Kirschman: It’s an historic game, don’t miss it

Last year’s City Game was disappointing.

No, not because Duquesne took Pitt to two overtimes…. Last year’s City Game was disappointing.

No, not because Duquesne took Pitt to two overtimes. Actually, the game was exciting ­— although stressful — and the 17-point comeback by the Panthers made for the perfect final college basketball game in Mellon Arena.

The City Game was disappointing because the number of Duquesne students in attendance noticeably exceeded the number of Pitt students in attendance. Knowing that the attendance had nothing to do with travel time, I could guess the reason why.

When it comes to rivals, Duquesne isn’t the first school that comes to mind for Pitt fans. We remember the games against Connecticut and West Virginia. The double-overtime win last year was more of a bother than anything, an obstacle in the path to Big East basketball.

To Duquesne, that’s not the case. The Panthers are the big boys in town, and the other Pittsburgh schools are just dying to knock them down a peg. Hence, Duquesne students show up in full force when the City Game rolls around.

But here’s a little history lesson for you: It wasn’t always that way.

Right now, the Panthers are on a record-tying nine-game winning streak in the rivalry and hold an overall 47-31 advantage.

But from 1966-78, the Dukes won 10 out of the 12 matchups with Pitt. From February 1980 through January 1982, the two teams met six times. Duquesne won four times.

After that, the Panthers started their dominance, winning the next nine games against Duquesne and then, after a loss in 1988, winning the next seven. Pitt’s last loss to the Dukes came in 2000, which wasn’t all that long ago.

Last year, Duquesne came pretty close. In 2005, the Panthers won by 11 points; in 2007, they won by five. So here’s something to remember: Anything can happen in a rivalry game, especially when you’re at the top.

What this all amounts to is this: Buy your ticket for the City Game. Pay the $10, walk up to the Petersen Events Center to get your game ticket, ride the bus or drive down to Consol Energy Center, and enjoy watching one of Pitt’s oldest rivalry games.

Maybe it won’t be as exciting as playing West Virginia or Connecticut. Or maybe, like last year, it will. Either way, it’s a college basketball game between two Division I Pittsburgh basketball teams.

It’s a natural rivalry between two universities located on the same street; Pitt and Duquesne players know each other and play against each other in the Pittsburgh Pro-Am League during the summer.

Not only that, but the game will open up Consol Energy Center to basketball. If you missed the last game in Mellon Arena, not only did you miss a thriller, you missed a historical moment. Don’t miss another.

It’s probably seen as more of a rivalry to older fans than college students, and that’s okay. But it’s still about bragging rights. For the last nine years, Pitt has had them. Why miss the chance to use them because you’re sitting in Oakland?

Pitt students are lucky enough to be able to have the No. 3 basketball team in the country.