There are rivalries where the feud runs so deep it dates back generations.
Duquesne and Pittsburgh is not one of those rivalries.
The players on the 17th-ranked Panthers and the Dukes spend the summer hooping it up together, sometimes even playing on the same team. During the fall, it's not unusual for Pitt players to stop by the Duquesne campus - separated by a couple of miles in downtown Pittsburgh - and vice versa.
The chumminess, however, will be put aside for a couple hours on Wednesday when they clash in the annual City Game at the Consol Energy Center.
''We're friends with those guys but when we get on the court, it's different,'' Pitt forward Nasir Robinson said. ''It means a lot to them and it means a lot to us.''
Particularly this year.
The Panthers (5-1) have won 10 in a row in the series - the longest winning streak by one school over the other since the rivalry began in 1932 - but lost their aura of nonconference invincibility two weeks ago when Long Beach State stunned them at home.
Three straight victories have followed, yet Pitt hasn't exactly been dominant. Teams are shooting 46 percent against the Panthers in part because they've been able to get out on the break and grab easy baskets.
It's the only way undersized Duquesne (4-2) has a shot. The Dukes have played well in spurts, hanging tough in a 67-59 loss to then-No. 16 Arizona three weeks ago and ripping by Akron and Louisiana-Lafayette.
Putting together 40 minutes has proven difficult, though they are starting to play with tempo behind guards T.J. McConnell and Sean Johnson. McConnell posted the second triple-double in school history in a 97-81 victory over Division II University of District of Columbia on Nov. 18, and the Dukes are unbeaten when they score more than 80.
''I think we've done a good job of getting the ball out of the hoop (after made baskets) and getting down and getting two points,'' McConnell said.
McConnell grew up in Pittsburgh as a Duquesne fan, a rarity in a place where the Panthers have emerged as the area's dominant program over the last two decades. The sophomore doesn't remember the Dukes' 71-70 victory in the 2000 meeting, though he has no problem recalling the 2009 game when Duquesne let a 17-point lead turn into a 67-58 double overtime loss.
''I thought they had `em,'' McConnell said, ''and Pitt came back.''
Though the Dukes have risen to respectability in the Atlantic 10 over the last six seasons under coach Ron Everhart - including an upset over 19th-ranked Temple last season, and an appearance in the Atlantic 10 championship game in 2009 - a victory over the Panthers would be the signature victory his tenure has lacked.
While Everhart tries to preach to his team that it's just another game, even he knows that's not true. He began attending the City Game as a youngster, pulling for the Dukes.
''The thing that makes it unique is that the kids know each other so well,'' he said. ''You almost get a summer-league component because guys are familiar with each other ... I think it's kind of fun because it's so much different than the other games we play through the year.''
Duquesne also gets to play without any pressure. Pittsburgh has grown into a national power over the last 15 years, turning a once even series into a lopsided one.
The Panthers are expected to win, giving the Dukes a certain sense of freedom. They're undersized and lack a true superstar like Pitt guard Ashton Gibbs. That's fine by McConnell, though he knows the familiarity between the players will make it hard for Duquesne to sneak up on the Panthers.
''We're going to play extra hard and try and shock the world,'' he said. ''We came up short upsetting (a ranked team in) Arizona. We're going to try and do it again against Pitt.''
The Panthers expect to have Dante Taylor and Lamar Patterson available. Patterson sat out the last two games while serving a suspension for violation of team rules while Taylor is recovering from painful migraines.
Freshman Khem Birch and sophomore forward Talib Zanna played well in place of the two veterans, though Dixon remained quiet about who will start. Not that it matters, the Panthers are bigger, stronger and deeper regardless.
On Wednesday, the Dukes simply hope they're better.
''Since it's been awhile since Duquesne beat Pitt, to be a part of the team that broke the streak it would be something special,'' McConnell said.
