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Michigan State coach Tom Izzo had a front-row seat as Wisconsin wing John Tonje delivered yet another signature performance on Saturday afternoon.
That performance: 32 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a game-clinching block on 8-of-15 shooting, 4-of-10 from three and 12-of-14 from the free throw line, leading the Badgers to a dramatic 77-74 Big Ten Tournament semifinal victory over the Spartans.
Tonje was Wisconsin's primary offense for the first 35 minutes of game time, scoring 21 of the team's first 48 points, plus 14 of its first 20 in the second half. He also delivered the mentioned game-clinching block, as Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. hoisted a half-court shot at the buzzer, attempting to knot the game at 77.
Tonje's performance continued to elevate his presence among the best players in the sport. The sixth-year senior was a First-Team All-Big Ten honoree earlier in the week. In three tournament games since then, Tonje has scored 18, 26 and 32 points, respectively. He is elevating his play as the games increase in importance. That is the perfect recipe for college basketball stardom.
Izzo began his postgame press conference with some praise for Tonje, who was by far the best player on the court during the Badgers' win over the Spartans.
“You have to give some credit to Wisconsin," Izzo began. "Tonje was definitely, he, along with [Braden] Smith, were the best players in the league [this year]. He played like one of them today. I thought we did a pretty good job on him for most of the way. Then he cut loose a little bit. That’s what great players do.”
Tonje struggled in Wisconsin's March 2 loss to Michigan State, scoring just 11 points on 3-of-13 from the field. Saturday was a different story. Despite Michigan State boasting KenPom's No. 5-ranked defense, the transfer wing had little trouble excelling from all three levels -- at the rim, at the free-throw line and from long range.
Michigan State's entire coaching staff and team also had high praise for his performance in the postgame handshake line:
Tonje, who is now drawing close to Wisconsin's single-season scoring record, will lead the Badgers into the Big Ten Tournament championship game on Sunday afternoon against the Michigan Wolverines. Wisconsin fans hope to see more of the same from the breakout star. More importantly, this conference tournament run may be a sign of things to come in the NCAA Tournament.
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 Michigan State coach Tom Izzo comments John Tonje
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That performance: 32 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a game-clinching block on 8-of-15 shooting, 4-of-10 from three and 12-of-14 from the free throw line, leading the Badgers to a dramatic 77-74 Big Ten Tournament semifinal victory over the Spartans.
Tonje was Wisconsin's primary offense for the first 35 minutes of game time, scoring 21 of the team's first 48 points, plus 14 of its first 20 in the second half. He also delivered the mentioned game-clinching block, as Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. hoisted a half-court shot at the buzzer, attempting to knot the game at 77.
Tonje's performance continued to elevate his presence among the best players in the sport. The sixth-year senior was a First-Team All-Big Ten honoree earlier in the week. In three tournament games since then, Tonje has scored 18, 26 and 32 points, respectively. He is elevating his play as the games increase in importance. That is the perfect recipe for college basketball stardom.
Izzo began his postgame press conference with some praise for Tonje, who was by far the best player on the court during the Badgers' win over the Spartans.
“You have to give some credit to Wisconsin," Izzo began. "Tonje was definitely, he, along with [Braden] Smith, were the best players in the league [this year]. He played like one of them today. I thought we did a pretty good job on him for most of the way. Then he cut loose a little bit. That’s what great players do.”
Tonje struggled in Wisconsin's March 2 loss to Michigan State, scoring just 11 points on 3-of-13 from the field. Saturday was a different story. Despite Michigan State boasting KenPom's No. 5-ranked defense, the transfer wing had little trouble excelling from all three levels -- at the rim, at the free-throw line and from long range.
Michigan State's entire coaching staff and team also had high praise for his performance in the postgame handshake line:
Tonje, who is now drawing close to Wisconsin's single-season scoring record, will lead the Badgers into the Big Ten Tournament championship game on Sunday afternoon against the Michigan Wolverines. Wisconsin fans hope to see more of the same from the breakout star. More importantly, this conference tournament run may be a sign of things to come in the NCAA Tournament.
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 Michigan State coach Tom Izzo comments John Tonje
Continue reading...
