Wisconsin Basketball: John Tonje Named Big Ten & Naismith Player of the Week
The Wisconsin basketball team picked up a huge win on Saturday against Purdue, keeping them squarely in the race for the Big Ten regular season title.
A big reason for their win over the Boilermakers, and for a lot of their success this season, is senior guard John Tonje.
Tonje led the Badgers to a victory over the 7th-ranked Boilermakers with a spectacular performance, leading the team with 32 points on 10/15 shooting and going 8/9 from the free throw line. He also added in six rebounds and three assists.
After being down 37-36 at the break, the Badgers outscored Purdue 58-47 in the second half. Tonje scored 22 of his 32 points during the onslaught after the break.
After his phenomenal game, Tonje earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for the third time this season. He earned POTW honors in the second and third weeks of the season.
Tonje is now tied with Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn for the most Player of the Week awards with three. After not appearing on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team at the start of the season, Tonje is in the mix for the Big Ten Player of the Year award.
He was also named the Naismith Player of the Week for the first time this year.
John Tonje has been everything the Wisconsin basketball team hoped he would be and more. He has more than replaced AJ Storr’s production from a year ago and has elevated this program to a potential 2 or 3-seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
