Pittsburgh vs. Providence | inspin's Blog

Panthers vs. Friars

Once upon a time, Pittsburgh was enveloped in the top ranking in the country for the first time ever. That ranking was short lived and the Panthers tumbled with two losses in a short period of time. Seven straight and nine wins in their last 10 contests have propelled the Panthers to the top again. They will put their top ranking on the line as they face Providence on the road.

The top spot has not been a sought after spot this season as the teams in that spot have tumbled out of it and those approaching it have been stopped along the way.

Pitt (25-2, 12-2) will reluctantly, or otherwise, serve out their role. They are rolling, winning each of the last seven by an average of 15.7 points. Their big victory came over the prior number one team, Connecticut last Monday. They also were able to avoid a letdown and decimated DePaul 80-61 on Saturday.

Dominating the last two games, as he has done all season, has been DeJuan Blair. He dominated U-Conn's star player Hasheem Thabeet by scoring 22 points and snatching 23 rebounds. His encore was a 20 point, 18 rebound performance against the Blue Demons. The Panthers are 21-0 when Blair scores 10 points or more.

Providence (16-11, 8-7) once had high hopes and were a shoe-in for the NCAA Tournament as they started 6-2 in the tough Big East. But all the good feelings have been lost when they dropped five of seven after their 103-84 home loss to Notre Dame.

Weyinmi Efejuku did his best to turn the tide of his team, scoring a career-high 31 points in a losing effort. He has averaged 23.7 points in his past three games. Sharaud Curry scored 23 points as well.

Providence is 1-10 all-time against number one teams.

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