On March 20th, Purdue senior guard Braden Smith just etched his name in college basketball history as the new NCAA all-time assist leader. He passed Bobby Hurley's mark of 1,076 assists early in the first half of Friday's first-round tournament game against Queens, needing only two to tie it going in. Earlier this week, Smith fueled Purdue's Big Ten Tournament Championship run with 46 assists over four games. That included a conference tournament single-game record of 16 against Northwestern, plus double digits in the other matchups.
Fans and analysts are buzzing about Smith's rise, especially after he already shattered Purdue's program record last season and the Big Ten's career. Mark earlier this year. His play has been key to the Boilermakers' deep tournament runs. This season alone, Smith is averaging 9.1 assists, good for second nationally, building on three straight years of over 300 each.
He's earned three all-Big Ten first-team nods, Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten Tournament MVP, and the Bob Cousy Award. As Purdue eyes more, March success, Smith's record-breaking vision cements him among the elite point guards with plenty of tournament games still.