CHICAGO (March 4, 2026) – UIC sophomore guard Elijah Crawford and freshman guard Andy Johnson have both received postseason accolades from the Missouri Valley Conference, it was announced Wednesday morning. Crawford was a dual honoree, earning a spot on the All-MVC Second Team as well as the MVC All-Newcomer Team, while Johnson was chosen for the MVC All-Freshman Team.
 
Crawford is the second UIC player to garner all-conference honors and the first to make the All-Newcomer Team since the Flames joined the MVC in 2022-23 (Jace Carter was also a second-team All-MVC choice that first season). Johnson is the first UIC player to be an MVC All-Freshman Team selection and first to make any all-rookie squad since Carter was on the 2021-22 Horizon League All-Freshman Team.
 
A native of Augusta, Ga., Crawford was a three-time MVC Newcomer of the Week this year despite missing most of the first two months of the season with an injury. In 19 games (13 starts), he leads UIC in scoring (13.2 ppg.), assists (4.6 apg.), steals (1.4 spg.) and assist/turnover ratio (1.81). Due to his early-season injury, he has not yet played in enough games to qualify for ranking in the MVC stats (minimum 65 percent of team's games), but were he to qualify, he would lead the conference in assists, while ranking fifth in steals, eighth in assist/turnover ratio and ninth in scoring.
 
During MVC play, Crawford appeared in the requisite number of games to be ranked (17, starting 12), and led the MVC in assists (4.8 apg.) while placing fourth in both steals (1.4 spg.) and assist/turnover ratio (2.00), and 11^th in scoring (13.9 ppg.).
 
All told, Crawford has scored in double figures in 15 of the 19 games he has played in this year (highlighted by three 20-point outings and a career-high 26 points at Bradley on Jan. 24), and he has 10 games with at least five assists, including a career-high 10 helpers at Evansville on Feb. 18.
 
Originally from Union, Ky., Johnson has been one of the MVC's top freshmen all season long, appearing in all 31 games (starting 30 times) and averaging 11.7 points per game, good for 18^th in the MVC and third among conference rookies. He also is fourth in the Valley in free-throw percentage (.858), 12^th in three-point percentage (.368) and 15^th in three-pointers per game (1.61).
 
Johnson has scored in double figures 17 times this year, second-most on the team, and led by a career-high 25 points in a double-overtime win over Bradley on Feb. 24 at Credit Union 1 Arena. He has also connected on multiple three-pointers in 14 games this year, including a career-high five triples in the aforementioned Bradley win, as well as six days earlier at Evansville, when he went a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc in only 22 minutes of action.
 
UIC (17-14, 12-8 MVC) finished in a tie for third place in the final MVC standings with its best conference finish since 2017-18, and will be the No. 5 seed for the 50^th annual MVC Tournament (aka "Arch Madness"). The Flames will open against fourth-seeded Murray State in the quarterfinal round at 2:30 p.m. (CT) Friday from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
 
Friday's quarterfinal will be televised live on the MVC TV Network, which includes ESPN+, and all UIC games at Arch Madness will be broadcast live and free of charge globally on the Flames Network at UICFlames.com. More information on the tournament can be found at both the UIC Arch Madness Fan Central and official Arch Madness Tournament web sites. All-session and single-session tickets in the UIC cheering section for Arch Madness are on sale through the UIC Athletics Ticket Office by calling 312-413-UIC1 (8421) or e-mailing athleticsticketing@uic.edu.
 
UIC's 12 conference wins this season were the most for the Flames in their four years as a Valley member and most in any conference since 2017-18, when they went 12-6 and placed third in the Horizon League (their last top-three league finish). UIC comes into Friday's Arch Madness quarterfinal having won 12 of its last 16 games and earned a first-round bye in the MVC Tournament for the first time since joining the conference.
 
For more information on UIC men's basketball, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_MBB and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_mbb and @uicflames).