NCAA Basketball: 10 early surprise player performances from 1st two weeks of 2024-25 season

John Tonje, Wisconsin Badgers

2024-25 season stats: 23.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG

41 points. 21-22 from the free throw line. A 103-88 win over Arizona. It was a historic night for the Wisconsin Badgers, from raising Bo Ryan’s name in the rafters to an electrifying night from John Tonje, who finished two points shy of matching Frank Kaminky’s 43-point single-game scoring record.

Tonje, a transfer from Colorado State and Missouri, saw limited action for the Tigers last season after dealing with injuries. And his transition to Madison couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. Do the Badgers have a star in the making after Tonje’s blistering surprise start? Or is it too early to come to that conclusion? Only time will tell. But Greg Gard has found his go-to guy from here on out.

Lynn Kidd, Miami (FL) Hurricanes

2024-25 season stats: 14.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG

Lynn Kidd arrived in Coral Gables after an impressive 2023-24 campaign at Virginia Tech. Early returns in 2024-25? Kidd may be even better than advertised, shooting an absurd 23-31 (74.1%) from the field in Miami (FL)’s first three games.

After losing its frontcourt piece in Norchad Omier, it was expected that Kidd would play a distingushed role in the paint for Jim Larrañaga’s Hurricanes. But expecting him to get off to this efficient start was not one of them. Miami (FL) has an assortment of guards, yet it’s Lynn Kidd who can be that efficient staple down low as the Hurricanes look to get back into the Big Dance in 2025.