Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn Named to Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List
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Purdue juniors Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn have been named to the midseason watch list for the 2025 Oscar Robertson Trophy, presented to the top player in college basketball. A total of 50 players were named to the watch list, which was released this week.
Kaufman-Renn is Purdue's leading scorer this season, averaging 18.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest. Smith is the team's second-leading scorer and top assist man, averaging 15.8 points, 8.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.
"The Oscar Robertson Trophy winner is to be announced at the NCAA Men's Final Four in San Antonio, from April 5-7," the release from the USBWA states. "The formal presentation of the trophy will follow at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis. A final watch list will be released in early March and those chosen will be included on the USBWA's annual awards ballot."
With the departure of Zach Edey and Mason Gillis, Kaufman-Renn stepped into a bigger role in Purdue's frontcourt. He's delivered in a big way thus far, becoming the leading scorer and top rebounder for the Boilermakers.
Smith entered the 2024-25 season as the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year and was a preseason All-American. He's lived up to the hype thus far, especially in the month of January. He averaged 17.6 points, 9.1 assists and 3.1 steals for the month, making college basketball history.
Purdue has won the Oscar Robertson Trophy each of the last two seasons, as Edey received the honor in 2023 and 2024. Can the Boilermakers make it a third straight year?
Here's the complete list of players named to Oscar Robertson Trophy midseason watch list:
- Jaden Akins, Michigan State
- Ace Bailey, Rutgers
- ACe Baldwin Jr., Penn State
- Nate Bittle, Oregon
- Johni Broome, Auburn
- Lamont Butler, Kentucky
- Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
- Donovan Dent, New Mexico
- Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
- Eric Dixon, Villanova
- Cooper Flagg, Duke
- Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Maryland
- PJ Haggerty, Memphis
- Dylan Harper, Rutgers
- Chucky Hepburn, Louisville
- Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State
- Chase Hunter, Clemson
- Graham Ike, Gonzaga
- Ian Jackson, North Carolina
- Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
- Curtis Jones, Iowa State
- Kam Jones, Marquette
- Alex Karaban, UConn
- Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
- Kon Knueppel, Duke
- Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
- Yaxel Lendeborg, UAB
- Caleb Love, Arizona
- RJ Luis, St. John's
- Nick Martinelli, Northwestern
- Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple
- Trent McLaughlin, Northern Arizona
- Jacksen Moni, North Dakota State
- Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
- Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga
- Asa Newell, Georgia
- Norchad Omier, Baylor
- Otega Oweh, Kentucky
- Zhuric Phelps, Texas A&M
- Maxime Raynuad, Stanford
- Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest
- Mark Sears, Alabama
- Emanuel Sharp, Houston
- Javon Small, West Virginia
- Braden Smith, Purdue
- John Tonje, Wisconsin
- Darrion Williams, Texas Tech
- Danny Wolf, Michigan
- Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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