What Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said about Nebraska matchup, Connor Essegian’s return

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Wisconsin basketball (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten) returns to the Kohl Center court on Sunday afternoon for a matchup against the Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-7, 2-6 Big Ten).

The Badgers enter the contest after splitting a two-game West Coast road trip with a win over the USC Trojans and a narrow loss to UCLA. The team is still 7-1 in its last eight games and in a strong position to contend for a Big Ten crown.

Related: Updated game-by-game predictions for Wisconsin basketball after UCLA loss

Nebraska, meanwhile, enters on a five-game losing streak. The team’s 12-2 start has quickly turned in the wrong direction, with consecutive losses to Iowa, Purdue, Rutgers, Maryland and USC. The Badgers will enter as a clear favorite, expected to extend that streak to six games.

One key for Wisconsin to achieve that result is slowing down Cornhuskers guard and former Badger Connor Essegian.

The sharpshooter is averaging 11.5 points per game for Nebraska this season after transferring in from Wisconsin after the 2023-24 campaign. He took little time before becoming one of the team’s top offensive options, albeit off the bench.

Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard discussed the matchup against Essegian when meeting with the media on Friday, specifically what he’s seen from the former Badger at his new destination:

“Yea, I think running around and shooting threes. They run some stuff for him. Some of the same things we ran for him, that I’ve seen so far,” Gard began. “So yea, he’ll let them fly in transition. I think he started early in the year and now they bring him off the bench. He’s got a quick trigger, ball comes off the hand just like it did when he was here.”

Essegian has scored in double-figures in three of his last four games. His latest performance was an efficient 15 points on five-of-eight shooting and three-of-six from three in the Cornhuskers’ narrow loss to USC.

Gard was clear that Essegian can’t be a player that Wisconsin loses in the mix defensively.

“He’s a recipient…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wisconsin-coach-greg-gard-said-120057611.html

Author : Badgers Wire

Publish date : 2025-01-25 12:00:00

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