No. 4 Pittsburgh jumped out to an early lead and outlasted No. 3 Syracuse on Monday night.
The Panthers raced out to a 19-0 lead before winning 74-66.
"It was a strange game," coach Jamie Dixon said of the game, in which Pittsburgh needed a second run to win.
Brad Wanamaker added 15 points to help the Panthers (18-1) improve to 6-0 in the Big East for the first time.