The college basketball season is coming to a close. The conference tournaments are about to start and the end-of-season awards are starting to be revealed. The conference announced the Big Ten All-Freshman team and it is highlighted by Connor Essegian.
A BIG shoutout to the #B1GMBBall All-Freshman Team! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/k4UwNLSKtR
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 7, 2023
Connor Essegian Highlights Big Ten All-Freshman Team
Essegian has had a special freshman season for the Badgers. He is averaging 11.9 points per game and shooting 38% from three-point range. Early in the season, he was the spark off the bench who could pick up buckets in bunches. Later in the season, Greg Gard had no choice but to start Essegian for some games. He was a huge bright spot for the Badgers and will be a building block for the team in the future.
Other Players Named
The four other players were Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana), Jett Howard (Michigan), Brice Sensabaugh (Ohio State), and Braden Smith (Purdue). Those four plus Essegian made up the Big Ten All-Freshman team as voted by the coaches. The Big Ten definitely has a lot of talent and is looking to send the most number of teams to the NCAA tournament that kicks off in a couple of weeks. These freshmen played significant roles for their teams and are going to need to step up big to help their teams in the tournament.
Can Wisconsin Make The Big Dance?
Wisconsin is by no means in. They are on the bubble and need to pick up some victories in the Big Ten tournament to solidify their spot. Their draw is a favorable one but they will need to pull off an upset or two. Essegian will need to step up in a big way. Wisconsin often has trouble scoring. If Essegian can get hot from deep for a couple of weeks, the Badgers could make a deep run in the Big Ten tournament. From there, who knows what will happen in this wide-open season.
Love Wisconsin Sports? Listen to 97.3 The Fan on iHeart Radio
In a season of many struggles, it is great to see Connor Essegian make the Big Ten All-Freshman team. He looks to be a great building block for the future as Wisconsin looks to get back into the mix for winning the conference.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @sorcerermatt, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here!
