Pittsburgh Basketball: 3 keys to season opening matchup with North Carolina A&T
Pittsburgh Basketball takes on North Carolina A&T to open the 2023-24 season. What are the keys to watch in this matchup?
After ending its 6-year drought of not making the NCAA Tournament, Pittsburgh Basketball finally has some program momentum in the Jeff Capel era. But after losing five rotation players from last season’s team, it’ll be up to some new faces to keep the Panthers viable this year.
Pittsburgh’s first opponent is North Carolina A&T, who went 13-19 (8-10 CAA) last season. It’s a completely different roster for the Aggies, with the top seven scorers all gone. So while the Panthers will be a big home favorite, there are still some things to keep watch. Here are three topics I have to look out for.
1. Carlton Carrington’s debut
The biggest question throughout the offseason was how the ball-handling situation would work out without Nelly Cummings and Jamarius Burton. And so far, Carrington, the four-star freshman combo guard, has become the key guy to watch. He looked impressive against Pitts-Johnstown, tying for the team-lead in points. Let’s see how he looks against D-I competition in his Pitt debut.
2. Zack Austin’s two-way impact
The Panthers landed two veteran transfers in Austin and Ishmael Leggett. It’s clear what Leggett’s role will be, providing Pitt with double-digit scoring output. But Austin has the ability to impact the game on both ends, though it won’t be as clear. Will he be a double-digit scorer? Can he make some shots from deep? And will we see him wreak havoc on the defensive end against a smaller team? His stat sheet will be something to watch at the end of the game.
3. Bench production
Although Nike Sibande won ACC 6th Man of the Year, Pittsburgh’s relatively small rotation didn’t give a lot outside of the starters. This time around, the team should have a solid 9-man group to work with. The expected improvements from bigs Guillermo and Jorge Diaz-Graham will be helpful, along with freshman guard, Jaland Lowe.
Next. Top 25 ACC players for the 2023-24 season. dark
William Jeffress is back after a season-long injury and what he provides Pittsburgh could be huge since he’s a versatile wing defender and can be a “glue guy”. And since the Panthers have mainly three guards, seeing whether Mike Huiett Jr. gets minutes outside of garbage time is also something to watch as well.