Matt Carlino to Transfer to Marquette

Mar 19, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Brigham Young guard

during practice before the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

After being benched during the middle of the 2013-2014 season, former BYU guard Matt Carlino decided that after three years playing for the Cougars, he would transfer elsewhere. Whether that event was a direct cause of the senior point guard’s decision is unknown, but it was evident the relationship between Carlino and the BYU program was strained once he took on the role as the team’s sixth man.

After the program announced his plans to transfer on April 1^st, the Bloomington, Ind. native has finally chosen his next destination.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, Carlino will join the Marquette Eagles for his last year of eligibility. The 6’2”, 175 pound southpaw guard will graduate from BYU this June with a degree in recreation management, making him eligible to play immediately.

Marquette presents Carlino with an interesting situation. The team returns its starting point guard from last season, Derrick Wilson, who averaged 5.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists and only 1.5 turnovers during his junior season.

The Golden Eagles also return Todd Mayo, the younger brother of Dallas Mavericks guard O.J. Mayo, who was third on the team in points per game with 11.3.

Carlino’s integration into that backcourt will be very interesting to watch develop With Wilson running the point primarily, Carlino may have to play off the ball a little bit, something he was not asked to do at BYU.

The transition from Marquette to Provo will go smooth if Carlino builds on his successes at the end of the season. In the last 20 games of the season, Carlino posted an assist-to-turnover of 3.2, trumping the perception that Carlino is statistically careless with the basketball. Carlino shot 40.4 percent from the field while taking on a sixth man role, which was significantly better than 36.7 percent clip he posted in the first 15 games of the season.

Carlino turned into a much more efficient offensive player in his new role. If he carries that into a new situation, he will turn some heads on the national level while playing in the Big East.