Villanova Basketball 2020 Player Recap: Chris Arcidiacono

The Breakdown

As a player in a crowded freshman class and a busy rotation, Chris Arcidiacono was one of the odd men out when it came to the 2019-20 rotation.

However, the younger Arcidiacono did find his way in eight basketball games this season, logging a total 19 minutes throughout his appearances.

His two longest outings were against Army (Nov. 5) and Middle Tennessee State (Nov. 21), where he got to play for six minutes each. He sank his first collegiate shot in the beatdown of the Blue Raiders, where the team had the hot hand and sank 18 treys as a unit.

Arcidiacono made a three-pointer in the victory, his lone points of the year. He would go a limited 1-of-6 on the floor for the entire season. He did also have two assists, two steals, and four turnovers.

There wasn’t too much to dissect from Arcidiacono’s game, although his limited role in the rotation was likely indicative of his spot on the pecking order. Outside of the limited action, there were also five minutes of action in the exhibition against USC, as well as the unofficial Blue-White scrimmage, where our own Brendan Reilly wrote this about Arcidiacono:

“Considering that I counted three separate times that Chris Arcidiacono was diving on the court for a loose ball, it’s not hard to see that he has the same tenacity and toughness that his older brother Ryan played with. The younger Arcidiacono by far had the most energy of anyone on the court last night, and held his own on both ends.

Arcidiacono’s biggest strength on offense right now will be as relief at point guard and his skills as a spot up shooter. He’s a scrappy defender that has some size, but he was out of position or got blown by on more than one occasion. It’s clear that he has the athleticism and skill to be playing on this team, the question is how big his role will be this season.”

Looking Ahead

We got the answer to Brendan’s final question. It was strange seeing an Arcidiacono on the bench, but as the younger one has shown in high school, he can pour it on those who underestimate him. He’s had big time performances in crucial games.

Granted that was at the high school level, but he’s not here to sight-see, and no one is truly certain of what’s going on behind closed doors. Jay Wright has done well in making the most out of diamonds in the rough over the last decade. Besides, there isn’t an immediate pressure for Arcidiacono to light the scoreboard on fire.

It’s possible he evolves from under-the-radar recruit to key player down the line, and Jay Wright has already tabbed him as a player to watch next season, specifically highlighting Bryan Antoine, Eric Dixon, and Arcidiacono—three players that had more limited roles this year—as a few players to note that will represent an important class next year. Factor in a season’s worth of experience in the system, who knows?