Villanova point guard Elijah Crawford arrives after leading UIC with 14.1 points, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game as a sophomore. Kevin Willard chose him for his free-throw shooting, defense and pick-and-roll play; Crawford made 27.6% of his 3-pointers at UIC.
Crawford made 75.3% of his free throws and attempted 3.3 three-pointers per game. The preview says opponents focused on him at UIC and suggests more open looks at Villanova could improve his outside shooting; that remains a possibility, not an established result.
A four-star recruit, Crawford began his college career at BYU, averaging 5.1 minutes in 21 games as a freshman before transferring to UIC for more playing time. In his final two games for the Flames, he scored 28 points in the MVC championship loss to Northern Iowa, then had 14 points and a career-high 12 assists, with two turnovers, against California in the NIT.
