The Badgers star has excelled when the lights shine the brightest.
The Wisconsin Badgers have been one of the best teams in college basketball this season, being a mainstay in the AP Top 25 and ranking as high as No. 11 back in December.
Now, standing at 19-5 and 9-4 in conference play, Wisconsin is No. 16 in the AP Top 25 and a mainstay as a No. 4 seed in March Madness Bracketology predictions.
A significant part of that success has been due to star wing John Tonje, who has been one of the best transfers in college basketball this season. Playing in all 24 games this season, Tonje has averaged 18.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from three, and 91.7 percent from the free throw line.
He has helped transform Wisconsin’s offense into one of the best in college basketball, as the team has averaged 81 points per game, which would the most in program history since the 1970-71 season. According to KenPom, the Badgers have the ninth-most efficient offense in the country this season, the second-best of any team in the Big Ten behind only Purdue, who ranks eighth.
Tonje has been at the forefront of that charge, being a volume scorer for the Badgers, while also shooting the ball extremely efficiently in all three aspects of the game. His 91.7 rate at the line ranks eighth in all of college basketball, and the best of anyone shooting at least 5.5 free throws per game.
So, it’s no surprise that the Badgers star is one of the most efficient scorers in all of college basketball. But, interestingly enough, Tonje has elevated his game and been one of the most efficient when it comes to Quad 1 games.
In fact, when looking at per/40 minute stats, Tonje’s 25.4 points per 40 minutes against Quad 1 opponents ranks fourth in college basketball.
The leaders in ‘POINTS/40 MINS’ against Quad 1 opponents: (min 8 games played):
1. Graham Ike, 30.0
2. Vladislav Goldin, 27.3
3. Johni Broome, 25.5
T4. John Tonje, 25.4
T4. Adou Thiero, 25.4 pic.twitter.com/PxJiMkMRB1— CBB Analytics (@CBBAnalytics) February 10, 2025
More importantly, his true shooting percentage of 67.9 percent is in the 99th percentile, which is extremely impressive for a guard with Tonje’s volume. So, not only is the star a high-volume scorer, but he’s also one of the most efficient in college basketball.
With Quad 1 opportunities coming up against the Purdue Boilermakers, Illinois Fighting Illini, and Michigan State Spartans, the Badgers are going to continue looking to Tonje as they attempt a late-season push for the Big Ten regular-season title.
Currently, they’re just two games out of first place in the conference. A big opportunity to move up comes this Saturday on the road when Wisconsin faces off against Purdue, hoping to knock off a top-10 team.