Blair, Pitt pull down UConn

Panthers punish the No. 1 Huskies

It seemed the only way UConn's Hasheem Thabeet could stop Pitt's DeJuan Blair (22 points, 23 rebounds) was to foul him. (elsa/Getty Images)

HARTFORD - It was billed as the Big East "Game of the Year," the first meeting of the season between the two best teams in what is perhaps the best conference in college basketball.

It was also a confrontation between the No. 1 team in the country and the No. 4 team in the country. When coach Jim Calhoun's Connecticut Huskies took on Jamie Dixon's Pittsburgh Panthers before a sellout crowd of 16,294 at the XL Center last night, it was more like postseason than regular-season basketball. The teams entered the game with a combined record of 47-3.

But there was also a bit of uncertainty, created when UConn junior guard Jerome Dyson, the Huskies' best perimeter defensive player, was lost for the season last week with a knee injury.

Part of the hype revolved around the battle of post men, UConn's 7-foot-3-inch shot blocker, Hasheem Thabeet, against Pitt's 6-7 DeJuan Blair, who has bulk and range to match Thabeet's size.

That battle turned into a mismatch - in favor of Blair, who dominated from the start, posting a monster double-double of 22 points and 23 rebounds to Thabeet's 5 points and four rebounds, the catalyst for Pitt's 76-68 victory.

Considering the circumstances - facing the No. 1 team on the road, going up against a bigger center who has turned into one of the more dominant defensive forces in the game - Blair's performance deserved the rave reviews it received from both sides.

"He's a nightmare for every single opposing coach," said Calhoun. "He's just a man, a warrior."

It also drew a sigh of relief from Blair.

"This was the most physical game I ever played in my life," he said. "But for us, it's just a game. This is the Big East. I can't wait for the next time we play."

Blair knows that Thabeet will be waiting. He also knows that Dixon's challenge will be the same.

"Coach said it was going to be a physical game," said Blair. "And he challenged us to go out and win it."

Blair realized he would have to use his muscle to win this battle.

The tone of the game was set in the first four minutes when Blair went up for a rebound and pulled down both the ball and Thabeet, who flew over Blair's shoulder and crashed to the floor.

After Thabeet went to the bench for repairs and the crowd grew silent, Pitt (24-2, 11-2) slowly but solidly built an 8-point lead as Blair controlled the action underneath and Sam Young (game-high 25 points) hit from long range.

UConn (24-2, 12-2) hung around on the strength of guard A.J. Price's work (18 points) and cut the Pitt lead to 36-33 at the half.

But things got tougher for UConn with 11:20 left when Thabeet picked up his fourth foul. Now it was survival time, with the bodies flying, as Blair said.

"A different type of game than we've played," said Calhoun. "Reminded me of the games we played in the '90s."

It seemed neither team would blink at the end as both Blair and Thabeet played with four fouls and were forced to use a measure of caution.

It was then that the absence of Dyson hurt the Huskies, as Pittsburgh guard Levance Fields popped in back-to-back 3-point shots from NBA range to turn a 61-61 tie into a 67-61 lead.

Fittingly, a key play in the final minute came when Thabeet went up for a shot and was blocked by Blair, who sent the ball down the court to Jermaine Dixon for an uncontested layup.

"Give them credit," said Calhoun. "They're good. Very good."

Round 2 will be in Pittsburgh in the Big East regular-season finale March 7 - with a potential postseason meeting (or meetings) to be determined.

Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com.