Tyler Burton

Hometown: Uxbridge, Massachusetts
High School/Previous School: Marianapolis Prep/Richmond
Height: 6-7
Weight: 215

Tyler Burton Player Preview:

The final piece of Kyle Neptune’s 2023-24 roster, Tyler Burton elected to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and transfer to Villanova from the University of Richmond on May 31st.

Burton has spent the past four seasons at Richmond – achieving both team success (2021-2022 A-10 Champs) and individual success (Second Team All-Atlantic 10 twice and the Atlantic 10 Most Improved Player.

As it was mentioned in VUHoops’s Media Day Article, Burton was “THE guy” at Richmond. Last season, he hit a career-high in points (19 per game – 10 more than anyone else on the roster) and steals (1.5 per game). On top of being Richmond’s leading scorer the last two years, he’s also been the lead rebounder for the previous three (7.4 RPG last season).

The stats don’t stop there as he can be a threat from three-point range. Burton averaged 36% during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons but dropped down to 29% this past year.

Burton has also enjoyed March Madness success with Richmond, as he dropped 18 points and 11 rebounds in Richmond’s upset win over Iowa in the 2022 NCAA Round of 64. Richmond ultimately fell to Providence in the following game. This was Richmond’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2011.

He left Richmond as one of the program’s all-time top scorers and rebounders.

With his resume, he likely could’ve gone anywhere he wanted in terms of transferring for a final year of college hoops – so what about Villanova won him over?

Burton mentioned that “I was looking for a place with a rich tradition, a chance to be part of a really good team, and a place that fit my values as a person and how I play on the court. Villanova checked all those boxes for me.”

Fun Fact – the article above mentions that Baker Dunleavy, Villanova’s General Manager, was the first coach to offer him a basketball scholarship while Dunleavy was the head coach at Quinnipiac.

Expectations heading into the season have been quickly building – Burton was one of 20 players recently named to the Julius Erving Award watch list, which highlights the nation’s top small forward. Villanova fans are likely familiar with the award as recent winners include Josh Hart (2017), Mikal Bridges (2018), and Saddiq Bey (2020).

In terms of on the court – Coach Kyle Neptune described Burton as a “swiss army knife”. “His versatility and willingness to do it on both ends for this team will show.”

While it may not be fair to align expectations with an intersquad scrimmage – Burton was debatably the most impressive player on the court (reminder: Justin Moore did not play). He was able to attack the hoop, shoot from deep, and pull in rebounds against the likes of Dixon/Njoku. Overall, Burton didn’t just seem to fit in – he has potential to thrive here at Villanova.

One thing I’m looking forward to the most is Burton has been a guy who was likely No.1 on every opponent’s scouting reporting for the last two years. Now he’s walking out on the court as what? The third or fourth option? Guys who can score around 20 points per game at Division I hoops don’t grow on trees (Burton was third in A10 scoring last year).

He has the chance to take away a lot of attention from Justin Moore and/or Eric Dixon and vice versa which should lead us Villanova fans very excited at that thought.

Ultimately, it seems that Burton doesn’t care about individual stats – he just wants to win.

Best Case Scenario: Villanova captures its fourth Julius Erving award in eight years as Burton is named the premier small forward in college basketball. Tyler exceeds all expectations and is a perfect piece to go alongside leaders Justin Moore and Eric Dixon, who turn into a lethal three headed attack for the Cats. Burton proves to be a critical piece as Villanova enjoys a successful post season which includes plenty of wins in March (and maybe April too).

Worst Case Scenario: Adjusting to life in the Big East proves to have a steeper learning curve than fans think, and Burton goes through some ups and downs throughout the season. Burton sees him shift to a 5th or 6th option offensively but earns his minutes through strong defense and not making a ton of mistakes. Villanova still enjoys a fine season, but a lack of high-end play prevents them from making a deep, deep run.