Villanova Linked to Two Top Big Ten Transfers

The men’s basketball transfer portal opened at midnight on April 7, and reports are already linking Villanova to a pair of top players.

The Wildcats will host Oregon transfer Kwame Evans Jr. for a visit this week, per College Basketball Content.

A 6-foot-10 forward out of Baltimore who put up 13.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game as a junior, Evans can play the four — a major position of need for Villanova — and is an excellent two-way player. He retains one season of eligibility.

Despite growing up in Maryland, Evans didn’t receive much attention from Wildcats’ head coach Kevin Willard during his initial recruiting cycle. Evans adds some floor-stretching capability, attempting 102 of 271 shots from three this past season and converting 30.4 percent of the time.

The Wildcats are also linked to Ohio State junior Devin Royal, a 6-foot-6 junior forward/wing. Royal averaged 13.7 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Buckeyes this past season and took roughly one-third of his shots from three, making 31.6 percent of them. Travis Branham of 247Sports reports a link between Royal and Villanova, but the recruiting site predicts that he’ll wind up at UConn.

Initially recruited as a power forward, Royal’s height makes him a better fit on the wing.

For a related story, the Wildcats have also expressed interest in a top Cornell transfer.