Addie Smith | Sports Editor
The men’s basketball City Game is an important staple in a Duquesne student’s time at the University. It’s the one time a year where the student section at the Consol Energy Center almost (but not entirely) matches the size of the student population and one can actually hear excitement from the section compared to regular season games.
There’s just something magical and exciting about the City Game, and this year the student body may not get to experience it. The annual Duquesne-Pitt matchup is being held at Consol Energy Center on Nov. 30 at 1 p.m., or in terms of the semester’s schedule, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
I don’t know about you all, but at that point I’ll be cuddling with my dog still in a food coma from Thursday’s festivities and not anywhere near ready to pack up and come back to Duquesne.
Residence life and the athletic department are trying to counteract the probable no-shows by opening residence halls at 8 a.m. the day of the game and pushing students to buy their City Game tickets early at the new Dukes Madness basketball tournament tipoff on Oct. 17.
I understand that the Duquesne basketball team shares Consol with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but on Nov. 20 (the Wednesday before Thanksgiving break, when the City Game is typically held) the Penguins are in Washington, D.C. playing the Capitals. Could we have not tried to get Consol then?
If the prospect of the City Game on Nov. 30 has you down, there are two other Consol games to partake in. The environment may just not be as strong. You can go to see the Dukes take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in the middle of finals week on Dec. 11 or on Feb. 22 to see the Dukes take on the Dayton Flyers. Just know that you may not be able to see as many Pittsburgh celebrities at those games (Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma is rumor to attend and wear his Panthers gear).
Don’t let the Saturday afternoon City Game deter you from all the Consol games (or the fact that the Penn State game plops right in the middle of finals). The games are a fun environment with a student section of more than 50, which unfortunately is the average size of the student section at A.J. Palumbo Center games that aren’t on national television. Come out and support your Dukes when you can.
Let’s hope next year’s City Game is placed on a better day so we can all attend, without fighting the struggles of post-Thanksgiving recuperation.
