There are numerous stats that one can use to display the dominance of Wisconsin wing John Tonje.
Some put him in context with the best players in program history, such as Tonje recently joining Michael Finley as the only Badger with consecutive 30-point games.
Other stats expand the lens nationwide. As recently shared by StatsPerform, Tonje is the only the second Division I basketball player since 2000 to go scoreless in 20 minutes of game action (zero points in 22 minutes on Jan. 18 vs. USC), then follow it up with 200+ points over the next eight games (201 combined points). The only other to do so is former Davidson guard and NBA legend Steph Curry.
For reference, here are the game logs from Tonje’s last nine performances — that scoreless outing vs. USC, then the following eight games.
-
Jan. 18 vs. USC (W) 22 minutes, 0 points, 1 assist, 0/3 shooting
-
Jan. 21 vs. UCLA (L): 34 minutes, 24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 8/9 shooting, 6/7 from three
-
Jan. 26 vs. Nebraska (W): 29 minutes, 27 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 8/9 shooting, 6/7 from three
-
Jan. 29 vs. Maryland (L): 32 minutes, 23 points, 6 rebounds, 8/16 shooting, 5/8 from three
-
Feb. 1 vs. Northwestern (W): 38 minutes, 27 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 8/18 shooting, 5/11 from three
-
Feb. 4 vs. Indiana (W): 33 minutes, 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 5/11 shooting, 1/5 from three
-
Feb. 8 vs. Iowa (W): 33 minutes, 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 5/11 shooting, 3/9 from three
-
Feb. 15 vs. Purdue (W): 34 minutes, 32 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 10/15 shooting, 4/9 from three
-
Feb. 18 vs. Illinois (W): 31 minutes, 31 points, 3 rebounds, 9/15 shooting, 3/5 from three
Since that scoreless outing, Tonje has averaged 25.1 points, 4.75 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He has especially excelled in those last two contests, leading the team to signature, resume-defining victories over top Big Ten competition.
The star wing’s season-long averages are up to 19.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists after the listed eight-game stretch. He continues to enter the Big Ten Player of the Year and All-American conversations.
Curry’s similar stretch of performances came as a junior at Davidson in 2008-09. He was held scoreless over 32 minutes of action in his team’s 78-48 win over Loyola-Maryland on Nov. 25. He then scored 236 points over his next eight games, a 29.5 points-per-game average.
On January 18, @BadgerMBB‘s John Tonje went scoreless in 22 minutes. In 8 games since then, he has scored 201 points (25.1 PPG).
Only one other Division I player in the 21st century has gone scoreless in 20+ minutes only to score 200+ points over his next 8 games: Stephen Curry. pic.twitter.com/HSmsTAmVFF
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) February 19, 2025
Wisconsin fans likely remember Curry during his college days — he dropped 33 points on the No. 3-seed Badgers during the 2008 NCAA Tournament, leading his No. 10-seed Davidson Wildcats to the Elite Eight.
Any conversation that includes Tonje and Curry’s names together is a testament to the Wisconsin star’s current form. All that’s left for Tonje’s 2024-25 season to enter the all-time greats in program history is a run of postseason success.
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 John Tonje stats comparison Steph Curry
