The Purdue Boilermakers extended their hot streak on Friday in a 104-71 win over Queens University in the Round of 64. This was the Boilermakers’ fifth straight win dating back to March 12.
It was a blowout win for Purdue, and senior point guard Braden Smith made history in the contest, breaking former Duke guard Bobby Hurley’s NCAA record for assists in a career. Smith recorded his second assist of the night with a pass to Trey Kaufman-Renn with 12 minutes and 11 seconds remaining in the first half. The record was broken at 1,077 career assists.
“He’s (Bobby Hurley) an unbelievable player. I watched him growing up,” Smith said in a post-game interview. “Just being able to be named alongside someone like that is just an unbelievable accomplishment. I can’t do it without the teammates and the team that I’ve been around in my four years, and it goes to all of them as well.”
Breaking Down Braden Smith’s Legendary College Career
A six-foot, 170-pound guard from Westfield, Indiana, Braden Smith began his collegiate career in 2022-23 with an immediate impact alongside Purdue legends Zach Edey and Fletcher Loyer. In his freshman year, Smith averaged 9.7 points, 4.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 30.3 minutes a game. He was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and was an honorable mention to the All-Big Ten team.
In Smith’s sophomore season, he was one of the top passing guards in the entire nation. He averaged 12.0 points, 7.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals a game and played in a school-record 1,327 minutes for the season. Smith was named as a finalist for the Cousy Award, which is given to the nation’s top point guard. He was named to the first-team All-Big Ten team and was an All-American honorable mention.
Smith’s junior season included more improving steps, earning first-team All-American, winning the Bob Cousy Award, and being the Big Ten Player of the Year while averaging 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game. He was also a finalist for the Wooden and Naismith Awards. This was the season when Smith would break the Purdue all-time assists record.
Heading into his fourth season with the Boilermakers, Braden Smith had a tough ceiling to break through. In 35 games so far this season, the guard is averaging 14.0 points, 9.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 steals while playing in all 36 games of the season so far.
He’s in the running for the Naismith Award and Bob Cousy Award once again in 2025-26. It’s safe to say that Braden Smith will be an All-Big Ten guard and possibly an All-American for the second year in a row.
Purdue’s Pursuit of a National Championship
Entering the NCAA Tournament as the two-seed in the West Region, the Purdue Boilermakers are the Big Ten champions after knocking off Michigan in the final.
After their win on Friday, Purdue is riding a five-game win streak and is set to take on Miami in the Round of 32 on Sunday. Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn will look towards winning a national championship in 2026. This is something Purdue has been so close to achieving over the last three years.
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