HARTFORD, Conn. — It wasn't just a game between No. 1 and No. 4. It was a game between two of the Big East's most physical teams. And it was played just the way it was expected to be.

"That was the most physical game I ever played in my entire life," said DeJuan Blair after getting 22 points and 23 rebounds in No. 4 Pittsburgh's 76-68 victory over No. 1 Connecticut yesterday, the Panthers' first win over a top-ranked team. "There were elbows flying, bodies flying. We just went after each other the whole game."

Connecticut (24-2, 12-2 Big East) coach Jim Calhoun referred to the games played in the conference over a decade ago.

"The Big East games in the '90s were like this," he said after having his team's 13-game winning streak stopped. "They came in here and played a style of basketball we haven't seen this year and it was effective against us."

The biggest of those plays were 3-pointers from Levance Fields, who scored all 10 of his points in the final 3:09. His first 3 gave the Panthers (24-2, 11-2) the lead for good at 64-61 with 3:09 left. His second 3 with 2:21 left made it 67-61, and he added four free throws in the final minute.

"It seemed like a typical game to us, big bodies, good players, playing hard on a national stage," said Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, a former Hawai'i assistant. "It didn't seem too much of a change for us."