All the attention following Monday’s season-opening win over North Carolina A&T turned to Pitt freshman Carlton Carrington.
Accomplishing a rare feat will earn some spotlight, after all.
The newcomer from Baltimore became the second freshman in Atlantic Coast Conference history to post a triple-double in their debut, but he has his sights set on what’s next — Pitt (1-0) hosting Binghamton on Friday.
Carrington recorded a game-best 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the 100-52 win.
“That’s not even really something I’m thinking about,” Carrington said when asked how he can top his opening performance. “The win is the most important thing. The stuff that comes after, you know, that’s great. But at the end of the day, we’re trying to be champions. That’s what we’re really worried about.”
It marked the first time the Panthers scored 100 points in a regular-season game since December 2016.
Jorge Diaz Graham added 14 points, Federiko Federiko and Blake Hinson both had 13 and Ishmael Leggett poured in 11.
Meanwhile, Binghamton (0-1) gave Northwestern a fight, giving itself a chance to return home with its first victory over a Big Ten opponent. The Bearcats boasted an advantage for nearly 23 minutes — including a good part of the second half — in what wound up being a 72-61 defeat.
Tymu Chenery (13 points) paced Binghamton, which saw five players bucket double-figures. Symir Torrence followed with 12 points, Armon Harried 11, and Dan Petcash and Nehemiah Benson each had 10.
“We didn’t get the result we wanted, but it’s something we can build off,” Bearcats associate head coach Brian Johnson said. “We took the lead into half. … But we did a decent job guarding them, and we will continue to get better and learn from this.”
This will be the third time that Pitt and Binghamton cross paths. The Panthers came out on top in the first two — a 71-46 decision in 2009 and a 79-53 count in 2019.
–Field Level Media