Pittsburgh Basketball: 5 takeaways from 2023-24 non-conference results

1. The arrival of Carlton Carrington

When Dior Johnson left the team before the start of the season, there were plenty of questions about the team’s backcourt. That was answered on opening night, as freshman Carlton “Bub” Carrington got the program’s first-ever triple-double in their debut, as Pitt dominated NC A&T.

Carrington, a 6’4 freshman guard from Baltimore, leads the Panthers with 5.3 apg, along with 13.8 ppg and 5.2 apg. His shooting splits were unbelievable to start the year but it has dipped to 31% from deep on 6.5 attempts. Some of his weaknesses have started to get exposed, such as a real inability to go left, along with a hesitancy to drive to the basket through contact.

Still, Carrington has been a star for the Panthers, solidifying the point guard position and giving them a real threat from deep. He’s going to have his freshmen growing pains and it’ll affect the team in league play. But the four-star prospect has been better than anyone expected and a favorite to win ACC Player of the Year.

Carrington is currently a projected 1st-round pick in recent mock NBA Drafts so he could very well end up being a “one and done” for Pittsburgh Basketball. If he’s good enough to be a clear pro this soon, that might bode well for the team’s chances to get big wins in league play.