Pittsburgh Basketball takes on North Carolina A&T to open the 2023-24 season. What are the keys to watch out for in this confrontation?
After ending a six-year absence from the NCAA Tournament, Pittsburgh Basketball finally has some momentum in its program in the Jeff Capel era. But after losing five rotation players from the team last season, it will be up to some new faces to retain the title. Panthers viable this year.
Pittsburgh’s first opponent is North Carolina A&T, which 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, even though the Panthers will be heavy favorites at home, there are still some things to watch out for. Here are three topics I need to pay attention to.
1. The beginnings of Carlton Carrington
The biggest question throughout the offseason was how the ball-handling situation would play out without Nelly Cummings and Jamarius Burton. And so far, Carrington, the four-star freshman combo guard, has emerged as the key guy to watch. He looked impressive against Pitts-Johnstown, tied for the team lead in points. Let’s see how he looks against DI competition in his Pitt debut.
2. The two-way impact of Zack Austin
The Panthers landed two veteran transfers Austin and Ishmael Leggett. It’s clear what Leggett’s role will be, providing Pitt with double-digit scoring. But Austin has the ability to impact the game on both ends, even if it won’t be as clear cut. Will he be a double-digit scorer? Can he make some deep shots? And will we see him wreak havoc defensively against a smaller team? His stats sheet will be one to watch at the end of the match.
3. Bench production
Although Nike Sibande won the ACC 6th Man of the Year, Pittsburgh’s relatively small rotation didn’t yield much outside of the starters. This time around, the team should have a solid group of 9 men to work with. Expected improvements from bigs Guillermo and Jorge Diaz-Graham will help, as well as freshman guard Jaland Lowe.
William Jeffress is back after a season-long injury and what he brings to Pittsburgh could be huge since he is a versatile defender and can be a “glue guy.” And since the Panthers have primarily three guards, seeing if Mike Huiett Jr. gets minutes outside of trash time is also something to watch.
