Over the past month, there has been a significant shift in the Big Ten Player of the Year contest. As the season draws to a close, the preseason selection for this honor has stumbled in the most recent games, allowing other players to take the spotlight instead. John Tonje is the one being mentioned by national commentators at the moment. It’s possible that he has surpassed everyone else as the award’s favorite.
The Big Ten Player of the Year is John Tonje.
There shouldn’t be any more disputes.
— February 22, 2025, College Basketball Content (@CBBcontent)
Simply put, John Tonje earned the title of Big Ten Player of the Year. The discussion has become heated. The child has been unique.
The user @Brian_Butch is Brian Butch. February 19, 2025
Tonje has skyrocketed, and Braden Smith hasn’t been playing well lately.
Braden Smith, the top point guard for Purdue, was selected in the preseason and was really the early frontrunner. The Boilermakers wanted to win the Big Ten Player of the Year award for the third consecutive year. But Smith hasn’t exactly looked like the league’s top player lately, let alone a starter. The fact that Purdue has lost four in a row and is on a precipitous decline doesn’t help.
In those defeats, Smith has scored 24, 6, 17, 8. He has, however, handed the ball over six times in each of his previous two games alone. That’s difficult.
Smith still has a chance because of his season-long stats of 15.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and 44.4% field goal percentage. Nonetheless, the league’s top teams frequently win Player of the Year honors. This is why a guy who leads the Big Ten in scoring like Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli won’t take home the trophy. Or even Dawson Garcia, who could be the sole factor contributing to Minnesota’s success this season.
Even in the Oregon defeat, John Tonje was drawing attention and creating a stir in the Big Ten Player of the Year competition. He has been playing well lately. Wisconsin is among the best teams in the Big Ten, and he is averaging 19.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on 48% shooting. They are presently in third place and among the top-ranked Big Ten teams, despite being anticipated to finish in 12th place. One could say that Tonje is mostly to blame for this.
For the Big Ten Player of the Year award, this is a strong argument. He could have become the clear favorite to win.
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