John Tonje scores career-high 41 to lead Badgers to upset over No. 9 Arizona

Wisconsin made a statement with a wire-to-wire win against a top-10 opponent.

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard is shown during the first half of their preseason game against Wis.-River Falls Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

John Tonje had a special performance and it led to a statement win for the Badgers men's basketball team.

Tonje scored a career-high 41 points to power the Badgers in a 103-88 upset victory over No. 9 Arizona Friday night at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Well, by the rankings it was an upset. Wisconsin was frankly in control from wire to wire.

Incredibly, the Badgers (4-0) never trailed. They jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes and never looked back. Wisconsin led by as many as 18 points in the first half and went into the intermission with an 11-point advantage.

The Wildcats (2-1), of course, were never going to roll over. Jaden Bradley, who scored a team-high 22 points for Arizona, got an early tip-in to kick off a 7-0 Wildcats run that got them within 55-51 in the first 1:30 of the second half.

Tonje answered with a 3-pointer.

Arizona tied it at 65-65 early in the second half, but John Blackwell made a layup and Xavier Amos knocked down a 3 to gain some separation. Tonje hit a 3 with 11:04 to go and the Wildcats never got within five after that.

Tonje's dominant performance can't be undersold. Along with the 41 points, he added six rebounds and an assist. But the effort from the Badgers was all-around impressive. They shot 48% from the field and 44% from 3-point range.

Arizona dominated the glass, winning the battle of the boards 52-28, 24 of which were offensive rebounds, leading to 24 second-chance points for the Wildcats. No matter. Not when Tonje's dominating and the Badgers are shooting lights out.

John Blackwell finished with 14 points and three assists. Max Klesmit tallied 13 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Both Tonje and the Badgers made a statement Friday night, showing they're a team to be reckoned with. It's a game that won't soon be forgotten and one that feels like it could be the start of a special season for Wisconsin.