Thoughts on Armando Bacot, Carlton Carrington, and Seth Trimble

January 2^nd, 2024

Today, I took the time to watch North Carolina and Pittsburgh play because it featured Pittsburgh’s 6-5 freshman guard, Carlton Carrington, as I was my first time watching him play in a live basketball game, and I wanted to see how he would fare against one of the top teams in the country. This game also featured other talented prospects such as Harrison Ingram, Armando Bacot, and Blake Hinson. Armando Bacot had a very good game against Pittsburgh, and he helped lead North Carolina to get the win. Here are my thoughts on how he and other various prospects fared in this game.

North Carolina’s 6-11 senior center, Armando Bacot scored 16 points, and had 10 rebounds and 3 blocks in his team’s win over Pittsburgh.
(Photo: Matt Freed/Associated Press)

Armando Bacot had a strong showing to help lead North Carolina to a double-digit win over Pittsburgh. He did a great job of making plays in the paint. He did a decent job of scoring in the post, as he showed solid strength and scoring touch to do so. He also showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays, and he would often run the floor to score on powerful dunks.

Plus, he also rebounded and defended well. Bacot did a terrific job of blocking shots to help his team protect the paint, and he would use his length, positioning, and timing to contest and alter shots to force misses. He also was able to dive for a loose ball on the ground to help his team get a steal.

Overall, Armando Bacot played very well, and he excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor to help his team get a win. He is a strong, mobile big man that excels at making plays in the paint, and he could end up being a good find for an NBA team in the 2024 draft.

Carlton Carrington had a fairly solid showing in his team’s loss to North Carolina. He is an agile, skilled guard that showed off a solid set of skills, and he showed promise as a scorer and defender, especially in the second half, but he also struggled to consistently knock down threes in this game.

Carrington did a decent job of knocking down pull-up, mid-range jumpers. He would predominantly look to go to his right to make them, although it did seem like he took a lot of those shots, and was quite streaky at times. He also showed the ability to score off the dribble, and he was able to push the pace to score on a quick drive in transition. He also showed that he can draw fouls when operating out of the post. Also, Carrington seemed to be much better at making mid-range jumpers than threes in this game. He did make a pair of threes, one off the catch and another off the dribble, but he also struggled to make threes consistently due to taking a lot of tough shots from beyond the arc.

He also displayed adequate playmaking skills. Carrington was able to make an assortment of passes to get the ball to his teammates in a variety of ways, and he showed that he can make passes on the move. On the downside, he would sometimes be careless with the ball, which would lead to turnovers. On one play, he lost the ball and had it stolen away, and another, he threw a hasty post pass into traffic that got intercepted.

Plus, he also was able to get his fair share of boards to help his team on the floor. Also, he played satisfactory defense in this game. Carrington was able to block a three-pointer to force a miss, and he did a good job of using his length and activity to contest jumpers to force misses. He also would apply significant ball pressure, and he was able to tie up an opposing ball handler to nearly get a steal. He also was able to catch passes that were deflected to help to help his team get steals. On the downside, he would sometimes struggle to defend opponents off the dribble, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

In summary, Carlton Carrington had a fairly solid showing in his team’s loss to North Carolina. He is a smooth, skilled combo guard that can run the point and make plays with the ball in his hands, and he showed both promising scoring and defensive skills. He especially seemed to be comfortable at making shots from mid-range. However, he will need to improve his three-point shot as well as his shot selection. He has above average athletic gifts, but is not an explosive athlete, but his versatility could enable him to be an intriguing option for NBA teams to consider selecting in the late first to the second round range of the 2024 draft.

Seth Trimble played well to help lead his team to a win over Pittsburgh. He is an athletic, skilled combo guard that primarily thrived as a shooter, scorer, and playmaker on the floor. He showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays, and he was able to catch a lob pass off of a cut to score on an alley-oop dunk. He also was able to make a deep three to show his scoring skills. He also scored on a strong, left-handed drive another time, but missed a couple of other times due to taking tough, rushed shots on those instances.

He also showcased perhaps adequate playmaking skills. He was able to throw an interior pass to set up a score for a teammate in transition. On the other hand, he had a ball stolen away from him that led to a turnover once.

Also, he did a very good job of rebounding the basketball, and he was able to haul in plenty of boards on both ends of the floor. He also played adequate defense. Trimble was able to poke a ball away to nearly get a steal once. On another play though, he was called for a foul due to holding an opponent in the backcourt.

