With its lopsided win over NC A&T on Monday, Pitt advanced to 1-0 in the 2023-24 season.
Its next non-conference matchup will go down on Friday, Nov. 10 against Binghamton, a team from the America East Conference.
PITT’S OUTLOOK
The story of game No. 1 was freshman point guard Bub Carrington, who earned a triple double in his first-career college game. Carrington dropped 18 points, 12 rebounds, and ten assists in the win over NC A&T and earned the first triple double for the Pitt program since 1998 (Ricardo Greer).
In addition to Carrington, the Panthers earned positive contributions from just about everyone who saw the floor. Jorge Diaz-Graham went five for five from the field, scoring 14 points. Blake Hinson and Federiko Federiko combined for 26 points and 18 rebounds, and Ish Leggett and Zack Austin dropped a combined 19 points as well.
As Jeff Capel mentioned after the game, the competition level is only going to get tougher as the season moves on. That’s certainly the case with Binghamton, who looked strong in its first game of the year at Northwestern (lost by 11).
BINGHAMTON BEARCATS
HEAD COACH
Levell Sanders (3rd season)
Sanders’ Bearcats improved last season, winning one more game than they did in his previous year. In year one, they finished 12-17 overall, while in year two, they finished 13-18. Prior to this season, the Bearcats were predicted to finish No. 4 in the conference’s preseason poll, behind just Vermont, UMass Lowell, and Bryant.
BEST PLAYERS
Symir Torrence (Syracuse transfer) – Torrence had 12 points, 6 assists, and 8 turnovers against Northwestern
Dan Petcash (Pine-Richland alum) – Petcash played all 40 minutes against the Wildcats, scoring ten points and dishing out four assists.
Armon Harried – 6’5, 205-pound senior out of Baltimore scored 11 and grabbed 7 rebounds against Northwestern.
LAST YEAR
Binghamton finished 13-18 (8-8 America East) to finish tied for fourth in the league. Binghamton lost leaders Jacob Falko and Miles Gibson to graduation.
This offseason, there were rumblings that former Syracuse heavyweight NIL donor Adam Weitsman would not be donating to Syracuse’s NIL efforts any longer, but instead would support the Binghamton program.
METRICS
According to Kenpom.com, Kenpom.com ranks as the No. 285 team (out of 363) in college basketball this year. After Pitt’s massive season-opening win, the Panthers jumped up to No. 54 overall in the popular rankings.
GAME TIME
The game will tip off at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center on Friday, Nov. 10.
SPREAD
Pitt men’s basketball is a 17.5 point favorite over Binghamton tonight, according to FanDuel, DraftKings and BetRivers sports books. The spread for all three sites varies, but not by much, with BetRivers at over/under 144 points, FanDuel at over/under 143.5 points and DraftKings at over/under 144.5 points.
TV
You can find Monday’s game on ACC Network Extra. Kevin Wheeler and Julius Page will be on the call.
RADIO
The game will also be live on 93.7 The Fan.
