Tag: connor essegian

WATCH: Wisconsin basketball recreates San Francisco 49ers’ boombox walk-in

WATCH: Wisconsin basketball recreates San Francisco 49ers’ boom box walk-in

Wisconsin basketball arrived to its NCAA Tournament round of 64 matchup with No. 12 seed James Madison in style earlier tonight.

The team somewhat recreated the San Francisco 49ers’ famous walk-in with a boombox blaring music. Assistant equipment manager Robert Lloyd carries the boombox for the 49ers as they enter the field. For Wisconsin, it’s sophomore guard Connor Essegian.

Related: Social media relitigates Zach Edey’s whistle from Wisconsin’s upset win over Purdue

The Badgers and James Madison Dukes are set for a 9:40 p.m. Eastern tipoff at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Wisconsin will need to start fast to avoid the fates of Kentucky, Auburn, BYU and other top seeds that were upset. Badgers fans likely hope the entrance can have something to do about that:

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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WATCH: Wisconsin G Connor Essegian predicted dramatic overtime win over Purdue

Connor Essegian had a crystal ball:

Wisconsin basketball’s 75-74 overtime win over Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal was one of the program’s best wins in years.

For me, it’s the Badgers’ best victory since Chucky Hepburn’s banked-in buzzer-beater to beat Purdue and clinch the Big Ten title at the end of the 2021-22 regular season.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

The performance had everything. It had questionable foul calls on and against Purdue star big man Zach Edey, a dramatic overtime-forcing buzzer beater from Hepburn and a classic back-and-forth finish with Max Klesmit’s basket with five seconds remaining proving to be the difference.

The Big Ten Network cameras were predictably right there for all of the action. As released on X Wednesday afternoon, the cameras actually caught Wisconsin guard Connor Essegian saying “this is gonna be iconic” right before Hepburn’s basket and the ensuing heroics.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Report: Wisconsin G Connor Essegian reveals transfer decision

Report: Wisconsin G Connor Essegian reveals transfer decision

Wisconsin guard Connor Essegian said he does not plan to enter the transfer portal after the Badgers season finishes, instead opting to return to Madison for his junior season, according to a report from Rivals’ BadgerBlitz.

The report dropped on the eve of Wisconsin’s first Big Ten Tournament matchup against the Maryland Terrapins. Greg Gard’s team has two guaranteed games remaining — many more if the team can stack wins. After that, roster turnover will begin for teams across the sport.

Related: Wisconsin social media all-in after Badgers big win over Northwestern

Essegian explains his decision to BadgerBlitz after he saw his playing time and production plummet from his breakout freshman season.

2022-23 averages: 27.4 minutes, 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.5 steals, 40% shooting, 36% 3-point shooting

2023-24 averages: 7.4 minutes, 3.1 points, 0.8 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.1 steals, 37% shooting, 29% 3-point shooting

Part of the discrepancy is due to the Badgers’ rotation growing stronger with the addition of transfer guard A.J. Storr and the breakout of freshman John Blackwell. Another part is due to struggles on the defensive end, struggles head coach Greg Gard has clearly discussed.

Essegian’s return is good news for the Badgers as the current age of college athletics sees players transfer to where playing time is available. Wisconsin is a program built on development and a four-year career, so it’s promising to see a young player still believe in that path.

Related: Wisconsin social media joyous after dominant Big Ten tournament win over Maryland

Wisconsin figures to be active in the transfer portal this offseason as the program continues to work to make its first Sweet 16 since 2016-17. Keeping the existing roster in place will need to be Gard’s first order of business once the transfer period begins.

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Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

WATCH: Highlights from Wisconsin basketball’s 75-60 win over Jacksonville State

Highlights from Wisconsin basketball’s 75-60 win over Jacksonville State

Wisconsin basketball took care of business last night in a 75-60 win over Jacksonville State. Needing a bounce-back from a historic loss to No. 1 Arizona and a tune-up before Big Ten play ramps up in the new year, Greg Gard’s team never trailed en route to the 15-point victory.

Steven Crowl led the way with 19 points and nine rebounds, Tyler Wahl added 16 points and seven rebounds and A.J. Storr had another good shooting night with 13 points on 4/8 from the floor and 5/5 from the free throw line.

Meanwhile, the other big story was the lack of playing time for Connor Essegian. The sophomore guard finally entered the game in the second half, but quickly was taken out after getting beat but a backdoor cut. Gard said after the game “Until they shove the dirt on me, I’ll keep coaching you and he knows I’m not gonna let up in terms of what I expect defensively.”

That is a situation worth monitoring as the season continues. It’s safe to say this Badger team has enough depth to get by without the shooting prowess of Essegian if that also comes with lackluster defense.