Overall, Seth Trimble had a strong showing to help his team get the victory in this game. He really excelled as a shooter and scorer in this game, and he showcased his potential by scoring on a high-flying alley-oop dunk off of a cut in this game. He’ll still need to get more playing time in games, but he is a talented prospect that could potentially be a late first round pick in a future draft.

Pittsburgh’s 7-0 sophomore big man, Guillermo Diaz Graham had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to North Carolina. He excelled at making hustle plays, as he was able to score on dunks after getting the ball on the move, and he also overpowered an opponent to score on a strong drive to the hoop. Though he was able to make an open, spot-up three to showcase his potential to develop into a stretch big in the future, he had trouble making open threes in this game, as he didn’t shoot well from the outside. Also, he was a bit turnover prone, as he lost the ball when handling it once, and he also dropped a pass another time.

Though he didn’t grab many rebounds in this game, he was able to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor. He also defended fairly well. Diaz Graham did a very good job of blocking shots to help his team protect the paint due to possessing solid length, athleticism, and timing. He also was able to contest a corner three to force a miss. Overall, Diaz Graham didn’t shoot the ball well, but he is a fairly athletic, energetic big man that made hustle plays on both ends of the floor. He’ll need to improve his jump shot, but he could project to be a backup center at the NBA level.

RJ Davis had his ups and downs in this game, but he showed off some of his shot making prowess in his team’s win over Pittsburgh. He showed off a fairly solid ability to knock down threes and mid-range jumpers, especially when he would take spot-up threes and pull-up, mid-range jumpers. On the other hand, he was quite streaky with his jump shot, and he tended to miss when he would try to go all the way to the hoop to score off the dribble.

He also displayed decent playmaking skills. He did a good job of throwing accurate interior passes to set up scores for his teammates, and he also showed that he can throw accurate lob passes. But sometimes, he would try to do too much on offense, and he would occasionally over-dribble and commit turnovers. Overall, Davis didn’t have his best game, but he is an agile, skilled combo guard that can make a variety of shots to provide scoring for his team on offense. He’ll need to be a more consistent player in games, but he is a skilled combo guard that could end up making his way to the NBA someday.

Pittsburgh’s 6-11 Finnish center, Federiko Federiko played fairly well in limited minutes in this game. He is an athletic, energetic big man that made solid plays defensively, as he would get his hands on passes to get steals and deflections, and he also poked a ball off of an opponent out of bounds to force another turnover. He would contest shots in the paint, and he provided an active defensive presence for his team. On the downside, he would sometimes be too aggressive in trying to contest shots and make plays, which would lead him to be foul prone.

On offense, he didn’t take many shots, but he showed a fairly soldi ability to take slower opponents off the dribble to score on right-handed drives. On one play though, he dropped a pass that led to a team turnover. Overall, Federiko is an athletic, high-motor big man that defended well, and he showed promise as a scorer, as he showed the ability to score off the dribble. He’ll need to be more assertive on offense, and he will need to be more adept at screen setting and rolling to the rim, but he could project to be a backup center at the NBA level.

Elliot Cadeau quietly had a decent showing in his team’s win over Pittsburgh. He is an athletic, team-oriented point guard that made some solid plays on both ends of the floor. Despite not taking many shots in this game, he showed a satisfactory ability to score on strong drives to the hoop. On the other hand, he didn’t look to take outside shots in this game, but still, he was efficient as a shot maker against Pittsburgh.

He also showcased perhaps above average playmaking skills in this game. Cadeau is an unselfish, pass-first point guard that would make kick out passes off the dribble, and he also would find the open man to get the ball to his teammates. Sometimes though, he would try to force passes into tight spots, and sometimes his passes would go astray.

In this game, he didn’t grab any rebounds. He also played adequate defense in this game. Cadeau is an active, feisty defender that showed very good promise on this end of the floor despite being a bit undersized for his position, and he was able to play taller than his listed size. Cadeau was able to block a taller player’s shot when defending in the post. He also dove for a loose ball on the ground and tied up an opposing ball handler to nearly get a steal. On the downside, he would sometimes be too aggressive in contesting shots, and there were a couple of times where he would foul jump shooters.

Overall, Elliot Cadeau played fairly well in this game, and while he didn’t put up big stats, he made solid, team-oriented plays to help his team against Pittsburgh. He’ll still need to add a reliable outside shot to his arsenal in the future, but his ability to run the team at the point combined with his defensive potential could enable him to be an effective role player in the NBA in the future.

