Men’s NCAA Basketball has been anything but boring this season.

One after another, the top three teams in last week’s ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll couldn’t take the pressure.

First, #1 ranked Connecticut was defeated by Pittsburgh. Then, No. 3 North Carolina lost at Maryland in overtime. And to finish off a perfectly fitting peak to a crazy week, Oklahoma – without an injured Blake Griffin for most of the game — was handed its first Big 12 loss by Texas.

So when the new rankings were released today, Pitt became the understandable favorite to bounce from # 4 to # 1 — the second time the Panthers have hit the top of the poll this season. Pitt also is # 1 in The Associated Press media poll.

Pitt (25-2) found themselves at # 1 on Jan. 5 for the first time in school history and held the top spot for a second week before a loss to Louisville ended its run. The Panthers’ 4-to-1 jump was only the sixth such move during the regular season in the 12 years of ESPN’s affiliation with the coaches’ poll. The last time came in November 2003, when Kansas moved from fifth to first, just as the season begun.

Pitt has four regular-season games left, concluding that portion of its schedule with a home date against UConn (25-2) on March 7. The Huskies, second in the new poll, lead the Big East at 13-2, a half-game ahead of Pitt, Marquette and Louisville, all 12-2.

UConn fell to #2 in the rankings.

Oklahoma (25-2) sits  at #3 and Memphis (24-3 and 12-0 in Conference USA) jumped from sixth to fourth. ACC leader North Carolina (24-3) fell to fifth. The Sooners face No. 15 Kansas (22-5) Monday night in Norman (ESPN, 9 ET) with first place in the Big 12 on the line. Both are 11-1 in the conference.

Louisville (21-5), Duke (22-5), Missouri (23-4), Michigan State (21-5) and Marquette (23-4) made up the remainder of the top 10, with Missouri making a two-spot jump.

Despite a five-game winning streak , Arizona State (21-5) again was denied top 10 entry. The Sun Devils led off the second 10 in the poll, followed by Villanova (22-5), Clemson (22-4), Wake Forest (20-5), the Jayhawks, Purdue (21-6), Gonzaga (21-5), LSU (23-4), UCLA (20-7) and Illinois (20-6).

Washington (20-7), Xavier (22-5), Butler (23-4), Texas (18-8) and Florida State (21-6) complete the rankings, with the Utah State and Syracuse no longer in the top 25.

Click here for complete rankings.