Villanova Men’s Basketball Fills Major Need at Point Guard

Villanova Men’s Basketball made a surprise addition on Sunday, April 19, with University of Illinois Chicago transfer point guard Elijah Crawford announcing his commitment to the Wildcats in an Instagram story.

A 6-foot-3, 187 pound rising junior, Crawford averaged 14.1 points, 4.9 assists and 2.6 turnovers per game for a Flames team that made the Missouri Valley Conference championship. He appeared in 23 games, starting 17.

Crawford did most of his damage from two-point range, attempting just 76 of 267 shots from beyond the arc; he made 52.4 percent of shots from two, but struggled from deep. He played at BYU as a freshman, averaging 5.1 minutes per game off the bench. Big East play will mark a significant step up from the MVC, but Crawford at least has an idea of what power conference basketball entails.

His addition fills the Wildcats’ biggest remaining need, although they could look for more than one other point guard given his experience level. They probably still need a center, as Kwame Evans Jr. fits better at the four, and could use a backup point guard and a backup big man.

Other than that, Villanova can flesh out their roster with reserves and redshirt candidates. Crawford’s addition leaves the Wildcats with eight spots open on their roster ahead of next season, and they should have at least four starting spots accounted for.