Pittsburgh’s freshman guard, Jaland Lowe quietly played well in his team’s loss to North Carolina. He showed a decent ability to score off the dribble as well as on pull-up, mid-range jumpers. He also was able to intercept a pass to get a steal. On the other hand, he didn’t make a three-point shot in this game, and was a bit turnover prone. Overall, Lowe is an agile, skilled combo guard that can score and defend, but he will need to improve his three-point shooting and playmaking skills, but if he continue to hone his overal game, he could end up being a reliable backup point guard at the NBA level.

Cormac Ryan had his ups and downs in this game. He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, as he missed all of his threes, but he did a better job of making mid-range jumpers. Plus, he also defended well, as he was able to jump on a dropped pass to get a steal, and he would contest shots to force misses. He also rebounded the ball very well. Overall, he didn’t have his best game, but his ability to knock down shots and three-point shooting prowess could enable him to compete for a roster spot in the NBA in the future.

Harrison Ingram has been having a good season this year, but he didn’t play very well in his team’s win over Pittsburgh. He struggled to shoot or score the basketball, and he missed an uncharacteristic number of open three-point shots. Still, Ingram was able to make a wide-open three-pointer once, and he also ran the floor to get the ball to score on a strong drive in transition. While he he generally struggled to score out of the post or on hustle plays in this game, Ingram still showed off some shooting and scoring skills, and his strength would allow him to finish plays around the basket at times.

He also passed and handled the ball well. Ingram is a good passer that sees the floor well, as he can push the pace, and make passes off the dribble as well as out of the post. Plus, he did a tremendous job of rebounding the basketball. He also defended well, and Ingram was able to block a put back in this game.

Overall, Harrison Ingram didn’t shoot the ball well, but he was able to do other things to help ensure that his team would get the win over Pittsburgh. He is a smart, skilled forward that can pass, rebound, and defend. While he didn’t shoot the ball well in this game, he’s shot the ball better this season. He is a skilled, versatile forward that could end up being a solid role player in the NBA.

Blake Hinson had an uncharacteristically bad shooting game in his team’s loss to North Carolina. Known for his shooting prowess, he actually didn’t shoot the ball well at all in this game. He didn’t look to score off the dribble that often, but he was able to use a jump stop move to score once. He also ran the floor to score on the break.

However, he often had trouble knocking down threes. He did run off of a ball screen to make an open three early on. He also used a pump fake to make a pull-up three another time. However, he would often miss on spot-up threes, and he couldn’t find his rhythm from beyond the arc in this game. He also had trouble scoring out of the post, as he just tried to rely on overpowering his opponents, but he didn’t show much in the way of moves, and he missed a couple of times around the basket.

He also was called for a push off when attempting to make a move out of the high post, which led him to commit an offensive foul and a turnover. Though he didn’t get many rebounds, he was able to chip in to get a few of them in this game. He also was able to make some solid defensive plays, as he would contest shots to force some misses. He also leapt up to deflect a pass out of bounds another time.

Overall, Blake Hinson didn’t shoot the ball very well, and he struggled to knock down shots in this game. He’ll need to regain his shooting touch, but despite his off shooting night in this game, he has shot the ball well this season, and he could project into a 3 and D role in the NBA.

I also watched this game to watch Pittsburgh’s junior forward, Zack Austin play. Right now, it’s clear that his defense is ahead of his offense. He was able to rotate to make two fantastic shot blocks to help his team protect the paint, and he is a very athletic, energetic player that can cover plenty of ground defensively. He also contested a midrange jumper to force a miss. He did commit a foul when defending a bigger player in the post, but overall Austin defended well in this game.

On the downside, he didn’t play nearly as well on offense. He wasn’t involved that much on offense, as he rarely took shots or did much on the offensive end, and Austin was held scoreless. He missed a turnaround jumper out of the post. He also missed an open corner three another time. He’ll need to do a better job of moving off the ball and finding open spots on the floor to get the ball, and he will need to improve his ability to get the ball off of cuts, as well as to improve his jump shot.

Overall, Austin had his ups and downs, but it’s clear that he needs to be a much better offensive player. He needs to significantly improve his jump shot, as that could be the key to his road to the NBA. He still could end up carving out a fairly solid and lengthy professional basketball career, but adding a reliable jump shot to his arsenal could help him improve his odds to make it to the NBA in the future.

All in all, those are my thoughts on how Armando Bacot, Carlton Carrington, and other various prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.