pat Suemnick is much, much better. It just seemed Tre Mitchell was so much more anxious to get started than Patrick Suemnick was because he was more anxious. He was more cautious with his injury.
--Huggins best memories of the Pittsburgh series and Duquesne series during his playing days were winning. They looked forward to it as a team. You only had two officials back then so you could get away with a lot more. It was way more physical because of that. It was fun. When it was all said and done, Huggins played in a bunch of money tournaments and he played with a bunch of Pittsburgh guys and Duquesne guys.
--Huggins thinks that Joe Mazzulla got the NBA faster than most but he is going to work at it and spend time. He does a great job absorbing what he needs to absorb. He was a little bit surprised, but not totally that he's already there. Huggins remembers Mazzulla coming over to him and saying take me out I suck and he said stay out there and play through this. He came back over and said the second time take me out I suck and I said sure go ahead and sit down.
--Huggins has no idea if there is any incentive for Tre Mitchell in this game considering he is from the Pittsburgh area. He is sure that Mitchell is well aware of Pitt and their program, history but they've never talked about it.
--Huggins was surprised that Mitchell performed as well as he did without practicing. He got the clearance from the medical people so that part of it you still wonder about. He seemed to be well. He's a smart kid and I think that's the thing. He never really a part of anything in practice when he had the surgery. He was out. For him to be able to go out and fit in the way he did shows a lot about his basketball IQ and intelligence.
--Pitt does a good job playing the four-out stuff which opens driving lanes but they do a lot of different things. The Panthers are way more versatile defensively than they were in the past and will play multiple defenses and press some. The Panthers will bring a much bigger package than in the past.
--Huggins can't talk about the new addition on the roster, it's too early.
--Obviously it's more difficult for early season scouting because of all the changes. They exchanged exhibition game videos so they have seen them and Pitt has seen the Mountaineers.
--Last season's game is meaningless for scouting because there is so much turnover. Pitt brought in guys that can make shots and they do a spread style of deal. Last time West Virginia pressed from start to finish and both teams are a whole lot different.
--Blake Hinson is a challenge given what he can do. Huggins expects John Hugley to play and he is a load on the block. Fede Federiko is really mobile, can run and is a shot blocker. He isn't able to score it the way Hugley scores it but in terms of what he can do defensively and keep balls alive he has been very good for them.
--1,000 victories would mean he's older and Huggins doesn't want to overstay his time but he feels good about it now when it comes to remaining coaching. Huggins still has the energy to do it and can still relate to the guys. He is enjoying this year and this team, but he doesn't know how long he will continue coaching but he doesn't plan to overstay his welcome.
--Huggins would rather have a team that has played at Pittsburgh before but they have guys that have played in some really hard places such as the SEC or big time leagues in big time places with great atmospheres. They bring Joe Toussaint off the bench and he has played in every big arena in the Big 10 so it won't be any different.
--Huggins doesn't think his team understands the rivalry. West Virginia don't have guys who grew up watching the rivalry or hearing about it and they haven't talked about it at all. They haven't spent five seconds talking about it.
--Huggins said that when he played here and they played Pitt it was different than when the two teams played in the Big East. It was a big-time rivalry here and the Big East it was a great rivalry but they played them twice in the year and in the tournament. Jamie Dixon is gone it's a different era for them and a different style of play. Their tickets are a lot more expensive. It's an entirely different ball-game.
--As it currently stands, Pitt will come to West Virginia next year and that's the end of the deal. An extension is above his pay grade, that's the athletic director's decision. Huggins thinks that 99-percent of the situations the coaches do it but because of the familiarity and how close the schools are that's done at that level. In negotiations you're talking about a football game and a basketball game so that comes into play, too.
--Huggins didn't even know the early signing period was going on that's how much attention he has paid to it. It's totally different and if you look at the guys playing for West Virginia they are sophomores and they didn't play much as freshmen. They have talented freshmen now and they aren't going to play much. When you recruit guys that have played in major leagues and arenas they are more prepared. They are going to try to recruit freshmen but it's not the priority it once was.
--Look at the guys West Virginia is going to lose, they will probably replace those guys through the portal and you have to get the right guys. They're probably going to be replaced by portal guys instead of freshmen.
--Tre Mitchell was really good. He practiced the whole practice. He was moving well and shooting well. His understanding of what they want from him is a lot greater now. He is fine and he's shocked he is where he is today. Pat Suemnick is much, much better. It just seemed Tre Mitchell was so much more anxious to get started than Patrick Suemnick was because he was more anxious. He was more cautious with his injury.
--Huggins best memories of the Pittsburgh series and Duquesne series during his playing days were winning. They looked forward to it as a team. You only had two officials back then so you could get away with a lot more. It was way more physical because of that. It was fun. When it was all said and done, Huggins played in a bunch of money tournaments and he played with a bunch of Pittsburgh guys and Duquesne guys.
--Huggins thinks that Joe Mazzulla got the NBA faster than most but he is going to work at it and spend time. He does a great job absorbing what he needs to absorb. He was a little bit surprised, but not totally that he's already there. Huggins remembers Mazzulla coming over to him and saying take me out I suck and he said stay out there and play through this. He came back over and said the second time take me out I suck and I said sure go ahead and sit down.
--Huggins has no idea if there is any incentive for Tre Mitchell in this game considering he is from the Pittsburgh area. He is sure that Mitchell is well aware of Pitt and their program, history but they've never talked about it.
--Huggins was surprised that Mitchell performed as well as he did without practicing. He got the clearance from the medical people so that part of it you still wonder about. He seemed to be well. He's a smart kid and I think that's the thing. He never really a part of anything in practice when he had the surgery. He was out. For him to be able to go out and fit in the way he did shows a lot about his basketball IQ and intelligence.
--Pitt does a good job playing the four-out stuff which opens driving lanes but they do a lot of different things. The Panthers are way more versatile defensively than they were in the past and will play multiple defenses and press some. The Panthers will bring a much bigger package than in the past.
--Huggins can't talk about the new addition on the roster, it's too early.
