This week’s Rauf Report includes a breakdown of why John Tonje’s breakout performance may be a sign of things to come for Wisconsin, and much more.
The college basketball weekend featured a loaded slate of Friday games, almost all of which delivered. I’m not going to rehash scores with you here on a Monday, but there are a few results from the weekend that stood out for various reasons.
If anything, the biggest takeaway of the weekend is that Purdue is still Purdue — particularly at Mackey Arena. Without Zach Edey, and with some spotty performances to this point, doubts about this team’s ceiling were understandable. After knocking off Alabama, that is no longer the case. The Boilermakers kept the Crimson Tide out of transition, won the battle in the middle (shoutout Trey Kaufman-Renn), got another huge game from Braden Smith, and had role players — namely, CJ Cox — step up in a big way.
Meanwhile, Arizona’s loss to Wisconsin didn’t signal anything negative about the Wildcats to me. There were so many fouls in that game, and Arizona shot really poorly from 3-point range. Perhaps the big takeaway here for the Cats is the reminder that Caleb Love (6 points, 2-13 FG, 0-6 3P; fouled out) is still capable of doing that.
As for the Badgers, Wisconsin hopes John Tonje continues to play like he did on Saturday. The former Colorado State and Missouri role player erupted for 41 points, and while it seems like that performance may have come out of nowhere, I think there’s a chance it’s the start of a breakout season for Tonje.
That’s where we start this Rauf Report.
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Expect John Tonje’s breakout to continue
Talent has never been an issue for Tonje. A current Mountain West head coach told me a few years ago, when Tonje was still at Colorado State, “He has all the tools he needs to be special, he just needs to put it all together.”
Perhaps no one is better at putting it together than Greg Gard, particularly when it comes to off-ball wings. AJ Storr broke out last season playing the role that Tonje now occupies, and before that, Johnny Davis played his way into being a top-10 NBA Draft pick.
In his big year, Davis crossed the 30-point plateau three times, including 37 against Purdue. Storr only hit 30 points one time, scoring exactly that many against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament. Tonje, meanwhile, showcased his entire skill set during the 41-point outburst.
This performance is the clear highlight of the season so far for Wisconsin, but it’s not the first good game he has had this season. The senior simply hadn’t had the kind of stage like he did on Friday.
“He listens. He’s very attentive. He asks great questions. He’s really mature,” Gard said of Tonje postgame.
“Just seeing glimpses of what he was doing [at Colorado State] told me enough in the five minutes of film I watched,” Gard added. “Because obviously in the portal, it’s speed dating (and) we’re making fast decisions. He showed me some things there that I felt there was a lot there to work with, and he was willing to learn and listen.”
We’ll see if Tonje can maintain this level of play, but his talent and Gard’s track record indicate this may just be the start of a stellar campaign. Wisconsin has needed a primary scoring option to step up on this team — Tonje is that guy.
Indiana will go as far as Myles Rice takes it
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, we need to talk about Myles Rice. Indiana has always been a frontcourt-heavy team under Mike Woodson, whether that was with Trayce Jackson-Davis or Kel’el Ware or Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau, but his best team also had a top-end guard in Jalen Hood-Schifino.
This Hoosiers team has that lead guard in Rice. The Washington State transfer has been a quality player for this group, but he had his real breakout against South Carolina on Saturday with 23 points — including 17 in the first half.
“I thought Myles played great, shot the ball well,” Woodson said at his postgame press conference. “The whole emphasis this summer and once we entered the portal was trying to get perimeter guys that can come in here and play and get enough guys in case someone got hurt.”
Rice was spectacular last season while leading Washington State to the NCAA Tournament, and it’s why he was such a hot commodity in the portal. His passing, his ability to create offense out of structure, his defense, and most importantly, his leadership — all of these are things that Indiana could’ve used in a big way last season.
If Rice continues to be one of Indiana’s two or three most impactful players, the Hoosiers may win the Big Ten for the first time since 2016.
Miles Rubin’s stardom gives Loyola hope
Given everything else going on Friday night, Loyola Chicago’s showdown with Princeton was probably lost on your radar.
But the matchup between two of the nation’s best mid-major teams — both of whom hope to be in the at-large picture come March — went down to the wire. The Ramblers won by five in a game that was tight throughout, and breakout big man Miles Rubin was the biggest key as to why.
The 6-10, 210-pounder was one of four players to score in double figures for head coach Drew Valentine’s squad, yet it was his 13 rebounds and four blocks that really made the difference in the game.
“Today, Miles dominated this game,” Valentine said in his postgame press conference “We’ve got 10 starters, and I have got to continue to find ways to get them all on the floor and trust them. I am pleased with this win and what we saw tonight. This is a big-time win.”
That depth Valentine alludes to is another major strength for Loyola, but its defense is the biggest reason why the Ramblers are projected to be in the A-10 title hunt again. Rubin is the anchor that makes everything else work.
Toss out any expectations you had for Syracuse
In recent seasons, there has always been just enough talent on Syracuse’s roster for the Orange to be a somewhat popular sleeper pick to finish above expectations in the ACC. The returns of JJ Starling and Chris Bell, coupled with the addition of five-star freshman Donnie Freeman, had Cuse fans optimistic about what could happen this season.
And sure, Syracuse is undefeated at 3-0 on this fine Monday. Yet, it’s hard to feel anything but worse about the Orange with each passing game.
The season began with a four-point victory over Le Moyne, which — while not great — could have just been opening day jitters. That was followed with a narrow two-point victory over Colgate. Fine, the Raiders have been a quality team and a thorn in the side of the Orange.
But then the Orange needed double overtime to beat Youngstown State? Really?
Again, Syracuse is still undefeated. However, the Orange also rank outside the top 150 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom, and outside the top 300 in 3-point shooting. Perhaps most concerning, they have gotten good games out of Starling and Freeman — and this is still the result.
At least Kiyan Anthony is coming next season, right?
St. John’s might be really good
Through two weeks, the Red Storm look to be breaking out as expected in Rick Pitino’s second season. This highly touted roster has lived up to the billing, posting four convincing victories to open the year.
Sunday’s 85-71 victory over New Mexico was important, largely because the Lobos had just beaten UCLA and because St. John’s didn’t play close to its best. And yet, the UNM game was never in doubt. It showed how high this team’s ceiling can be when it is clicking on all cylinders.
Notably, star transfer Kadary Richmond hasn’t even hit his stride yet. The fifth-year senior is averaging 8.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists, but he is scoring well below the 15.7 points he put up at Seton Hall. If Richmond’s scoring comes around, it will raise St. John’s ceiling even higher. Then again, Richmond hasn’t had to shoulder as much burden thanks to breakout seasons with Simeon Wilcher and RJ Luis.
Wilcher has scored at least 14 points twice already, while Luis has been this team’s best player. Luis is averaging 17.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists, and he believes he can maintain this level of play.
“Just the person that I am, I put a lot of work into my craft,” Luis told reporters after the win on Sunday. “Now I’m stepping up as one of the best defenders. … I’m gonna play-make, I’m gonna score. I’m really just playing both sides of the ball.”
St. John’s is already very good, and the next step in their evolution involves a better version of Richmond and more consistent play from other transfers like Deivon Smith. Thursday’s showdown against Baylor will let us know if these Johnnies are truly elite, but Pitino is off to a great start in Year 2.
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