Pitt Loses to Providence, Likely to Drop From No. 1 Again

For the second time this season, the Pittsburgh Panthers lost their first road game after being named the No. 1 team in the nation.

The Panthers didn't allow any one Friar to beat them, however, as Providence came out on top due to their team play. The Friars’ largest lead was 20 points, and they held off a final run by Pitt to gain their second victory over a top-ranked team.

“I think they made a big step to be able to continue their collegiate careers tonight,” Providence coach Keno Davis said of his seniors after their final home game. “We’re in a pretty good situation—we’re in the top-half of the best conference in the country. It puts us in the conversation. I’m sure if we had lost, they wouldn’t be talking about us anymore.”

When the Panthers win, they usually get a big game from DeJuan Blair. Some would say he did his part with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting and eight rebounds. But Blair fouled out on an illegal screen in a very critical part of the game, leaving Pitt without their big man and trailing by seven with a minute or so to go.

“It was just terrible. We didn’t play as us,” said Blair, who has fouled out in two of Pitt’s three losses. “They deserved [it]. We gave them that game.”

Pittsburgh was terrible when it came to turnovers Wednesday night against Providence. The Friars forced 18 turnovers—the second most allowed this season by the No. 1 team in the nation.

Point guard Levance Fields also had a very uncharacteristic night, accumulating just three assists—his second fewest this year.

Providence, meanwhile, was lead by guard Sharaud Curry, who was 5-of-7 from the field, scoring 15 points. Senior Weyinmi Efejuku was bad from the field (3-of-9) but hit nine of 10 from the free throw line.

With Pitt losing again, the next No. 1 team is anybody’s guess. The chances of the Panthers keeping their current spot are unlikely, though, as they lost to an unranked team. Oklahoma also is unlikely, as they have lost two in a row and are without their star, Blake Griffin.

Preseason favorite North Carolina recently lost to Maryland, as well, so while they will likely be named No. 1 again, the team with the best chance for that top spot is UConn.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.