John Tonje slapped in the face with exclusion from prestigious national award

Wisconsin's John Tonje has been one of the best shooting guards in the nation, and he's one of the favorites for Big Ten Player of the Year. He's averaging 19.1, 5.0, and 1.7 assists per game, which is among the most impressive stat lines in the nation, especially in his position. However, he was recently snubbed as a finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's 2025 Men's Shooting Guard of the Year award.

John Tonje was not considered a finalist for the 2025 Shooting Guard of the Year award

Lists like these often remind fans that awards tend to be a popularity contest. It's a shame that it is that way, but there are some interesting players on this list. Most basketball fans point to Caleb Love, but there are a few surprises on this list. Let's look at the stats of these players and see how Tonje stacks up.

Per game stats:
Caleb Love - 16.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists
VJ Edgecomb - 14.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists
PJ Haggerty - 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists
Chaz Lanier - 17.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists
Tre Johnson - 20.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists

Does Tonje not belong on this list? He's clearly above at least two of those and arguably three in statistical categories. When you also consider how important the player is to the team and how winning the team is, it's even more of a snub for Tonje. Baylor is bad and Texas has struggled. Tonje is clearly one of the best shooting guards in the nation and this is a clear miss by the Naismith Hall of Fame.

The Wisconsin Badgers are working to become a two—or three-seed in the NCAA tournament, and they've been led by John Tonje. When Tonje can help his teammates get open and score points, he does just that. He's elite, and Wisconsin is thrilled to have him in red and white.