Amid this final stretch of the 2023-'24 season for Pitt comes a test of growth for Jeff Capel's two star freshmen.
Once heralded as four-star prospects, Bub Carrington and Jaland Lowe have been major reasons why the Panthers are, so to speak, in position to be in position to compare resumes for the NCAA Tournament with like programs across the country. The bubble was kind to the Panthers last season, as that team eked into the dance by virtue of major wins over ranked opponents, entering the final day of the regular season in first place in the league, and amounting a win in the ACC Tournament to solidify positioning among the field of 68.
But that team was laced with veterans across the board. That roster was built with players who had experiences elsewhere and, in some cases, experiences of prior NCAA Tournament games. This territory is new for Lowe and Carrington. Their growth is one to be embraced as the Panthers vie for their postseason hopes with four games across two weeks left in the regular season.
"It's just time," Lowe said. "Just trying to be the best version of myself for the team so we can win. I try to do anything I can to help us win."
In the instance of Pitt's 79-64 win over Virginia Tech Saturday at the Petersen Events Center, a correlation can be drawn to Lowe and Carrington's contributions having a direct result on the outcome. The game was tied at 36 after one half. Carrington racked up two fouls in the span of 25 seconds, and Virginia Tech outscored Pitt 29-24 during the time Carrington spent on the bench.
"When Bub went out with his second foul we were plus-seven, we were up seven. He gives us a different look," Capel said. "(The freshmen are) each really good but they're different. Bub gives us a different look in how we attack ball screens. With him out that took away something that we do, I think, pretty well."
But the brilliance of the freshman duo showed up in the second half. It was capped with a nifty Lowe skip-pass to himself, after which he hit a wide-open Carrington on the right wing for a 3. The bucket put Pitt ahead 53-42 with 12:59 remaining and was a major, crowd-pleasing piece to an 18-0 Panthers run that spanned more than five minutes across the second half.
"I just think (Carrington is) a good player. I think that's it," Capel said. "Even when he was out in the first half he was still into the game on the bench, talking to the guys individually. When we came back for timeouts, talking to the guys about what he sees out there and then he was able to come out and execute that in the second half."
Carrington did not take a shot in the first half and still finished with seven points by making 3 of 4 looks from the field.
"He's a good basketball player. A real good looking young man," Hokies coach Mike Young said. "He plays off of two feet, which is good fundamental basketball, and (has a) shot-fake. He's a dandy. He'll be a good one for coach Capel for years to come."
Meanwhile, Lowe was off to a slow start after 20 minutes. He cashed in just one of his five shots but finished with eight points by way of converting 5 of 6 free throws in his 18 minutes. Lowe picked up in the second half for 10 points on 5 of 8 attempts from the field. In all, he had 18 on 6 of 13 attempts to go with four rebounds and six assists against the Hokies.
Capel will need more of that from his freshmen with a crucial matchup at Clemson at 7 p.m. Tuesday. He has already received that from Lowe since making a major move that affected the overall flow of the Panthers' rotations.
Lowe's infusion into the starting rotation over Ish leggett has been an unsung move from Capel this season. Lowe has paid Capel back by growing with each opportunity and has joined Carrington for a formidable one-two punch of freshmen in his backcourt.
Since moving into the Panthers' starting rotation January 6, Lowe has averaged 12.0 points and has posted four or more assists in six out of those 13 games. In the 14 games he has come off the bench, Lowe posted 12 points just once. Carrington hasn't posted a double-digit scoring line over the Panthers' last four games, but Lowe has averaged 13.0 points per game in that same stretch.
The two freshmen are beginning to mature and feed off of each other, making Pitt a tricky team to judge come tournament time.
