The Purdue Boilermakers entered Friday night’s Big Ten showdown with the UCLA Bruins in the midst of their first four-game losing streak since the 2019-20 season, but Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn, a pair of key holdovers from last season’s National Championship runner-up, weren’t about to let that skid extend to five games. Kaufman-Renn led the Boilermakers in scoring with 29 points in the 76-66 win, but it was Smith, the unquestioned leader of the Boilermakers, who delivered a big-time performance when his team needed him most.
Smith scored 23 points, pulled down 3 rebounds, dished out 8 assists and notched 4 steals, filling the stat sheet in a way that few players have made a habit of. Smith is currently ranked in the top 20 in the Big Ten in all four of those statistical categories, but if we’re talking statistical output, we can’t go any further without recognizing the fact that Braden Smith, just a junior, managed to break a 48-year-old Purdue career record in the win over the Bruins.
6️⃣9️⃣1️⃣ and counting.
The new standard for assists at Purdue. pic.twitter.com/vunwQCsVmI
— Purdue Men’s Basketball (@BoilerBall) March 1, 2025
It helps Smith’s cause that in this win, he also became the first player in Big Ten history to register two seasons with at least 250 assists. He now ranks 8th in Big Ten history in total assists, and would likely be a lock to break Cassius Winston’s conference record if he were to return to Purdue for his senior season next year.
Since arriving at Purdue ahead of the 2022-23 season, Braden Smith has started all 103 games he’s played for the Boilermakers, instantly occupying a key role for a team with National Championship aspirations. This year, Smith’s role has expanded a great deal to account for the loss of two-time Wooden Award winner Zach Edey’s 24 points per game. This year, Smith’s scoring average jumped from 12 points to 16 points per game, and he’s still 2nd in the Big Ten in assists per game as well.
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