PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Looking nothing like the No. 1 team in the nation -- or a team that is threatening to make the NCAA tournament for much of the night -- Pitt was defeated by Providence, 81-73, in a contest that could damage the Panthers' hopes of landing the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament next month.

Pitt, which ascended to the top spot in the polls Monday, will lose the No. 1 ranking for the second time this season. The Panthers were No. 1 for two weeks in January before losing at Louisville.

Pitt (25-3, 12-3) had its seven-game winning streak snapped and fell a game behind Connecticut and Louisville for first place in the Big East standings. More important, the Panthers have some work left ahead of them to ensure they still get one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament. The Panthers, who have never been a No. 1 seed, have three games remaining, including a tough two-game stretch to end the regular season against Marquette and Connecticut.

Providence, which greatly improved its chances of making the NCAA tournament, beat a No. 1 team for only the second time and for the first time in the past 33 years. The Friars (17-11, 9-7) made it look easy against the Panthers, sprinting to an 18-point halftime lead and never allowing the Panthers to get to within striking distance in the second half.

"We played terrible," sophomore center DeJuan Blair said. "We gave them the game."

This loss was uncharacteristic of Pitt in many ways. Providence shredded the Pitt defense with mystifying ease. The Friars scored more points than any other team had this season against the Panthers and shot 49 percent from the field. The Panthers compounded that problem by turning the ball over 18 times and looking ragged on offense for long stretches of the contest.

"I didn't recognize us," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said.

Providence players said they were underestimated by the Panthers. It was Senior Night for five Friars, and four of them scored in double figures.

"No one gave us a chance of winning this game," said Providence senior Jonathan Kale, who contributed 13 points. "We used that as motivation. We knew we were underdogs. No one thought we could win. Maybe they thought that, too. They definitely underestimated us."

Dixon did not believe his players overlooked the Friars. He said the Panthers had one of their best practices of the year Monday and were focused on the task at hand during a walk-through earlier in the day.

"We had as good a practice as we had all year," Dixon said. "So you can throw that out the window. We came out and were just horrible. We had 18 turnovers, and they had transition baskets, which gave them confidence. We were very careless with the ball. And then we got anxious when we got down."

There were signs that this wasn't going to be Pitt's night early on. Reserve guard Brad Wanamaker air-balled a breakaway layup. That was one of many first-half mistakes that Providence capitalized upon.

Pitt never led and was down, 44-26, at halftime after the Friars finished the half on a 15-1 run. The Panthers missed their final seven shots of the half while the Friars made five of their final six, including a 3-pointer from Sharaud Curry with 44 seconds remaining after one of Pitt's 10 first-half turnovers. The Friars capitalized with 12 points from those turnovers.

Providence was 19 for 36 from the field in the first half with its inside combination of Kale and Geoff McDermott doing most of the damage. Kale had 12 points in the first half and McDermott eight. They were a combined 9 for 11 from the field, and the Friars outscored Pitt, 33-14, in the paint, a statistic the Panthers usually dominate.

Providence had an 11-point lead less than five minutes into the game, and the closest Pitt got was four points. But, after Blair made the score 29-25 with 6:21 to go, the Friars closed the half with their big run that deflated the Panthers before intermission.

The Panthers recovered in the second half and outscored the Friars, 47-37, and made a late run that cut the lead to five with 51 seconds left. But it was too little too late for the team that didn't play with much urgency for the first 30 minutes.

"We battled back and competed," Dixon said. "We just couldn't sustain it. When you dig yourself a hole of 18 points, you put yourself in a situation where you almost have to play perfect to win.

And on this night, the Panthers were far from perfect.

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NOTES -- Freshman guard Ashton Gibbs scored a career-high 15 points and was 4 for 6 from 3-point range. ... Senior forward Sam Young was 7 for 18 from the field and turned the ball over four times. ...Blair had five turnovers. ...Providence outscored Pitt, 22-12, at the free-throw line.