Wisconsin Basketball: John Tonje emerges as All-American candidate after Pitt victory

Wisconsin Basketball lost a lot of talent on the perimeter this past offseason, including starting guards Chucky Hepburn and AJ Storr. They added a few key pieces via the portal, including John Tonje from Missouri. The senior guard was limited to just eight games played and scored fewer than 30 points, so it was unknown what kind of impact the sixth-year senior would have on them.

Tonje opened the season with 23 points in a win over Holy Cross, but his career-high 41 points and six rebounds in the home win over top-10 Arizona put him on the national map. He entered the Greenbrier Tip-Off as the name to watch and had a good game against UCF in the semifinals, scoring 15 points in the double-digit win.

But Tonje’s best performance came against Pittsburgh, mainly in the second half. He scored eight points in the first half, but the Badgers were trailing by seven. However, the senior guard went off in the final 20 minutes, scoring 25 points and singlehandedly leading Wisconsin to the 81-75 comeback victory to remain unbeaten.

Tonje finished with 33 points on the 11/19 shooting, including making all 10 free throw attempts. He’s now the best FT shooter in the country, making 60/63 (95%). On the season, he’s averaging 23 ppg for a team likely to be in the top 15 in the next preseason poll. The 54% FG shooting may not be sustainable throughout the season, but his ability to get to the FT line should be a great way to continue his scoring output.

Wisconsin Basketball was picked to finish in the bottom tier in the Big Ten this season. But with the play of Tonje, they should be considered a contender. And if that proves to be true, look for the senior guard to get all the accolades.