Updated March 11, 2026, 10:02 a.m. ET
- Braden Smith approaches the top of his historic school basketball profession, main Purdue.
- With greater than 1,000 profession assists, Smith can break the NCAA record set by Bobby Hurley.
- While the NCAA record is sweet, Smith solely has one objective: win Purdue’s first nationwide championship.
For greater than 15 years, Matt Painter assembled Purdue groups the place gamers of all styles and sizes might win.
From the exceptionally tall Zach Edey to the mighty-mouse scoring sparkplug Carsen Edwards. From a bulldozer like Caleb Swanigan to lithe and agile Jaden Ivey.
Painter’s Boilermakers have had all of it — besides an elite level guard.
Turns out, all he needed to do was look about 50 miles southeast to search out the one to alter all of it.
Westfield, Indiana’s Braden Smith has gone from under-the-radar three-star recruit with affords from Montana and Appalachian State to Purdue’s transcendent ground basic. The All-American and 2025 Big Ten Player of the Year, Smith is in his closing weeks with the Boilermakers. As the top approaches, he’s removed from performed.
NCAA historical past is in sight. So is that elusive nationwide championship. Why not go for each?
Smith enters March inside putting distance of Bobby Hurley’s Division I assists record. To get there, he’ll want just a few additional video games. And which may imply guiding Purdue down a brief drive south on I-65 to Indianapolis for the Final Four.
“We’ve had good point guards,” Painter informed USA TODAY Sports. “But we haven’t had that elite player at that position like him.”
There wasn’t a lot time for the 2022 Indiana Mr. Basketball to settle, thrust into the beginning lineup out of the gate. It helped having Edey because the star, capable of dish it to the 7-3 behemoth to dominate video games.
It molded Smith as a premier passer, with assistant coach and former Purdue guard P.J. Thompson serving as a mentor. In his sophomore season, Smith’s 7.5 assists per sport had been the second-most within the nation for the eventual nationwide runner-up.
But with Edey gone, Purdue wanted extra from Smith his junior 12 months. He didn’t actually prioritize scoring, however he must, all whereas persevering with to be top-of-the-line passers within the sport.
He stepped it up. Last season, he averaged 15.8 factors with 8.7 assists per sport, resulting in a crowded trophy case.
“You add something to your game every year. You add more maturity to your game, more polish to your game,” Painter said. “We needed him to score, we needed him each year to grow. Every year, he got better.”
This season, Smith is Purdue’s main scorer at 14.9 factors per sport whereas averaging 8.7 assists a sport, second-most within the nation. It’s been a exceptional offensive season for Purdue, on tempo to be one among Painter’s best-scoring staff of his tenure.
Smith can dissect issues in a number of methods. Painter described his method as “take what the game presents.” If groups are taking away passing lanes, then go rating. If they’re defending onerous, make these passes for straightforward buckets.
“Just instinctively play the game. That’s when he’s at his best,” Painter said.
There will likely be nights the place he scores 29 factors, like he did in opposition to Alabama, or others when he’s reaching double-digit assists. When he’s getting double-doubles (he has eight this season), the Boilermakers are 6-2.
“I’m going to continue to shoot,” Smith said. “You still got to produce and do what you’re going to do.”
Braden Smith nearing Bobby Hurley’s NCAA assist record
With 141 career games played, Smith is on the cusp of NCAA history, recently becoming the fifth men’s player to reach 1,000 career assists. At 1,029 total dimes, he is just 47 away from Hurley’s all-time record of 1,076 assists set in 1990-93.
Fans in black and gold have been following that chase all season, knowing there’s a realistic chance it could be broken. There’s even a website, bradenassists.com, dedicated to tracking it.
Now in his 11th season coaching Arizona State, Hurley was made aware of the possibility before the year. He doesn’t get to follow Smith heavily, but Hurley’s appreciated what he’s seen of him, including against his brother, Dan, and UConn in the 2024 title game.
“I’ve always admired how he plays and his vision and how he makes people better,” Hurley told USA TODAY Sports. “Braden seems to be more of a throwback type of guard; just really unique vision and creativity with his passing and takes a lot of pride in it.”
The record has stood for more than 30 years, with no real threat. North Carolina’s Ed Cota (1996-2000) came closest with 1,030. Even though it hasn’t really been challenged, Hurley figured “this moment would eventually happen,” and “it might have happened sooner, actually.”
