The City Game between the Pitt and Duquesne men’s basketball teams is a tradition that dates to 1932. The Panthers and Dukes have played each other 87 times but not since 2018.

The rivalry ceased because Pitt refuses to play Duquesne.

Pitt feels Duquesne is a lesser foe, that playing them equates to risk without reward. A victory means nothing, but the odd loss might be damaging.

This season might have been an exception. If Pitt beat Duquesne, it would have been a quality win and could have gotten the Panthers closer to an NCAA bid. As opposed to sitting at home while Pitt fans whine incessantly about Virginia making it.

As of right now, Duquesne has the better program.

Duquesne won the Atlantic 10 Tournament to get an 11 seed, then beat No. 6-seeded BYU in the first round of March Madness. Pitt decided to skip the NIT, spurning revenue and experience in favor of bad optics.

Would Pitt have beaten Duquesne this year? We’ll never know. Pitt refused to play.

We therefore must go by who did better, and that’s Duquesne.

But what was Pitt scared of in the first place? Pitt is 55-32 vs. Duquesne and won 17 of the last 18 City Games.

As a Duquesne alumnus, here’s my proposal for the resuscitation of the City Game, which Pitt suddenly needs more than Duquesne does.

• If it’s a short-term resumption, Duquesne gets two home games for every Pitt home game.

• For each to get equal home games, or to play all games at PPG Paints Arena, the resumption must be contracted for at least 10 years. That way Pitt can’t pull out if it beats Duquesne over a short-term renewal, thus achieving the desired effect.

If that’s not amenable to Pitt, who cares? Duquesne doesn’t need to play Pitt. Not now.

Pittsburgh needs the City Game, though.

Pittsburgh isn’t a college sports town. Pittsburgh isn’t a basketball town.

The City Game created buzz for both, if only for one night. It interested casuals.

It’s big for the players, too. It’s bragging rights.

The idea that Pitt sees itself as being above Duquesne is ludicrous. Pitt dolts blab that spiel even as they complain about Penn State refusing to play Pitt in football. Those situations are one and the same.

This space recently suggested that playing the victim could be a major at Pitt. Hypocrisy seems an equally promising field of study.

Pitt is a small-sports athletic program these days. Great women’s volleyball. I hear terrific things about the cornhole team.

Duquesne, meantime, continues to enjoy its moment in the spotlight. Retiring coach Keith Dambrot is getting a fine farewell.

Duquesne assistant coach Dru Joyce III seems a solid bet to succeed Dambrot, not least because of his connection to NBA legend LeBron James. Dambrot coached James at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. Joyce played point guard on that team.

But Joyce has only been coaching since 2019 and hasn’t been a head coach. His resume is a bit thin. James is in his corner, though. So is Dambrot.

What kind of support would James provide if Joyce was named head coach? Would James contribute NIL money? Would James’ oldest son Bronny transfer from Southern Cal? Would his youngest son Bryce enroll at Duquesne? Would James’ involvement help attract top players to Duquesne?

These are questions that Duquesne needs to ask James directly before committing to Joyce. Nothing should be assumed. Joyce shouldn’t be hired based on his resume alone.

When it comes to college basketball in Pittsburgh, Duquesne could be poised to steal the show.

But in this town, that would be petty theft.

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