The Pitt men’s basketball team climbed three spots to No. 2 in this week’s AP poll after… The Pitt men’s basketball team climbed three spots to No. 2 in this week’s AP poll after defeating Syracuse — previously ranked No. 3 — and DePaul this week.

The Panthers climbed past Duke, Syracuse and Kansas — which suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday against Texas.

Pitt, now 19-1 heading into Monday night’s game against No. 15 Notre Dame, also received a first-place vote from one of the voters whose selections comprise the rankings.

Ohio State still sits atop the polls at 20-0, but the Buckeyes will face a stiff challenge when they host No. 12 Purdue on Tuesday night.

Syracuse dropped to No. 9 after losses to Pitt and Villanova last week. Villanova rose to No. 7 in the rankings.

Connecticut (No.5), Georgetown (No. 21) and Louisville (No. 23) contribute to give the Big East seven top-25 teams in this week’s poll, including four teams in the top 10.