Wisconsin basketball improved to 22-5 on Tuesday evening with a huge win over Illinois. In the process, John Tonje balled out again and even set a program record.
Tonje scored 31 points and became the first Badger since the mid-1980s to have four games in a season in which he scored 30 or more points.
31 PTS
John Tonje records his 4th 3⃣0⃣-point game this season in @BadgerMBB‘s win against Illinois
He is the 1st Badger to have four in a season since Rick Olson had five in 1985-86.#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/kH7D1AQC0B
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 19, 2025
It’s been a very solid campaign for the senior, averaging a career-best 19.6 points on 41.1% shooting from three-point land. Tonje is on a heater right now for Wisconsin basketball, also pouring in 32 in a victory over Purdue on February 15. The Badgers have now won five in a row and Tonje is certainly playing a huge part.
Not only is he in contention for the Big Ten Player of the Year but Tonje looks well on his way to being named an All-American. The sixth-year player has truly found his best and has also scored 20+ in seven of his last eight outings.
Wisconsin basketball is now ranked No. 7 in the latest CBS Sports’ top-25 list and could be a dangerous team in March Madness with Tonje leading the way. He was recently just named the Naismith Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week, too. Tonje is one of the best players in the country in 2024-25 and that cannot be overlooked.
The Badgers only have five games left in the regular season and only one opponent is ranked in No. 14 Michigan State. Wisconsin is No. 11 at the moment but that will surely change if they continue to dominate. Tonje, who is a graduate student, will surely be looking to take this program as far as possible in the Big Dance before likely making the jump to the pro level.
Considering his age, Tonje may not get a ton of looks for the draft, but being picked up as an undrafted free agent is definitely a possibility.
The post John Tonje pulls off Wisconsin basketball feat not done in almost 40 years appeared first on ClutchPoints.
