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Nebraska guard Connor Essegian suffered what appears to be a broken tooth after being 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’ top scorers this season, Deyton Albury, took aim at the back of Essegian’s head with just over a minute left 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 contact and ejected from the game.
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“It looked like there was contact with his head, that’s what they called it,” New Mexico coach Eric Olen said after the game, via Santa Fe’s New Mexican. “It was a tough moment for us, losing Deyton like that and it took our breath away and we didn’t really finish the half.”
Essegian finished the game with 6 points, 7 rebounds and an assist in 31 minutes in the victory that extended Nebraska’s winning streak to nine games. But he walked away with a different kind of trophy.
Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Connor Essegian (0) celebrates after a play in the first half of the College Basketball Crown tournament championship game against the UCF Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 6, 2025. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
The Indiana senior took to social media after the game to show off what appeared to be a chipped tooth.
“Well that was a first for me,” he wrote in a post on X, along with a photo of a piece of his tooth in his hand.
He joked in a later post that users of the social media platform were “undefeated” after someone created an account with the handle “Connor Essegian’s Tooth.”
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“You are going to be too fast,” he wrote.
Albury issued an apology to X after the match, 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 at a time when I needed to show 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 the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri on November 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
“My actions do not reflect our players, our 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 children who witnessed my stupid decision on a national television 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, our fans and the city fall like this again.”
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The Cornhuskers are 5-0 to start the season, and their winning streak dating back to last season is the longest streak in the country.
