SWith the West Virginia Mountaineers losing their potential BCS title hopes back on that horrible December night, one would think that the backyard brawl rivalry couldn’t get much more intense.

Well it has.

Last Thursday, West Virginia was seconds away from upsetting the overrated Panthers at the Peterson. WVU couldn’t make their free throws when they had to and Ronald Ramon swished a wide-open three as time expired to win the ballgame breaking the hearts of all Mountaineer fans who were seeking revenge.

Then, the next night, the West Virginia wrestling team faced the hated Pitt Panthers at the WVU Coliseum. In that same eerie situation the Eers were up by two headed into the final match. In a heavyweight battle, nationally ranked wrestlers Zach Sheaffer and Dustin Rogers went one on one. In his final match on the Coliseum mat Rogers was man-handled by Sheaffer throughout and eventually lost by a 9-3 decision. This gave “s”Pitt the 3 points needed to beat West Virginia, on Senior Night, 18-17.

So the Eers, in a span of two nights, gave up the 3 points that sPitt needed in the final moments to give the hated Panthers a one-point victory. WOW!

The rivalry is reaching a fever pitch and none can be more evident than tonight’s game at the WVU Coliseum as the 11th ranked Mountaineer women’s team face the 18th ranked Pittsburgh Panters. The tipoff will start at 7 and of course it will be featured on West Virginia Public Television however it would more wise of you Mountie fan to head out there and show your support. The student section must be out in full force to show their wrath against the hated Panthers.

The Panthers are ranked for a reason. They are lead by some quality players. The first one is Marcedes “Mo-Mo” Walker. The behemoth 6-3 center is averaging a double-double per game with 14.3 points with 10.3 rebounds. Yinka Sanni, as talented as she is, will have a hard time handling her and even worse if she finds herself in foul trouble. The team’s best shooter is Shavonte Zellous. The junior leads the team with almost 20 points a game. Impressively, she has averaged 22 points in her 10 Big East games this season. The one player that will set the tone for the Panthers is floor general Mallorie Winn. The Georgia Tech transfer averages 3.5 assists a game and has been known hit a trey or two so Powell must keep close guard to her.

In order to defeat the hated Panthers Powell must do a better job controlling the ball. Pitt women has forced 19 turnovers per game. Here’s an interesting stat to consider. Powell has committed 5 or more turnovers in five of the last nine games. In WVU’s upset win over Rutgers Powell, in 36 minutes, did not commit a single turnover. Now you see how much important ball control will be tonight. Another thing to consider, in beating the hated Panthers, is the bench. When senior Meg Bulger, back from her bothersome left knee injury, came off the bench last Sunday against Providence, the other guards played tentative. The lone exception was LaQuita Owens. Bulger’s spunky play prevented the Eers from suffering a colossal letdown. The bench players consisting of Liz Repella, Bulger or Sparkle Davis depending on who starts, and the athletic Lateefah Joye must put up some valuable minutes in order to spell the senior starters.

This will no doubt be a hard-fought game for both teams. That is why a huge turnout tonight will be very essential for the women. Hell if Pittsburgh can draw 6,300 against Rutgers at the Pete why can’t the student section be filled up. With the expected 3,000 paying customers in attendance that would be a crowd of 7,000 total. That may be plenty enough for the Eers who are depending on their sixth man to play at a higher level. This is an important game with the winner joining the ranks of UCONN and Rutgers as one-loss teams in the Big East. Also a win tonight, along with DePaul on Saturday, may finally catapult them into the Top 10 for the first time in school history. Let’s some support Mountaineer Nation. Good luck women, Eat Shit Pitt, and GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MOUNTAINEERS!