PITTSBURGH — No. 1 and not done. Not yet anyway.

DeJuan Blair scored 23 points and cleaned up inside with 15 rebounds as Pittsburgh, playing its first game as the nation's top-ranked hoop team, pulled away in the second half for a 90-67 win today over St. John's, one of the few Big East Conference members not among the Top 25.

Leading by just five points at halftime, Pitt (15-0, 3-0 Big East) clamped down on defense and found its shooting range, knocking down three 3-pointers in a 17-6 spurt in the first seven minutes of the second half. By the time Blair was taken out with 8:47 left, the Panthers were up by 23 and putting on a show.

Jermaine Dixon added 17 points and Levance Fields had 13 points and nine assists for Pitt.

D.J. Kennedy, who won a Pennsylvania state high school title as Blair's teammate, scored 18 for the Red Storm (10-5, 1-2), who didn't have enough to withstand Pitt's second-half blitz.

After a 60-year wait, the Panthers took the floor perched atop The Associated Press Top 25 poll and they intend to stay there as long as possible.

That will be easier said than done. A Big East minefield lies ahead.

The conference had nine teams ranked in the Top 25 last week, and after hosting unranked South Florida on Wednesday, Pitt will face Louisville, Syracuse, West Virginia, Villanova and Notre Dame — all currently in the poll — in succession before the end of January.

The Panthers can probably blame an eight-day layoff since their last game for some first-half ugliness and rustiness, but after a halftime adjustment, they came out roaring in the second half and looked much more worthy of their new-found status as college basketball's team du jour.

Pittsburgh entered the day as one of three unbeaten teams along with Wake Forest and Clemson, but with a brutal schedule ahead, running the table may be impossible.

After Sean Evans' layup got St. John's within 43-40 early in the second half, Pitt went to work.

Dixon made a 3-pointer, Blair snatched a rebound for a putback and Fields and Sam Young hit consecutive 3-pointers as Pitt built a 56-42 lead.

When Blair went out for a breather, it was 73-50 and Pitt's 6-foot-7, 235-pound enforcer, who had 10 offensive rebounds, flapped his arms urging the Panthers faithful to cheer.

Moments later, they tried out a new chant: "We're No. 1."

Before this week, Pittsburgh had never been ranked first in hoops and the school hadn't held down the top spot in football since 1982, when quarterback Dan Marino was slinging touchdown passes for the Panthers.

It was a proud day for Pitt and a big day for the sports-crazed city as the Steelers were hosting the San Diego Chargers in an AFC playoff game later in the day. There were more than a few Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward and Jack Lambert jerseys mixed in among the 12,508 fans in Petersen Events Center.

Pitt's football team, well, it's future football team was well represented as several Panthers recruits were on hand. A few of them made their verbal commitments during the game, much to the delight of Pitt fans.

Despite a starting lineup of four sophomores and a freshman, St. John's wasn't intimidated by Pitt's lofty ranking or its rowdy student "Zoo" section.

With Kennedy and Quincy Roberts driving to the basket, the Red Storm got several easy layups inside and their aggressive man-to-man defense had the Panthers frustrated for much of the first half. Pitt's best offense seemed to be throwing the ball up near the vicinity of the rim and hoping Blair could get it.

He scored 12 points with seven rebounds in the first half, but spent the final 3:50 on the bench after picking up his second foul.

Blair sat down with the game tied 32-all, but while their big man was out the Panthers closed the first half with a 9-4 run, highlighted by an alley-oop dunk by Brown and Young's slam to take a 41-36 halftime lead.