Pittsburgh rivals clash tonight

It might not be a rivalry as notorious as the Backyard Brawl, but whenever Pitt and Duquesne… It might not be a rivalry as notorious as the Backyard Brawl, but whenever Pitt and Duquesne match up, there’s always a special feel. The Panthers are coming into Wednesday’s game ranked No. 3 in the nation. A 7-0 start for Pitt, combined with a Louisville loss on Sunday, propelled the team to the ranking. Duquesne started the season strong, winning its first four games before being torched by Duke at Cameron Indoor 95-72 on Friday afternoon. Even with the loss at Duke, it’s tough to argue against the rise in the Duquesne program as of late. After only winning three games three years ago, the team has won seven more games in each of the past two seasons. The Dukes kept the game close against Pitt one year ago. The Panthers, who were ranked No. 19 in the nation, grinded out a 73-68 win. Sophomore forward Gilbert Brown said he knows that the game will have a special flare come tip-off. ‘It may not be as big as the West Virginia game, but it’s just as good,’ said Brown. ‘It’s an inner-city rivalry, and we’re going to have to go out and play our best.’ Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said he agrees with Brown, claiming that the game isn’t just an ordinary out-of-conference matchup. ‘There’s definitely something different when we play a team that’s in the city,’ said Dixon. The biggest game story, however, might be the matchup between two guards: Pitt senior Levance Fields and Duquesne senior Aaron Jackson. Jackson averages nearly 16 points and six assists per game this season, while Fields averages 12 points and six assists. Dixon said that he knows how important Fields is on the floor to his team and also knows what Jackson means to Duquesne. ‘I have great respect for Jackson,’ said Dixon. ‘He’s a guy that plays hard, and he’s really improved.’ The Panthers also will be forced to address sophomore forward Damian Saunders, the team’s leading scorer. Saunders is coming off a 22-point effort against Duke, going 9-of-13 from the field and snagging 10 rebounds. In Pitt’s matchup against Washington State, the Cougars double-teamed DeJuan Blair every time he touched the ball, which turned out to be a very effective strategy. Blair was held to a season-low seven points and only took two field-goal attempts that night. It wouldn’t be a surprise for Blair to see similar defensive strategies from Duquesne. Pitt’s standout forward said that dealing with the double team is something that he needs to improve. ‘I was getting really frustrated when they doubled me,’ said Blair. ‘But we worked a lot on dealing with [it] in practice.’ It’s no mystery why opponents are trying to keep the ball out of Blair’s hands. He’s currently shooting an incredible 70 percent from the field, while the next highest shooting percentage by a starter is Sam Young’s 52 percent from the field. If you’re not convinced this is a rivalry, ask the Panthers what they thought of the chants of ‘overrated’ coming from the Duquesne fans in the final minutes of last year’s contest. This time around, the Panthers are trying to ensure the word ‘overrated’ isn’t heard.