Wisconsin basketball guard John Tonje's 40-piece vs. Arizona hasn't been seen in 13 years
11/16/2024 12:03 PM
Wisconsin basketball guard John Tonje had a historic performance against Arizona on Friday night. Badgers head coach Greg Gard picked up a massive win against the favored No. 9 Wildcats, led by their star grad transfer’s 41-point game. Tonje recorded all his points on a staggering 14 shots and was 21/22 from the free-throw line.
According to CBS Sports College Basketball Analyst Evan Miyakawa, a Division I player hasn’t surpassed 40 points on just 14 shots in more than 13 years.
John Tonje’s historic performance comes during a breakout season
Arizona was at a loss in stopping the Wisconsin basketball guard, a theme for most teams this year. Tonje is in his sixth year of eligibility, having transferred from Colorado State and Missouri. The Omaha, Nebraska native spent four years with the Rams, averaging 14.6 points per game his last season. Tonje’s Missouri career was shortlived as he averaged 2.6 points per contest in eight games.
Considering his first few games at Wisconsin, it’s safe to say the Tigers will regret losing the star guard to the transfer portal. Through the Badgers’ first four wins, Tonje is averaging 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on 55.8% shooting from the field and 47.4% from three. Greg Gard’s team came into the season unranked, coming off a disappointing first-round loss to James Madison last year. The Badgers lost two of their top three leading scorers over the offseason, including their best player, AJ Storr.
Tonje’s production has more than filled the scoring void left by Storr so far. Wisconsin basketball is now primed to jump into the top 25 with momentum heading into the Big Ten slate. Before that, though, the Badgers have a few more nonconference matchups. That includes a showdown with UCF in the Greenbrier Tip-Off.
Four teams, Wisconsin, UCF, LSU, and Pittsburgh, will play two games in this tournament. While all these programs are undefeated at the moment, the Badgers will be favored to come out of the bracket and head into Big Ten play undefeated with a tournament title already in hand. That result would be terrific for Wisconsin basketball, which heads into a pretty wide-open conference this year.
The Big Ten currently has no team ranked in the top ten. That fact will change after No. 13 Purdue’s impressive home victory over a favored No. 2 Alabama team. Still, with only four teams in the top 25, this season feels like a down year for the conference. It’s very realistic to believe the Badgers have a legitimate shot at winning their third Big Ten regular season championship in six years.
Nevertheless, while winning another Big Ten crown would be a tremendous achievement, Greg Gard’s program will be judged the most on their performance in March. Wisconsin basketball has struggled over the past few years in “The Big Dance.” After back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances, Gard’s program hasn’t reached the second weekend since 2017. These recent results are disappointing, as the Badgers have been a top-five seed three times since then.
Wisconsin basketball will ultimately go as far as John Tonje can carry the program. Should the sixth-year player continue this form, the Badgers will be poised to make their deepest tournament run in years.
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