John Tonje takes shot at Missouri, praises Wisconsin culture: 'Just being at a place that wants me'

After spending just one season at Missouri, John Tonje transferred to Wisconsin ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. He averaged just 2.6 points per game at Missouri and was ranked the No. 196 player in the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to On3’s Transfer Portal Player Rankings.

He only played in eight games last season due to a season-ending foot injury. In turn, expectations were relatively low for the sixth-year senior joining the Badgers. However, Tonje has been phenomenal for the Badgers and was named an All-Big Ten First Team selection by the league’s coaches earlier this week.

He’s continued to look like a star during the postseason for Wisconsin. After the Badgers’ 86-70 win over UCLA in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, Tonje explained what factored into his massive improvement this season.

“Just being at a place that wants me,” Tonje said. “Just being at a place that you see yourself fit, and you know, from Day 1, they really embraced me and just showed me that I can thrive here and keep growing and keep getting better.

“It’s just a steady progression throughout the year. I wanted to keep improving. And, teams have really tried to adjust to me throughout the year, and I’ve had to kind of play a little bit of a chess match throughout the year, and I’ve got great coaches on my side to help me do that.”

Tonje found checkmate on Friday, tallying a game-high 26 points, nine rebounds and four assists while shooting an efficient 9-10 from the floor and 6-6 from beyond the arc. It’s nothing new for Tonje, who is averaging 18.9 points per outing this season.

In fact, Tonje moved up to third on Wisconsin’s all-time single-season scoring list on Friday. He’s now just under 100 points away from surpassing Frank Kaminsky‘s 732 points in a single season record (2014-15). Fans aren’t the only ones who have been left stunned by Tonje’s success this season.

“Sometimes it’s hard to hard to believe,” Tonje said. “Last night, I was reading an article about being All-American, which, I mean, doesn’t even look right. But, with work and my belief in God, I think anything’s possible.”

On Saturday, John Tonje will look to defy the odds again as Wisconsin squares off against 1-seed Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. The two teams met earlier this season on March 2, and MSU won 71-62.

Now, the Badgers will look to exact revenge. Wisconsin and Michigan State will face off at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will air live on CBS.