Wisconsin Basketball Has a Plan for Badgers Guard Connor Essegian

It wasn’t long ago that Greg Gard and the University of Wisconsin basketball program provided an update that Badgers shooting guard Connor Essegian had officially returned to full health. 

That news stemmed from a back injury Essegian suffered in the home opener against Arkansas State, which limited his availability and forced Coach Gard to explore different rotations while he recovered. 

CBS Sports college basketball writer Jon Rothstein reported on Wednesday that after talking with Coach Gard, he shared that the Wisconsin Badgers coaching staff plans to expand Essegian’s role as he continues to work his way back into a rhythm. 

Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Are Working Connor Essegian Back Into the Lineup Organically.

Mar 2, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Connor Essegian (3) gestures after scoring a three-point goal during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at the Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports

During the Wisconsin basketball program’s six-game winning streak, which includes notable wins over a ranked Virginia team, No. 3 Marquette, and more recently over Michigan State in East Lasing, the Badgers have found a rotation that’s working.

That’s why Wisconsin now has the luxury of bringing Connor Essegian along at a comfortable pace. Initially, the tough non-conference schedule had most people, myself included, thinking the Badgers were in trouble without having their Big Ten All-Freshman standout coming off the bench.

After averaging 11.7 points per game a season ago, Essegian has appeared in all nine contests for the Badgers, scoring just 2.7 points per night on 22% shooting from beyond the arc, albeit in limited playing time.

The Wisconsin basketball team will likely need the Indiana native’s scoring ability in Big Ten play. Still, the issue he’s facing right now is that there aren’t really any minutes for the taking when you break it down.

Right now, AJ Storr and John Blackwell deserve all of the minutes they’re getting on the wing and have been key contributors thus far.

If you want to give him Kamari McGee’s minutes, I can understand that argument, but he has consistently provided the Badgers with a defensive spark. McGee is deserving of the limited minutes he’s receiving.

Essegian may offset some of Max Klesmit’s minutes at shooting guard. But you cannot understate Klesmit’s value on defense while being a relatively efficient low-usage scorer. It’s a situation that needs to be worked out — because Essegian is far too valuable to let sit. But it’s hard to see a clear path to a solution right now.

In the meantime, it’ll likely be spot minutes when the game’s flow allows for it.

Given the Wisconsin basketball team’s lack of scoring options a year ago, this is a wonderful problem to sort out — and it speaks to the impressive roster construction from Badgers head coach Greg Gard.

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