The City Game this year actually is something to anticipate and has some upset potential. At the very least, some real competition. The guards on both teams have history.
Levance Fields and Kojo Mensah, a pair of Brooklyn native point guards, will be reunited when No. 11 Pitt (7-0) travels to Duquesne (6-1) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at A.J. Palumbo Center in one of the most anticipated City Games in recent memory.
“We know each other from back home,” Pitt’s Fields said. “Now we get a chance to play against each other again in college, so it’s going to be good. We’re friends. We knew each other well.”
Pitt finally faces a team with a player taller than their starters and main bench players in Shawn James. Pitt of course has no intent of changing its approach.
Am I worried about this game. I worry about every game. It’s going to be a long time before I truly get arrogant and cocky about most games.
For a counter-view, there is the Duquesne Blog — Dukes Court.
7:04: Sam Young hits a wide open 3 in the corner. 3-0 Pitt after Duke missed its first shot.
7:06: Pitt now up 7-0 (18:00 in the half). Duquesne nervous and a bit over eager on their shots.
7:09: 14-0 Pitt. Duquesne forced to use a timeout — the playcalling crew noted that Everhart hates to use early TOs, but had no choice. Pitt is getting steals, getting to the basket, taking open 3s. Basically doing what they want. Duquesne is just looking bad and waaayyy too tight. Shooting way too soon and not getting rebounds.
7:15: Nightmare for Duquesne so far. They got a couple quick baskets and briefly generated some defensive pressure, but Pitt just regrouped on the fly and now up 21-4 with 13:30 in the half.
7:25: With 9:55 left in the half, Duquesne finally reaches double digits. 25-11.
7:29: Free throws are keeping Duquesne alive. They are 9-9 at the line. 3-17 from the field.
7:30: Pitt has lost some intensity. Duquesne is making it interesting. 27-17 with 7:37 in the half. Blair is on the bench with two fouls.
7:42: Biggs is helpless against bigger players posting up against him inside.
7:47: Dixon just got hit with a technical while the play was happening.
7:56: Pitt leads 36-31. The good is that Pitt is winning despite an absolutely lousy game so far from Levance Fields (4 points — 2-7, 0-4 3s, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 turnovers). Mike Cook came out hot with 10 points and Blair before the foul trouble was cleaning up inside despite the height disadvantage.
Pitt has also held Duquesne to its lowest scoring in a half this year. It helps that Duquesne has shot 9-32, 1-15 on 3s. The free throw line has bailed them out with 12-13. They have regrouped later in the half. Aaron Jackson came off the bench to spark the Dukes.
Blair going out really helped Duquesne. Suddenly they could execute inside, and overpower Biggs.
8:46: Wife dumped the 7-month on me for a while, so typing was not an option.
Levance Fields is having a disaster of a game tonight. DeJuan Blair has been fantastic for Pitt, and doing everything on both ends. Young and Cook have been solid.
Duquesne is hanging around. Shawn James doing great against Pitt.
Neither team can hit 3s 5-33 combined. Pitt is getting to the line a lot more in the second half.
Pitt leads with 6:55 left in the game, 60-54.
8:55: I believe the term is chippy, to describe how the final minutes seem to be going. That or the refs are just getting really ticky-tacky again.
9:02: Big foul by Aaron Jackson. His fifth. He’s been a sparkplug for Duquesne. Ramon horrible at the line 4-7 tonight
63-60 Pitt with 2:21 left.
9:09: It’s worth noting that Fields — despite a very lousy game — has 4 points in the final couple minutes for Pitt just when needed.
9:10: Biggs missed both free throws, but Sam Young somehow ripped the rebound and got James to foul out with under 24 seconds left.
Of course Young after a 5-5 FT night goes 1-2.
71-66.
9:12: Phew. Good win for Pitt and good loss for Duquesne. They are a definitely improved team that gave Pitt a tough game.
73-68 Pitt now 26 of the past 29 City Game.
