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Wisconsin basketball received one final signature performance from its transfer sensation on Saturday evening.
In UW's gut-wrenching 91-89 loss to the BYU Cougars in the NCAA Tournament round of 32, star wing John Tonje registered 37 points, four rebounds and four assists off 10-of-18 from the field and 14-of-16 from the free throw line in 35 minutes of action. His 37 points are the most from a Wisconsin player in an NCAA Tournament game.
Most importantly, 26 of his 37 tallies came when Wisconsin needed it most while trialing in the second half. He opened the final 20 minutes of play with a pair of three-pointers to trim a 12-point deficit to six, followed by three straight free throws to make it a four-point game.
BYU would manufacture a 12-2 surge to go up 14 points just minutes later, though Tonje did not relent. The Nebraska native scored 17 points in the final 10 minutes of play, including a timely three-pointer and an and-one layup before the 1:00-minute mark to lead a 9-2 run and bring the Badgers within two.
After forcing BYU to miss a pair of shot attempts in the final 30 seconds, Greg Gard placed the ball in Tonje's hands with time winding down. The veteran drove right, pulled up around the block, double pump-faked and launched a fadeaway jumper with roughly four ticks remaining.
The attempt fell short of the rim, and BYU escaped with the 91-89 triumph and a bid to the Sweet 16.
After the game, Gard was asked whether that was the play he intended to run in the final sequence or if BYU had forced them into the scenario. UW's leader on the sidelines offered a blunt response.
"No [I wasn't looking for a different shot]," Gard said. "I put the ball in my best player's hands. We were in a flat alignment with some bumping action with the bigs on the other two guards, and it was his decision. You trust your players. We're not in this position without John Tonje. We don't have that comeback, we don't have the year winning 27 games without JT, so we made the decision. We've done it before. Put the ball in your best player's hands and let him go make a play."
Tonje, who earned a unanimous All-Big Ten First-Team distinction following his stellar regular season, was also asked about what he saw on his final shot attempt.
"I just tried to get downhill," Tonje said. "Got kinda stopped around the block area. At that point, I didn't know what options I had. I just tried to go up with it."
While Tonje didn't connect on the jumper, he and the Badgers exceeded all expectations during the 2024-25 campaign. Wisconsin was projected to finish 12th in the conference. The team instead contended for the regular-season title, led by a program-best offensive season. UW also played in the Big Ten Tournament title game, picked up 27 wins for the first time since the 2016-17 season and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
With 724 points, Tonje holds the No. 2 spot in Wisconsin's single-season scoring leaderboard. Only UW legend Frank Kaminsky (732 points) accounted for more, that during the Badgers' run to the national title in 2015.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball BYU game Greg Gard, John Tonje discuss final shot
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In UW's gut-wrenching 91-89 loss to the BYU Cougars in the NCAA Tournament round of 32, star wing John Tonje registered 37 points, four rebounds and four assists off 10-of-18 from the field and 14-of-16 from the free throw line in 35 minutes of action. His 37 points are the most from a Wisconsin player in an NCAA Tournament game.
Most importantly, 26 of his 37 tallies came when Wisconsin needed it most while trialing in the second half. He opened the final 20 minutes of play with a pair of three-pointers to trim a 12-point deficit to six, followed by three straight free throws to make it a four-point game.
BYU would manufacture a 12-2 surge to go up 14 points just minutes later, though Tonje did not relent. The Nebraska native scored 17 points in the final 10 minutes of play, including a timely three-pointer and an and-one layup before the 1:00-minute mark to lead a 9-2 run and bring the Badgers within two.
After forcing BYU to miss a pair of shot attempts in the final 30 seconds, Greg Gard placed the ball in Tonje's hands with time winding down. The veteran drove right, pulled up around the block, double pump-faked and launched a fadeaway jumper with roughly four ticks remaining.
The attempt fell short of the rim, and BYU escaped with the 91-89 triumph and a bid to the Sweet 16.
After the game, Gard was asked whether that was the play he intended to run in the final sequence or if BYU had forced them into the scenario. UW's leader on the sidelines offered a blunt response.
"No [I wasn't looking for a different shot]," Gard said. "I put the ball in my best player's hands. We were in a flat alignment with some bumping action with the bigs on the other two guards, and it was his decision. You trust your players. We're not in this position without John Tonje. We don't have that comeback, we don't have the year winning 27 games without JT, so we made the decision. We've done it before. Put the ball in your best player's hands and let him go make a play."
Tonje, who earned a unanimous All-Big Ten First-Team distinction following his stellar regular season, was also asked about what he saw on his final shot attempt.
"I just tried to get downhill," Tonje said. "Got kinda stopped around the block area. At that point, I didn't know what options I had. I just tried to go up with it."
While Tonje didn't connect on the jumper, he and the Badgers exceeded all expectations during the 2024-25 campaign. Wisconsin was projected to finish 12th in the conference. The team instead contended for the regular-season title, led by a program-best offensive season. UW also played in the Big Ten Tournament title game, picked up 27 wins for the first time since the 2016-17 season and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
With 724 points, Tonje holds the No. 2 spot in Wisconsin's single-season scoring leaderboard. Only UW legend Frank Kaminsky (732 points) accounted for more, that during the Badgers' run to the national title in 2015.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball BYU game Greg Gard, John Tonje discuss final shot
Continue reading...
