City Game between Pitt, Duquesne won't be part of the 2021-22 basketball season

The Pitt and Duquesne basketball teams won’t play each other this season for the third consecutive year, the longest suspension of the City Game since they didn’t play from 1940-1952.

Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot said negotiations have occurred this year, but “the terms weren’t amiable for us at that point.”

“They wanted us to go there (to Petersen Events Center) every year,” he said. “We’re not going to do that.”

A Pitt spokesman issued a statement Tuesday afternoon indicating the City Game won’t occur this season, but could be revived.

“The City Game is not part of our non-conference scheduling plan,” the spokesman said. “However, that does not preclude a series renewal at some point in the future should the circumstances be right for both programs.”

Dambrot said he doesn’t believe that will happen anytime soon.

“I doubt if Pitt and Duquesne will play as long as coach (Jeff) Capel and coach Dambrot are the coaches,” he said. “I’m not going to go play at Pitt every year. I’m old and stubborn. I’m not doing that.”

Yet, Dambrot said he holds no grudge against Pitt.

“Everybody at Robert Morris, Pitt and Duquesne have to do what’s in the best interest of their program,” he said of the city’s Division 1 basketball programs. “I really don’t have any problem if coach Capel really doesn’t want to play or coach (Andy) Toole doesn’t want to play or we don’t want to play.

“They have to make those determinations because coaches are getting fired left and right. Programs are trying to turn their program around.”

The teams have met 87 times since 1932, with Pitt holding a 55-32 edge, including victories in 17 of the past 18 games. When they didn’t play in 2019, it was the first season without a City Game since 1969-1970.

The games used to be among the most anticipated sporting events in the city, especially when both schools played in the now-defunct Eastern 8 Conference. They played 25 times at Fitzgerald Field House or the Pete, but either the Civic/Mellon Arena or Consol Energy Center/PPG Paints Arena was used most often (44 times). It’s been played at the Palumbo Center, formerly Duquesne’s home court, four times (most recently in 2007).

Prior to the 2019-2020 season, Pitt and Duquesne couldn’t work out the details for playing the City Game, although Duquesne officials’ interest in the game never waned.

The following season, Pitt was Robert Morris’ first opponent at its new on-campus arena, Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center. Also, the ACC increased its conference schedule from 18 to 20 games, starting in 2019-2020, limiting the number of nonconference games Pitt could schedule.

At the time, athletic directors Heather Lyke of Pitt and Dave Harper of Duquesne said the rivalry would resume in 2020.