The Badgers guard got the top honor in the conference for the second straight week.
The Wisconsin Badgers are on a roll this year, starting off 7-0, which is their best start since the 2014-15 season when they made it all the way to the NCAA Championship.
That’s been in big part to transfer guard John Tonje, who has exploded on the scene for Wisconsin as their go-to scorer after an injury-riddled season at Missouri last year.
Tonje has scored 23 points per game, while shooting the ball at an efficient 54.3 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from deep.
This past week, he had a 33-point performance in Wisconsin’s 81-75 win over the Pitt Panthers to win the Greenbrier Tip-Off Championship and extend their win streak to seven games.
Well, another good week of performances got Tonje the spotlight, as he was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the second straight week.
2 in a row for John Tonje. https://t.co/2tXC0AoxtN
— Bucky’s 5th Quarter (@B5Q) November 25, 2024
The guard averaged 24 points per game this week, shooting 51.5 percent from the field, while hauling in 6.5 rebounds and dishing out 2.5 assists per game.
Tonje has elevated to the national spotlight, as he’s among the leaders in several categories thus far, most notably when it comes to the free throw line.
After hitting all 10 of his free throws on Sunday, Tonje is shooting 60/63 (95.2 percent from the field), which leads all players who qualify with more than 20 free throw attempts.
Tonje’s 60 free throw makes lead the nation as well, while his 63 attempts are the most in the Big Ten and the fourth-most nationally.
Through the first seven games of the season, the Badgers guard has already had multiple 30-point games, putting up 41 points against Arizona before his 33-point performance versus Pitt on Sunday.
Tonje is the only player in the Big Ten to have two 30-point games, and is one of six players nationally to have already achieved the feat. In fact, he’s only one of eight Badgers in the last 20 years to have two in a season.
The Badgers have looked strong to start the year and Tonje is a big reason for it. He’ll get his next chance to continue his big season when the Badgers face off against Chicago State next Saturday, where they’ll look to remain undefeated.