John Tonje pockets second consecutive Big Ten Player of the Week honor

John Tonje pockets second consecutive Big Ten Player of the Week honor

Wisconsin Badgers wing John Tonje earned Big Ten Player of the Week nods for the second straight week on Monday. The veteran is the first Badger to boast that feat since Johnny Davis in 2022.

The honor arrives one day after Tonje native fueled UW during its 2-0 run at the Greenbrier Tip-Off in West Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The transfer wing averaged 24 points and 6.5 rebounds en route to pocketing the event’s MVP honor. In the tournament’s finale, he dropped 33 points against Pittsburgh, 25 of which came in a tightly-contested second half.

Backed by his 23.0-point per game output, the Badgers are 7-0 for the first time since 2014-15 and boast the No. 15 position in the latest AP top 25 poll.

The former CSU Ram and Missouri Tiger is putting together arguably the best first few weeks of a season in program history. Through seven games, Tonje leads the nation in free throw percentage and ranks No. 9 in scoring. He’s also the first Division I player to score 33 or more points against two high-major opponents in November over the last 15 years, per UW Athletics.

In three wins last week, Tonje scored 67 total points on a 52.6% clip from the field and nearly 96% mark from the foul line.

He and the Badgers now return home for a Nov. 30 showdown against Chicago State before squaring off against Michigan on Dec. 3.