Wisconsin basketball’s top scoring option is playing his best basketball at the perfect time of the season.
Through two games of the 2025 Big Ten Tournament, Badgers wing John Tonje has tallied 44 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and three steals off 16-of-24 shooting from the floor and 8-of-11 from distance. His dominant 26-point, nine-rebound output against UCLA propelled Wisconsin into the Big Ten Tournament semifinal against the Michigan State Spartans.
In the victory, the First-Team All-Big Ten honoree and Naismith Player of the Year semifinalist claimed the No. 3 spot on Wisconsin’s all-time single-season scoring list behind program legends Frank Kaminsky (2014-15) and Alando Tucker (2006-07).
Kaminsky, arguably the greatest player to put on a Badger uniform, set a sky-high mark during his AP Player of the Year campaign in 2014-15. He tallied 732 total points, leading Wisconsin to a national championship loss to Duke. Those 732 points came in 39 games — an 18.8 points-per-game average.
With Tonje now on his heels, Kaminsky shared his interest in his record being broken. In his words, it “would mean great things for the program.”
At the rate at which Tonje is scoring, he certainly could accomplish the feat. The North Omaha, Nebraska, native sits at 632 points before UW’s Big Ten Tournament semifinal bout against Michigan State. He currently averages 19.1 points per game through 33 contests. Wisconsin defeating Michigan State on Saturday would add a 35th game to Tonje’s season. Then comes the NCAA Tournament, which would push that number to 36 and beyond.
Tonje leading the Badgers to an Elite Eight or Final Four run would not only etch the 2024-25 Badgers in history, but also put him atop that single-season leaderboard. As Kaminsky mentioned, Tonje claiming his record would mean Wisconsin is achieving great things on the court.
Regardless of if he claims the record, Tonje’s sole season with the Badgers will go down as one of the best in recent memory. His poise and scoring efficiency have unlocked an new facet of Greg Gard’s offense, one that could ignite the team on a deep NCAA Tournament run.
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