Big Ten Daily (Feb. 28): Payton Sandfort Makes Iowa History With Triple-Double Performance

Iowa junior forward Payton Sandfort made history on Tuesday night. He became the first Hawkeye men's basketball player to record a triple-double in a game, scoring 26 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing 10 assists. Of course, he gave a shoutout to Caitlin Clark after the game.

Payton Sandfort etched his name into Iowa's history books on Tuesday night. The junior forward became the first player in the history of the men's basketball program to record a triple-double.

Sandfort ended Tuesday's Big Ten battle with Penn State with 26 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds and 37 minutes of work. Most importantly, he helped the Hawkeyes secure a 90-81 victory over Penn State, improving to 17-12 on the season and keeping hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth alive.

Perhaps the most interesting part of Sandfort's triple-double is the fact that a majority of his points came from the free-throw line. He connected on 18-of-19 shots from the charity stripe, but was just three-of-11 from the field.

"I'm just glad to be able to do — it's crazy no other Hawkeye has done it," Sandfort said.

Then, he gave a shoutout to Caitlin Clark.

"Well, I mean, I see Caitlin do it everyday. It takes away some of the legitimacy of it," Sandfort said laughing. "But, I'm pretty proud. Being from the state, it's a pretty special thing to be the first one."

A historic night for @IowaHoops’ Payton Sandfort! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/qaNBzQqA9W

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 28, 2024

Sandfort recorded his 10th rebound in the final 30 seconds of the game, collecting it off a missed free throw attempt from Ace Baldwin Jr.

Now that Sandfort has officially made history, the Hawkeyes will try to close the season strong and make a late push for March Madness. Iowa has a pair of Quad 1 games remaining on the schedule, traveling to Northwestern on Saturday before closing out the season against No. 13 Illinois on Sunday, March 10.

Braden Smith joins Magic Johnson

It's no secret that Purdue's Braden Smith has emerged as one of the top point guards in college basketball — even if his name isn't mentioned among the top-10 for the Bob Cousy Award.

Smith is putting together a special season in West Lafayette, averaging 12.7 points, 7.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. He's also getting 1.8 steals per contest.

Alone, those numbers are pretty impressive. But there's one comparison that indicates just how outstanding the sophomore guard has been for the Boilermakers this season.

Per Purdue's sports information team, Smith has become just the second player in Big Ten history to record at least 350 points, 200 assists, 150 rebounds and 40 steals in a single season.

The other? Michigan State's Magic Johnson.

Yeah, that's pretty good company.

Because of the impact Zach Edey makes on a game, Smith's contributions sometimes get overlooked by national media. But Purdue fans certainly understand the value the sophomore brings to the court.

Purdue is closing in on a second straight Big Ten regular season championship. The Boilers own a 2.5-game lead on Illinois with three to play. It'll be a tough end to the season for Matt Painter's team, hosting Michigan State on Saturday before a trip to No. 13 Illinois on Tuesday, March 5. Purdue then ends the season at Mackey Arena on Sunday, March 10 against Wisconsin.

Related Big Ten stories

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• BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS: Purdue appears on a path to a second consecutive Big Ten title. Illinois is probably locked into the No. 2 spot. As for the final two double-byes in the conference tournament? Northwestern, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan State and Minnesota are in the mix. CLICK HERE