“Let him cook” is a commonly used phrase/meme on social media with the desire to let someone continue what they’re doing in hopes of a favorable result. In other words, how Bub Carrington played the past two games. It’s also an easy way to describe the hot streak Blake Hinson is on.
Both players were critical to Pitt’s 70-60 home victory against Notre Dame, as the Panthers (14-8, 5-6 ACC) have won two in a row inside the Petersen Events Center. The victory marked the 300th win inside the Pete in program history.
Carrington struggled at Miami (four points on 2-11 shooting) after a 19-point day at Georgia Tech and hadn’t faired well at home. Carrington responded in Pitt’s latest home stint after a shaky performance against No. 7 Duke (10 points on 4-16 shooting) and being held scoreless when the Panthers hosted Syracuse.
The 6-foot-5 freshman from Baltimore delivered a career-high 24 points against Wake Forest Wednesday, the most of any player in the matchup. Carrington played the entire game, shot 7-15 from the floor, made two threes, and drilled 8-9 attempts at the free-throw line.
Hinson has flourished since his 7-7 day behind the arc in Pitt’s upset at Duke inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. Hinson scored 24 against the Blue Devils, nine at Georgia Tech, 21 in Miami, and 17 facing the Demon Deacons.
Carrington and Hinson were on their A-game Saturday against the Irish (7-15, 2-9). The former led the charge in the first half, while the latter dominated the second. It took over 17 minutes for Hinson to reach the scoresheet, but closed the first half with seven points. He closed the game with 17 points on 4-7 shooting, including 4-6 from three and 5-7 at the charity stripe. Hinson added four rebounds in 39 minutes.
Bub contributed 16 points on 5-10 shooting, including three triples and a +10 differential on the floor in 20 minutes. He’s now averaging 13.7 points per game, while Hinson remains at 18.
“Expect the best from yourself, expect the best from your teammates, and everything else will fall in line,” Carrington said after the win.
Foul trouble took Carrington out of the game on two separate occasions before ultimately fouling out. Carrington picked up his third personal with 16:01 in the second half and was subsequently subbed out. His fourth came with 7:52 left in regulation. Carrington fouled out with 3:05 left in the game, with the Panthers ahead 62-46. He’s scored 16 or more points in three of the last four games.
Pitt used 9-0 and 7-0 runs in the second half to build a double-digit lead (46-34) with under 13 minutes remaining. The Panthers were up by as many as 17 with three minutes left and shot 45% from the floor. Pitt made 10 threes and totaled 12 assists on 22 field goals. NC State (15-7, 7-4) is next up on the schedule as the Panthers hit the road for the first of two straight road games.
Nice win, but now we got to win 1 of 2 on the road. The schedule is favorable down the stretch, but I think only 5 or 6 ACC teams will make the tournament. We need to be well above .500 in the ACC to stake our case. The talent is there! H2P!