UW’s Essegian wins Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Connor Essegian made a big first impression on his Badgers teammates and on the Big Ten as a whole.

The freshman guard found himself ranked among the conference’s top up-and-comers, making the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. The Fort Wayne, Indiana-native earned his spot after ringing up nearly 12 points and bringing down 3.5 rebounds per game this past season.

Essegian drained nearly 40% of the three-point shots he took, on his way to setting the University of Wisconsin freshman mark for threes in a season (64). UW pointed out he was only the fifth Badger in the past 25 years to average double-digit points in their first year.

The last Badger to bring home All-Freshman honors, Chucky Hepburn, was also recognized on Tuesday, being selected as for the All-Big Ten Honorable Mentions. Now a sophomore, Hepburn edged Essegian in points-per-game (12.2) to lead the Badgers squad. His 43.1% shooting percentage from three-point range was fourth-highest in the Big Ten. His career assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.96 now stands as the seventh-best in Badger history.

Isaac Lindsey was the only other UW player honored Tuesday. The sophomore guard earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

Essegian, Hepburn, and Lindsey will not have much time to celebrate, though. With the Big Ten Tournament getting underway, the Badgers are slated to take on Ohio State at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the United Center, in Chicago

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