Pittsburgh — The Steelers aren't the only Pittsburgh team leading the nation in defense the Pitt Panthers are relying on it to forge an unexpectedly good season of their own.
Pittsburgh overwhelmed No. 12 Syracuse from the outside and the inside, getting 21 mostly long-range points from Julius Page and dominating the rebounding in a 72-57 shocker Tuesday night.
The Panthers, beating Syracuse in their on-campus field house for the first time since Pitt's inaugural Big East season in 1982-83, built leads of as many as 15 points largely because of a 43-18 rebounding edge 21-7 in the first half.
Pitt, limiting opponents to a Division I-leading 57 points per game, hit its defensive average while holding Syracuse 20 points below its scoring average.
"They get everyone involved defensively their guards rebound, and they do it as a team," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said.
Preston Shumpert (16-4, 5-1 in Big East) led Syracuse with 17 points and James Thues had 15, but no Orangeman had more than four rebounds. Brandin Knight added 12 points and swingman Jaron Brown had 10 rebounds for the Panthers (17-3, 5-2), who had lost two of three. Pitt went on an 8-0 run to seal their second successive victory over the Orangemen.
No. 4 Cincinnati 54,
Saint Louis 50
St. Louis Steve Logan scored 25 points as Cincinnati survived the closest scare of its 18-game winning streak. Cincinnati (18-1, 6-0 Conference USA) had its season low for points and tied its season worst with only one three-pointer. Jason Edwin had 15 points, and Drew Diener 10 for Saint Louis (9-10, 3-3).
No. 7 Virginia 69,
Georgia Tech 65
Atlanta Travis Watson hit the go-ahead basket with 1:12 to go, and Elton Brown scored a career-high 20 points as No. 7 Virginia rallied for a victory. Roger Mason Jr. added 12 for the Cavaliers (13-2, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their fourth in a row.
No. 8 Kentucky 69, Auburn 62
Auburn, Ala. Marquis Estill shot 8-of-12 from the field to tie his season high with 21 points as Kentucky overcame an uneven effort to beat Auburn for its fourth straight win.
Big 12 Men
Colorado 85, Kansas St. 71
Boulder, Colo. Blair Wilson scored a career-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from three-point range for Colorado. David Harrison had 16 of his 17 points in the second half, and Stephane Pelle added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Buffaloes (11-5, 2-3 Big 12). Larry Reid led Kansas State (7-9, 1-4) with 13 points. Pervis Pasco had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Wilson hit his first five three-pointers.
Top 25 Women
No. 13 Texas 73, Missouri 51
Austin, Texas Freshman Kala Bowers scored a career-high 20 points for Texas. It was the third straight game that Bowers has recorded a career-high in points as Texas (14-3, 6-1 Big 12) rebounded from its first conference loss. Bowers' 10 rebounds also were a career best. Missouri (12-5, 3-3) led by 10 points midway through the first half, but failed to score over the last 6:12.
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