Wisconsin Badgers are back in their top form with a rout of the Nebraska Cornuskers, led by John Tonje who appears to have found his touch again with his 27 points.
Coach Greg Gard’s squad was firing on all cylinders on the first five minutes of the game, building a 19-2 lead with Tonje and John Blackwell who are the team’s top two scorers.
The Cornhuskers had their own 11-0 run after that but the Badgers managed to stay calm and finish the first half with a 40-28 lead.
The bench provided enough firepower, too, with Kamari McGee hitting three-point shots for 11 points, Xavier Amos putting up four assists along with his 2 points and 2 rebounds, and Jack Janicki with his 7 points in 11 minutes.
Defense played a huge role in Badgers’ win as they were able to limit Nebraska star player Brice Williams to 11 points from his season average of 18 points.
That’s the most point production from a Cornhusker, followed by former Badger Connor Essegian who had 8 points.
John Tonje’s excitement to play Nebraska
The Nebraska Cornhuskers’ logo is a familiar site for Tonje and that might have helped him play big in the game.
The 23-year-old guard went to Omaha in high school where he became second leading scorer for the Omaha Central Eagles.
Tonje, who went blank two games before, followed up his 24-point production in loss to UCLA with 27 points through a series of highlight plays.
His best one was his one-handed poster dunk at the 14:04 mark of the second half.
ADD ANOTHER DUNK TO THE TONJE HIGHLIGHT REEL!
John gets open and slams it down. Badgers on an 8-0 run
WIS 52, NEB 33 | 14:04 2H
📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/pfUwOHE0pW
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) January 26, 2025
Talking to reports post-game, the graduate guard made his feelings known about facing his hometown’s team.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a familiar logo when I was growing up in Nebraska, but it’s just another game to come out here and compete with my brothers. There was a little bit of extra excitement seeing the hometown team.”
For more great Wisconsin sports content
Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for the latest and trending news about Packers, Brewers, Bucks, Marquette, and the rest of Wisconsin Sports. Stay updated by reading more of our Wisconsin Sports articles by clicking here and college basketball by clicking here!
