Pitt’s DeJuan Blair (45) celebrates with teammate Levance Fields (2) after scoring a basket during the second half of the Panthers’ 70-54 triumph at Georgetown Saturday. Pitt may be rannked No. 1 this week.

WASHINGTON — DeJuan Blair knew that he was not the main focus of the two dozen or so NBA scouts or the national television audience. The featured attraction was supposed to be college basketball's latest flavor-of-the-month, Georgetown freshman Greg Monroe.

In the second half, however, it was Blair who was thumping his chest while chants of "Let's Go, Pitt!" came from the thousands of upper-deck fans who made the trip to the nation's capital. Blair and the No. 3 Panthers were muscling their way to a 70-54 win Saturday over the No. 11 Hoyas, ending Georgetown's 29-game home winning streak.

"I played with something on my back saying, 'They're picking this young cat against me, and I'm not going to take it,"' Blair said. "I was always an underdog throughout my whole life. I think I showed a lot of people."

Pitt may be No. 1 in this week's Associated Press poll as North Carolina and Connecticut — ranked ahead of the Panthers last week — lost over the weekend.

Blair had 20 points and 17 rebounds, and the Panthers (14-0, 2-0 Big East) never trailed as they dominated the Hoyas on the boards, in the paint and with their depth.

Rebounds: 46-21. Points in the paint: 48-22. Bench scoring: 14-2. Needless to say, those questions about the Panthers' early schedule — this was their first game against a ranked team — are now firmly put to rest.

"They were saying, 'Who did Pitt play?"' Blair said. "We came into Georgetown and showed them what we can do. They can't say nothing now."

Tyrell Biggs and Sam Young added 14 points apiece for the Panthers, who shot 53 percent in the second half in a rematch of the last two Big East tournament championship games. Levance Fields had eight assists and no turnovers, raising his ratio to an astounding 91-to-19 on the season.