Ronald Ramon and DeJuan Blair made sure Pittsburgh would not be denied another Big East championship yesterday, reports the Associated Press. The Panthers had been to the title game seven times, with only one win, until upsetting No. 9 Georgetown, 74-65. Ramon had 17 points and Blair had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Panthers (26-9), who grabbed the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
Roy Hibbert had 17 points for the Hoyas (27-5), who were trying to sweep the regular-season title and the tournament for the second straight year. Sam Young, who had 6 points in the title game, was named tournament MVP. Pittsburgh out-rebounded Georgetown 41-29, including 19 offensive rebounds. The Hoyas were just 8 for 24 in 3-pointers and committed 14 turnovers. (More NCAA stories.)