John Tonje did something unthinkable to end the game: He missed two consecutive free-throws. He's over a 90% free-throw shooter, so it was surprising. However, what he did next with only six seconds left on the clock was maybe even more unbelievable. Tonje didn't let Michigan State get up a half-court shot to tie the game.
At first, the announcers and Michigan State fans thought it was a foul. However, the slow-motion replay shows how incredible of a block/strip it was. He was able to get all the ball, get out of the way, and not foul the final shot, which clinched the 77-74 victory over the Spartans and sent the Wisconsin Badgers to the Big Ten Tournament championship.
Watch the slow-motion video below (it starts at the 30 second mark):
WISCONSIN HOLDS ON!@BadgerMBB gets a stop in the closing seconds and advances to the @BIgTen championship game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IlDzoaxg9x
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 15, 2025
Wisconsin beats Michigan State with a last second block by John Tonje
The immediate reaction was that maybe Tonje fouled him, and even Wisconsin fans were probably thinking, "What are you doing? Don't foul!" But the strip of the ball was clean, and it propelled the Badgers into the Big Ten Tournament championship and most likely moved them up an entire seed line in the NCAA Tournament, from a 4-seed to a 3-seed.
Tonje has had an incredible tournament and is the clear favorite to win the Big Ten Tournament MVP. He scored 32 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and that one very eventful block to end the game. This is on the back of a 26 point effort against UCLA and 18 against Northwestern.
Wisconsin will now take on the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Tournament championship. It will be a rematch from an early season game in which the Wolverines beat them 67-64. However, if the theme continues, it's the revenge tour for the Badgers. Besides Northwestern, all the teams they've faced in this tournament were teams they lost to earlier this season.