John Tonje has been excellent this season for the Badgers. He's been the best player for Wisconsin throughout the season. He's had a few rough outings but others have filled in the gaps and that's the beauty of when the Badgers are working the best, they all at any given night can fill up the stat sheet. However, there's none better at that than Tonje. He may collect a few awards at the end of the season but the first one has arrived: National Transfer of the Year.
🏆 National Transfer of the Year 🏆@BadgerMBB's John Tonje is your @TheFieldOf68 Transfer of the Year 👏 pic.twitter.com/gPCgRjXAfm
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 10, 2025
Field of 68 has awarded John Tonje the National Transfer of the Year
This one shouldn't surprise anyone who follows college basketball. Transfers tend to either be outright misses or take a little time to settle into the chemistry of their new team. Tonje, on the other hand, has been phenomenal and, as already expressed, fits perfectly at Wisconsin.
The only others who may have a strong case are Otega Oweh for Kentucky and Chucky Hepburn for Louisville (who, of course, transferred from Wisconsin). If you look at the numbers, you can see that Tonje still edges them out.
John Tonje
18.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Otega Oweh
16.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists
Chucky Hepburn
16.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists
All three had great numbers, and I don't think any of those teams would trade those guys for the others because of how well they fit into their respective programs. Tonje takes the cake and he takes the award.
He's had a bit of a drop in his last few games as his shot hasn't been falling but there's hope the Big Ten Tournament will get him ready and ripe for the NCAA Tournament. The Wisconsin Badgers are waiting on the winner of the No. 12 Minnesota Golden Gophers and the No. 13 Northwestern Wildcats in the Big Ten Tournament.