Can Pitt join an elite group?

 

            NEWARK, N.J.  – I posed the question in my chat on Thursday about whether a team had ever beaten the same No. 1 team twice in the same season. Much to my surprise it has happened six times.

            Pitt will have a chance to become the seventh team if, as expected, Connecticut is elevated to No. 1 again on Monday. The Panthers play host to the Huskies Saturday afternoon in the regular-season finale at the Petersen Events Center.

            The last time it happened was 1998 when North Carolina beat No. 1 Duke twice, a little more than a month apart. On two other occasions, a team beat a No. 1 team twice, but it wasn’t the same team.

 

Here is the complete list of teams that have beaten two No. 1s in the same season:

 

Feb. 5, 1998, No. 2 North Carolina beat Duke 97-73

March 8, 1998, No. 4 North Carolina beat Duke 83-68

 

 Jan, 12, 1994, No. 17 Georgia Tech beat North Carolina 89-69

 Feb. 3, 1994, unranked Georgia Tech beat North Carolina 96-89

 

 Jan. 10, 1993, No. 10 Georgia Tech beat Duke 80-79

 March 14, 1993, unranked Georgia Tech beat North Carolina 77-75

 

 Jan. 20, 1990, No. 4 Missouri beat Kansas 95-87

 Feb. 13, 1990, No. 2 Missouri beat Kansas 77-71

 

 Feb. 25, 1990, No. 10 Oklahoma beat Missouri 107-90

 Feb. 27, 1990, No. 5 Oklahoma beat Kansas 100-78

 

 Dec. 10, 1965, No. 6 Duke beat UCLA 82-66

 Dec. 11, 1965, No. 6 Duke beat UCLA 94-75

 

 Jan. 8, 1955, unranked Georgia Tech beat Kentucky 59-58

 Jan. 31, 1955, unranked Georgia Tech beat Kentucky 65-59

 

 March 18, 1950, unranked CCNY beat Bradley 69-61

 March 28, 1950, unranked CCNY beat Bradley 71-68

 

Thanks for the assist from AP basketball writer Jim O’Connell, who is covering the game against Seton Hall tonight and was kind enough to look up the information for me.