Buried on bench again Essegian did not see the court in Tuesday's 83-72 win over Iowa. Impact The last time the Badgers took the court 10 days earlier, Essegian logged a season-best 18 minutes in the contest, due largely to an injury to point guard Chucky Hepburn. Tuesday was a different story, however, as Essegian was once again a non-factor and didn't even see the court. Coach Greg Gard noted in his post-game press conference that Essegian is trending in a good way (per Benjamin Worgull of Badger Blitz), but the issue keeping him off the court appears to be continued defensive lapses. As a result, his minutes are going almost entirely to recent addition AJ Storr and freshman John Blackwell, which is a testament to the depth of this team. There should eventually be a role for Essegian given he averaged 11.7 ppg last season and shot 35.9 percent from distance, as this year's Badger team is shooting just 32.4 percent from beyond the arc, good for 218th in the country entering Wednesday's games. It's unclear when that role may materialize, though.
JANUARY 3 • ROTOWIRE
