PITTSBURGH - For more than 41 minutes, Panthers defensive ace Julius Page never left Syracuse's Gerry McNamara uncovered. Every dribble, every pass, every look at the basket, Page was there.
The one time Page gambled and left him alone, McNamara hit the shot that effectively ended Pitt's 251/2-month home winning streak and may cost it a No. 1 seed in the Big East and NCAA tournaments.
McNamara, held scoreless by No. 3 Pittsburgh for the equivalent of a game and a half, hit a go-ahead 3 and two free throws in overtime and Syracuse halted the Panthers' 40-game home winning streak with a 49-46 upset Sunday.
Pitt's streak was the second longest in Division I to Duke's 41. The Panthers had been 34-0 at home since opening the Petersen Events Center last season and hadn't lost in Pittsburgh since Jan. 12, 2002.
"We didn't get it done, and our guys are very disappointed," said coach Jamie Dixon, a loser at home for the first time. "It was an unbelievable streak, and we'll just have to start another one."
Hakim Warrick scored 17 for the Orangemen (19-6, 9-5), who tied Seton Hall for fourth in the Big East. The top four teams receive a first-round bye, which coach Jim Boeheim says is almost a necessity to win the tournament.
While Syracuse's Josh Pace said ending the streak didn't mean as much to Syracuse as getting a quality win for its NCAA seeding, the loss was big for Pitt, which shot 30.9 percent. The Panthers (25-3, 11-3) dropped into a first-place tie with UConn and Providence heading into Tuesday's road game against the Friars.
Page blamed himself for leaving McNamara uncovered on the 3 that put Syracuse up 47-44 with 3:52 left, the only shot McNamara made in nine attempts: "I went to double and my man made a 3. I didn't leave him the whole game and ... I hate losing. I'm a sore loser."
NO. 9 KENTUCKY 70, LSU 64: Gerald Fitch scored 23, including 5-of-8 3-pointers, to help the visiting Wildcats (21-4, 11-3) clinch the SEC's Eastern Division title. It was the fourth straight loss for LSU and dropped the Tigers into a tie for No. 2 in the West with Alabama. At halftime, LSU honored former coach Dale Brown, whose 448 SEC victories are second only to Adolph Rupp.
NO. 12 UNC 71, NO. 14 N.C. STATE 64: Rashad McCants scored 22 and hit two key 3's late to help the Tar Heels recover after allowing a big first-half lead slip away. Jawad Williams scored 15 and North Carolina earned its second road win in ACC play. Marcus Melvin had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolfpack, which lost for the first time in 15 home games.
NO. 13 PROVIDENCE 103, ST. JOHN'S 78: Ryan Gomes had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and the visiting Friars set a Big East record for points in a first half. The Friars (20-5, 11-3) shot 59.5 percent from the field in taking a 62-38 halftime lead over the Red Storm (6-19, 1-13). The win was the sixth straight for Providence, which clinched a first-round bye in the conference tournament and moved into a three-way tie atop the Big East.
NO. 20 KANSAS 79, OKLAHOMA 58: Wayne Simien scored 26 and Keith Langford added 22 to help the Jayhawks (18-7, 10-4 Big 12) improve to 7-0 in conference home games. Michael Lee scored all 12 of his points in the second half for KU. OU (16-9, 6-8) has lost four straight.
NO. 22 WISCONSIN 82, PURDUE 46: Mike Wilkinson's 23 points and 12 rebounds helped the host Badgers hand the Boilermakers (17-10, 7-7 Big Ten) their worst loss in the series that began in 1906. Devin Harris had 16 for Wisconsin (19-6, 10-4).
Around the nation
MICHIGAN 75, OHIO ST. 64: Lester Abram scored 20 and the host Wolverines (16-9, 7-7 Big Ten) kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Ohio State is 13-14, 5-9.
TROY ST. 68, STETSON 66: Rob Lewin scored 20 and had 14 rebounds to lead the visiting Trojans (22-5, 18-2 Atlantic Sun), who clinched the regular-season league title. E.J. Gordon led the Hatters (12-14, 10-10) with 18 points.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Forward Rolando Howell will miss the rest of the season after breaking his left wrist in a win over Georgia on Saturday.
Late Saturday
NO. 24 UTAH ST. 59, UC IRVINE 56: Mark Brown scored 17 and Spencer Nelson added 14 for the visiting Aggies (24-2, 16-1 Big West), who maintained a half-game conference lead over second-place Pacific.
