BY Robert j. matthews
In this year's Backyard Brawl, a team from West Virginia that has trouble shooting will face a strong defensive team.
The Mountaineers have a very low raw field goal percentage, ranking 332nd in the country.
You wouldn't expect improvement against a strong Pittsburgh team that has defended well this season.
It will enter this matchup ranked 30th in field goal percentage. In addition, Pitt is well prepared to stop West Virginia's main offensive strategies.
WVU wants to speed up the game as much as possible because their spot-up shooting percentage of 26% indicates that they struggle when the game slows down.
West Virginia has a problem because Pittsburgh has a really strong transition defense.
This season, they have only allowed opponents to score on 34% of their transition attempts, which is the second-best in the ACC.
I like what Pittsburgh can do on offense. After Bob Huggins left, it wasn't as good at defense. The program used to be tough, but now it's easier to score on.