Coming into the season there were many questions about Wisconsin basketball. There was a lot of roster turnover and many were wondering who would be the team’s leader this year. Missouri transfer John Tonje has answered all of these questions. He has sparked an offensive revolution in Madison that has led to one of the best Wisconsin offenses in years.
How John Tonje Revolutionized Wisconsin Basketball
For years, Wisconsin basketball was a slow-paced team. They used the entire shot clock, played through the paint, and focused on defense. Many of their games were incredibly low-scoring and were considered boring. This offseason most of Wisconsin’s roster either transferred or graduated. This left head coach Greg Gard with many tough roster decisions. He decided to turn to the transfer portal to rebuild the team. He brought in a few highly-touted players. But the lowest-rated one, Tonje, made the difference at the start of the year.
The introduction of Tonje has led to an offensive philosophy shift for Wisconsin basketball. According to Kenpom, they currently rank 158th in tempo. While this is right around average, it is significantly quicker than old Badgers teams, which ranked near the bottom. They are also the 12th most efficient offense, which is another stark improvement. Much of this is due to guard-centered play. For the last two years, big man Steven Crowl was the offensive focal point for the Badgers. After the addition of Tonje and other guard transfers, he is able to have a smaller role which benefits the entire team. The team is also very efficient. The Badgers are shooting 48% from the field and 36% from three this season.
Can Wisconsin Win The Big Ten?
With the newfound talent on the roster and big wins against Arizona, Pitt, and UCF the Badgers are now serious contenders to win the Big Ten. The conference does not appear to have a true contender. Indiana, Illinois, UCLA, and Purdue were all projected to be towards the top of the conference. But all of them have looked a little below their preseason projections. This gives the perfect opportunity for the Badgers to make a push for the conference championship. They are a balanced team with a great star player. There is also a lot of mid-level talent in the conference. This means there are not many elite teams but also few bad teams. This will ultimately lead to high levels of parity in conference play. If Wisconsin is able to cause a few upsets it is very possible they end the year as Big Ten champions. Tonje will also push to be the conference player of the year. The preseason favorite, Braden Smith, has been off to a slow start. If Tonje keeps playing to this level, he will be the runaway winner of the award.
