Pitt is No. 1 again in both polls, but that's not news to the Panthers. Even though they were knocked out of that spot with a loss Jan. 17 to Louisville, they never doubt whether they are the best team in the country.

"In our minds we were already No. 1, before today or yesterday when the polls came out," senior forward Sam Young said. "So for us to now be No. 1 and for people outside to believe we're No. 1, for us it is like we told you so."

Senior guard Levance Fields added: "It is a compliment to us, but I think this time around it is not as big as it was the first time. We had it already. It is a good thing, but we're over that part of it because we went through that phase already, so now it is about finishing strong and getting ready for March."

The Panthers were voted No. 1 for the first time in school history Jan. 5 and they held onto that spot for two weeks.

They then fell to No. 4 after losing to the Cardinals, but they began their ascension back to the top a week ago with a 76-68 victory against then-No. 1 Connecticut in Hartford.

Then Saturday, No. 2 Oklahoma lost to Texas and No. 3 North Carolina fell to Maryland while Pitt was dispatching DePaul.

The Panthers were not, however, unanimous selections in either poll. Connecticut got a first-place vote in both polls.

Regardless, the Panthers (25-2, 12-2 Big East) will put their lofty ranking on the line tonight when they play against Providence (16-11, 8-7) at Dunkin' Donuts Center in what could be a trickier game than it appears.

The Friars are squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble and will need a strong finish in order to get into the field of 65 teams.

They've also demonstrated an ability to beat some of the top teams in the conference, as they knocked off Syracuse, 100-94, Jan. 28 and they nearly pulled a major upset of No. 10 Villanova Feb. 4before losing a heartbreaker, 94-91.

The Friars, under first-year coach in Keno Davis, also are dangerous because they rely on 3-point shooting.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said yesterday there isn't much different about the Friars from a year ago even though they have a new coach, but that's mostly because the personnel is the relatively the same. He said one major difference is the return of junior point guard Sharaud Curry, who missed all but one game last season with a foot injury.

"There is not a lot of difference," Dixon said. "The personnel is so much the same it was hard to change too much. They shoot the 3 a lot like they did previously. I think they are playing less guys than maybe before, but I think Curry being back is the biggest difference from last year.

"That's a big difference, he's a point guard, he's an experienced player and he is big factor for them, so obviously that is a big difference."

NOTES -- DeJuan Blair was named the Big East Conference player of the week for men's basketball. In Pitt's two victories (against Connecticut and DePaul), Blair averaged 21 points, 20.5 rebounds and shot 55.9 percent from the floor.