He said he can’t judge who is worthy of breaking the record, but Smith has all the traits to deserve it.
“To have someone that would take it down, he would be the type of person that I would really respect having the record,” Hurley said.
Smith knows about the record. But does he care? Well, it depends, because there’s only one way it gets broken: Purdue keeps winning.
With the regular season complete, Smith and the Boilermakers are guaranteed at least two more games — one Big Ten tournament and one NCAA Tournament. Survive and advance to get 10 more games, the more chances to add assists. Hurley mentioned how playing those extra games en route to winning two national championships with Duke helped him reach his mark.
If Purdue plays the maximum 10 games left with a Big Ten final and national championship game appearance, he’ll just need to average 4.7 assists per game to break the record. The fewer amount of games played, the more assists needed per contest.
Already a guy that despises being taken out of games, don’t be surprised to see Smith play all 40 minutes, like he just did against Northwestern.
“The more he plays the game to win, the better chance he’ll have to get the records,” Painter said. “The record is going to come because you get to the championship game of the Big Ten tournament, you get to the Final Four. That’s when the record is gonna play out.”
Purdue needs deep March Madness run
That, of course, has been the conundrum for Purdue. Smith was a freshman on the team that became just the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed. He got to the championship game as a sophomore. Last season, the Boilermakers lost to Houston in the Sweet 16 on a last-second backdoor basket.
With Smith again for one final run, Purdue entered the season as nationwide title favorites, the No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports preseason men’s basketball poll. For a lot of the season, it performed the half with a 17-1 begin.
However, things have gotten off track. The Boilermakers are 6-7 since then, suddenly looking like ghosts of March past are creeping up again.
Smith has still been producing for his team, but he believes any and all struggles “starts with me.”
“Personally, that’s how I am as a competitor and a person,” Smith said after Purdue lost to UCLA on Jan. 20. “I got to be better, and I got to learn from it.”
It’s made for frustrating times, and it only is heightened with the bumps and bruises Smith takes almost routinely in games, visibly upset with it. “I’m just so used to it at this point,” he said, feeling like he gets a different treatment of physicality.
Painter understands it, but knows it’s the result of a high usage level. The more you handle the ball — and be a difference-maker with it — teams are going to hound you. That’s just the way it is.
Luckily, it gets the guard in a mindset his coach loves to see him in.
“A lot of it is that competitiveness comes out. You see him getting upset, you see him getting fiery, call it frustration,” Painter said. “But to me, I know he’s dialed in. He wants to win. I’d rather calm somebody down like him than try to raise somebody else.”
That fire is what Purdue is going to need if Smith wants to end his decorated career on top. His name and number are bound to be displayed inside Mackey Arena permanently, but a championship banner is the top priority.
It pays to have experience in March, especially when that player has such high court IQ like Smith. That could be the difference from surviving and advancing or going home.
“I’ve seen a few of his assists this 12 months the place he is capable of look the protection off in such a inventive means and somebody’s laying the ball in and the protection appears to be like silly,” Hurley said. “That’s what actually nice passers are capable of do, simply manipulate the protection and get the ball to somebody the place the protection or the informal fan watching goes, ‘How did he see that?’
“Well, it’s because he probably reads the game one or two seconds ahead of everybody else.”
Record and title or not, Painter doesn’t assume that is the top of the highway for Smith; he believes a shiny skilled future is forward for his star guard.
“Braden is a pro. I think he’ll play 10 to 12 years in the NBA. I really believe that wholeheartedly,” he said.
But that’s one thing to sit up for in mid-April.
In an period of unrestricted participant motion, Smith spent all 4 years with the Boilermakers, creating right into a premier guard. He needs to convey glory to Purdue.
“Our guys staying, really also had to do with unfinished business,” Painter said. “They want to win a national championship.”
The all-time help record would simply be the cherry on prime.
NCAA profession assists leaders
- Bobby Hurley, Duke (1990-93): 1,076
- Chris Corchiani, NC State (1988-91): 1,038
- Ed Cota, North Carolina (1997-2000): 1,030
- Braden Smith, Purdue (2023-26): 1,029
- Jason Brickman, Long Island (2011-2014): 1,007
