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Nebraska guard Connor Essegian suffered what appeared to be a chipped tooth after he was punched in the back of the head during the Cornhuskers’ 84-72 win over New Mexico on Thursday night.
The ugly scene unfolded in the first half of the game when one of the Lobos’ leading scorers this season, Deyton Albury, took aim at the back of Essegian’s head with just over a minute remaining in the half.
Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Connor Essegian (0) reacts after scoring against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on March 1, 2025. (Steven Branscombe/Imagn Images)
Albury was assessed a flagrant foul 2 for the contact and ejected from the game.
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“It looked like there was contact to his head, which is what they called it,” New Mexico coach Eric Olen said after the game, via The Santa Fe New Mexican. “That was a tough moment for us, losing Deyton like that and that took the wind out of our sails and we didn’t really finish the half.”
Essegian finished the game with 6 points, 7 rebounds and one assist in 31 minutes in the win that extended Nebraska’s win streak to nine games. But he walked away with another trophy of sorts.
Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Connor Essegian (0) celebrates after a play in the first half of the championship game of the College Basketball Crown tournament against the UCF Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 6, 2025. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
The senior from Indiana took to social media after the game to show what appeared to be a chipped tooth.
“Well that was a first for me,” he wrote in a post on X, with a picture of a piece of his tooth in his hand.
He joked in a later post that users on the social media platform were “undefeated” after someone created an account with the handle, “Connor Essegian’s Tooth.”
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“Y’a’ll are too quick,” he wrote.
Albury posted an apology on X after the game, calling his actions a “selfish decision.” His message did not include an apology to Essegian.
“Lobo Nation you deserve better than what I displayed tonight. Regardless of what led to my selfish decision I put myself before the team during a time when I needed to demonstrate composure and leadership.
New Mexico guard Deyton Albury shoots over Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
“My actions are not a reflection of our players, coaches or the UNM basketball program. I sincerely apologize to Coach Olen and the rest of the staff, my teammates, Lobo fans and supporters, especially the young kids who witnessed my foolish decision on a national TV stage.
“Representing UNM and the city of Albuquerque is a privilege not a right. I accept full responsibility for what happened. I will never let our team, fans and the city down like this again.”
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The Cornhuskers are 5-0 to start the season, and their win streak dating back to last season is the longest streak in the nation.
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