Anyway, here are the highlights from last night’s 75-60 win:

One of Wisconsin’s top guards is questionable tonight vs Tennessee

One of Wisconsin’s top guards is questionable tonight vs Tennessee:

Wisconsin basketball is back at the Kohl Center tonight as No. 9 Tennessee comes to town for a marquee matchup.

The Badgers are no stranger to big-time upset victories on their home court. Tonight the program will go for its fifth top-10 win in the Kohl Center since 2016, the most recent coming in 2021 when Chucky Hepburn hit a three-pointer to defeat top-ranked Purdue and give the Badgers a share of the Big Ten title.

Tennessee is really good, this Wisconsin team looks to be pretty good as well. We should be in store for a great basketball game tonight.

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The Badgers could enter the contest without one of its top guards, however. CBSSports’ Jon Rothstein reports that Badger guard Connor Essegian is questionable for the contest after aggravating his back during the team’s 105-76 opening win against Arkansas State:

Essegian played only five minutes in the Badgers’ opening victory, that after excelling last season as one of the team’s top shooters. This Wisconsin team is deep, but Essegian’s presence may be needed to knock off the Volunteers.

Badgers guard checks in at No. 16 in Andy Katz’s Countdown

Badgers stud ranked in top 20 by Andy Katz

The Badgers men’s basketball season is around the corner and their second-year guard Connor Essegian is considered one of the best players in the Big Ten by analyst Andy Katz.

Katz has been slowly counting down his top players in the conference and Essegian came in at number 16. The guard was a true freshman last season, recording 11.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG while making a program freshman record 69 three-pointers over 35 games.

Essegian started the year as bench player, but by the end of the year, he had started 19 contests in his first campaign with Greg Gard’s squad in Madison. He now returns to Wisconsin for a second season, joining the remainder of the team’s starters from 2022-2023.

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Badgers MBB “Top 8” may be coming to fruition

Badgers MBB rotations coming together

The Badgers men’s basketball team held practice Thursday, which was open to the media and their top unit may have been identified. Last year’s five primary starters Chucky Hepburn, Connor Essegian, Max Klesmit, Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl were all part of it, which comes as no surprise.

Notably though, the rest of the “top eight” was rounded out by forward Carter Gilmore, transfer wing AJ Storr (St. John’s) and freshman big man Nolan Winter. This is by no means the only group of players that will be major contributors for Greg Gard’s squad in 2023-2024, but it does shed light on where the roster is at ahead of their season opener in a couple weeks.

Amongst those who weren’t part of the top unit Thursday was guard Kamari McGee, who will likely be the primary backup point guard this season.

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Badgers MBB set for challenging early schedule

Badgers face early gauntlet on the court

The Badgers men’s basketball team is just a few weeks away from their season opener versus UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 1 and their early schedule is not easy, on paper that is.

Wisconsin will square off with four ranked programs within their first 10 matchups of the 2023-2024 campaign, including in-state rival Marquette on Dec. 2.

Greg Gard’s squad just had their Red-White scrimmage on Sunday with the White team winning 69-51. Most notably, new additions transfer forward AJ Storr (St. John’s) and freshman big man Nolan Winter scored 15 and 13 points respectively.

The Badgers will look to get off to hot start in 2023 to leave their disappointing 2022-2023 campaign in the dust.

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WATCH: Badgers MBB season around the corner

Day one of the Badgers men’s basketball season

The 2023 college men’s basketball season is on the horizon and the Badgers officially marked day one of their 2023-2024 campaign Monday. Greg Gard’s squad missed the National Tournament last year and ultimately fell to North Texas in the semifinals of the NIT.

Wisconsin will see their entire starting lineup return from the 2022-2023 season and they added athletic guard A.J. Storr from St. John’s as well as three talented freshmen Gus Yalden (forward), Nolan Winter (forward) and John Blackwell (guard).

As the team attempts to rebound from a disappointing campaign in 2022, the team has been working on their chemistry as a unit, as seen in the video below.

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Badgers MBB Big Ten schedule released

Badgers’ MBB Big Ten schedule has arrived

The 2023-2024 men’s basketball season is around the corner and the Badgers released their Big Ten schedule for the upcoming campaign Tuesday. Wisconsin will begin their conference play Dec. 5 versus the Michigan State Spartans.

Their season will begin with a contest with UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 1 and the Badgers will officially turn the page on a disappointing 2022-2023 campaign.

Last year, Wisconsin finished with a 20-15 overall record, missing the NCAA Tournament. In conference contests, they finished 9-11 and were 11th in the Big Ten.

Now in 2023, the whole starting lineup will return as well as additions like A.J. Storr (St. John’s) and freshmen Gus Yalden, Nolan Winter and John Blackwell.

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