Wisconsin's long season has taken a toll on freshman Connor Essegian, but he remains locked in mentally heading into the NIT semifinals
Jeff PotrykusLAS VEGAS – Connor Essegian is heavier – and stronger – than when he arrived at Wisconsin last summer.
For example, the 6-foot-4 freshman guard weighs 195 pounds. That is an increase of almost 15 pounds from his reporting weight.
Nevertheless, UW's 34-game season has taken a toll on Essegian’s legs and the effect can be seen in his shooting numbers.
“Mentally I am still locked in so I am going to say it is physical,” Essegian said after UW practiced Monday in preparation for its NIT semifinal game against North Texas. “We’ve had a long season starting all the way back in the summer with our trip to France.”
Essegian’s three-point shooting mark is 36.2%, which is No. 3 among the team’s starters.
Junior guard Max Klesmit leads the way at 39.7%, followed by sophomore guard Chucky Hepburn at 39.4%.
However, Essegian was at 44.2% (53 of 120) after hitting 4 of 7 attempts on Feb. 8 at Penn State.
In the 11 games since, Essegian has hit just 14 of 65 attempts (21.5%). He has hit 2 of 13 (15.4%) in the three NIT games.
“I’m not taking that as an excuse,” Essegian said of the long season. “I’m taking accountability for it. I’ve been through long seasons before. Last year we went to state.
“I’ve been through it, but college is a different breed.”
Essegian is averaging 27.5 minutes per game and has played in all 34 games. Despite his three-point accuracy tailing off, Essegian is third on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game. He has hit 7 of 15 two-point attempts (46.7%) and made 10 of 11 free throws (90.9%) in the three NIT games.
“There’s (other) ways I can find to get it done,” he said.
Essegian shot the ball well Monday when UW went through possessions against the scout team, which was assigned to simulate North Texas.
During one stretch, Essegian hit a three-pointer on three consecutive possessions. When he got the ball and rose up for the third shot, one of his teammates on the sideline said: “Oh, he’s not.”
Swish.
“I did hear that,” Essegian said, laughing. "I can’t remember who said it, but I did hear it. I feel for anyone, just seeing the ball go in will help a shooter just a little bit.
“It’s definitely a little bit of a confidence booster.”
Wisconsin vs. North Texas odds:Spread, money line and over/under point total
Tyler Wahl has no plans to deviate from his original plan
Senior forward Tyler Wahl said in November his plan to was to play out the season and weigh his options afterward.
Would he try to play professionally, either at home or overseas? Or, would he take advantage of the COVID rule and return to UW for a fifth season?
Has Wahl reached a decision?
“We’ve still got two games left, hopefully,” he said. “So I’m going to play these games out and kind of take it from there.”
Wahl’s fourth season at UW has been turbulent.
He was averaging 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds through UW’s first 12 games. His overall shooting mark of 42.8% was too low but his free-throw shooting (67.2%) was OK.
Wahl suffered a severe right ankle injury in UW’s 13th game, against Minnesota, and then missed three games. His overall numbers entering the NIT semifinal are 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds. He is shooting just 41.7% and 64.3% from the free-throw line.
However, Wahl has made 72.3% of his free throws (32 of 44) in the last 12 games and has made 23 of 44 field-goal attempts (52.3%) in the last five games.
His field-goal numbers took a hit because he struggled against Oregon’s length and hit just 1 of 9 shots in UW’s 61-58 victory.
"I feel like when I came back I lost a little bit of confidence," Wahl said. "But I feel like I was able to find it again and keep it rolling."
Please don't call North Texas a mid-major program
Three teams from Conference USA are still playing.
League champion Florida Atlantic (35-3) reached the Final Four of the 68-team NCAA Tournament. North Texas, which finished second in the league behind FAU and is 29-7 overall, faces UW. UAB, which finished third in the league, is 28-9 overall and faces Utah Valley in the second NIT semifinal.
UW coach Greg Gard was asked Monday whether he though North Texas is a dangerous mid-major team.
“I don’t like the term mid-major,” said Gard, an assistant at UW-Milwaukee under Bo Ryan in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001. “We felt we could play with anybody at that time.
“Just watch the landscape of college basketball. A label gets put out there, but there’s so many good players and so many good coaches and one or two players can really tip the scales in your favor. …
“I don’t get caught up in that and these guys understand that, too. It’s not about what’s on the front of your jersey. It’s about the players and how well they play together.”