West Virginia coach Bob Huggins questions a referee during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Virginia, Tuesday Dec. 5, 2017, in Morgantown, W.Va. (AP Photo/Raymond Thompson)

MORGANTOWN — No player for No. 18 West Virginia (8-1) or unranked Pitt (5-4) were on their college campuses the last time the two teams met in what is known as the “Backyard Brawl.”

But, it won’t take any of them very long to learn about it when the universities, which are separated by less than 80 miles, take to the court at the Peterson Events Center for their 8 p.m. tipoff tonight. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

“We’re going to try and tell them just how intense it is for the fans,” WVU coach Bob Huggins said Thursday. “They’ll understand it. If they don’t they will when they go onto the court.”

The two teams last met during the 2012 season with the Mountaineers winning a 66-48 decision in Pittsburgh. That was the last year for both teams in the Big East Conference.

West Virginia and Pitt will be meeting for the 185th time in a series that began in 1903. There is not another team that WVU has faced more than the Panthers.

Coach Kevin Stallings’ Panthers come into the contest fresh off an 82-78 overtime win over Mount St. Mary’s. It was Pitt’s fourth consecutive victory after starting the season 1-4.

“They are getting better all of the time,” Huggins said. “They’re young, I think. Once they get some games together they will be a very tough team to face.

“Kevin understands that with so many new guys that it takes time for them to learn the tendencies of each other. It’s just a matter of them getting comfortable.”

Stallings will have some experience on the court in seniors Ryan Luther and Jonathan Milligan and junior Jared Wilson-Frame.

Luther, a forward, is second on the team in scoring with an average of 12.7 points per game and sets the team’s pace in rebounding with nearly 10.

Milligan (7.6 ppg) will team up with freshman Marcus Carr (12.0) against “Press Virginia.” The Mountaineers rank among the best in the nation in turnover margin (10.0), forced turnovers (192) and steals (97). WVU has nearly forced more turnovers (192) than its opponents’ made field goals (195).

“The challenge they create with their press is something that you can’t emulate in practice,” Stallings said. “We can’t let it rattle us. We have to be strong with the ball and move it quickly.”

That means that Wilson-Frame, who leads the team with a 12.9 points per game, Luther and freshman Shamiel Stevenson (10.7) will have to be more active in bringing the ball up the court.

Huggins will counter with a lineup that includes seniors Jevon Carter (19.4 ppg), who leads the nation with 4.5 steals per game, and Daxter Miles Jr. (14.6) at the guards and sophomores Lamont West (11.8), Wesley Harris (7.7) and Sagaba Konate (8.4) manning the forward slots.

Fans can also expect to see a lot of sophomores James Bolden (11.0) and Chase Harler (3.8) and freshman Teddy Allen (7.0).

“I don’t think there is a problem with our bench,” Huggins said when asked about the reserves being held to three points in a 68-61 win over No. 15 Virginia on Tuesday. “We’ve been getting good minutes out of Maciej (Bender) when he goes in for Sags and Beetle (Bolden) and Chase (Harler) have both hit some big shots for us at times.”