Wisconsin transfer guard Connor Essegian powered Nebraska to a 74-63 road win over No. 14 Creighton on Friday.
The former Badger contributed 15 points and two rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench, shooting 4-of-6 from the floor and 1-of-2 from three.
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Those bench points provided a critical boost for Fred Hoiberg’s team in its big rivalry victory. Essegian led several key scoring runs, highlighted by a solo 6-1 run midway through the second half to extend the team’s lead to 14 points.
Only two Nebraska players finished with more points than Essegian. Those were starters Juwan Gray (16 points on 6-of-13 shooting) and Brice Williams (16 points on 4-of-12 shooting). But nobody on the floor matched his combination of production and efficiency.
NEBRASKA KNOCKS OFF NO. 14 CREIGHTON 🫣
The Huskers put up a big time performance against their in-state rivals 👏 pic.twitter.com/Nqr2MJ4MNC
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 23, 2024
The sharpshooter has played a steady role for the Cornhuskers during their 4-1 start to the 2024-25 season. His per-game averages now include 19.2 minutes, 10.4 points and 2.6 rebounds on 44% shooting and 36.4% from three.
Essegian transferred to Nebraska after two seasons with the Badgers. He played a big role as a freshman in 2022-23, averaging 27.4 minutes and 11.7 points per game. His role diminished as a sophomore in 2023-24 as Greg Gard reworked the roster, those numbers falling to 7.3 minutes and 3.2 points per game, respectively.
The Wisconsin transfer appears to have found a strong destination at Nebraska. The Hoosiers are amid a program-great run under Hoiberg. That began with a 23-11 record and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023-24 and has continued into 2024-25. He’s currently playing a significant role in that success.
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