Five Best Guard Matchups For Purdue's Braden Smith in the 2025-26 Season
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What is the fan benefit of Purdue loading up its non-conference schedule with high-major opponents and playing in the Big Ten? Watching college basketball's top point guard, Braden Smith, compete against other top guards throughout the 2025-26 season.
Smith enters his senior season with the Boilermakers and was named the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year for a second consecutive season. He's coming off a junior campaign in which he averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game, earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors and raking in the Bob Cousy Award.
The nation's top point guard will match up against some elite opponents this season. Who are some of the best Smith will see? Here's a top-five list — with a little assistance from Joe Jackson of the Boilers in the Stands podcast.
But before diving into those names, the rundown of honorable mentions includes Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State), Jackson Shelstad (Oregon), and Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State).
Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama (Nov. 13)
Philon had some consistency issues last season at Alabama, but that's to be expected from a true freshman running the point. He still averaged 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 45.2% from the floor.
Smith and Philon battled each other last season in a November matchup at Mackey Arena. The Alabama guard had an impressive night, scoring 18 points, dishing out four assists, and grabbing five rebounds. He also made 7-of-10 shot attempts, which is no easy feat in West Lafayette.
Last year, Philon was a three-time SEC Freshman of the Week and made 29 starts for the Crimson Tide. It will be interesting to see how much the Alabama guard has grown with a full year under his belt.
Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn (Dec. 20)
Pettiford is another guard Smith played against last season, one of the few who got the best of the Purdue point man. Pettiford helped smother Smith last season, holding him to just eight points on three-of-12 shooting and six assists in a 87-69 win for the Tigers. Pettiford had a big day, finishing the game with 18 points and five assists.
The sophomore guard tested the NBA Draft waters in the offseason and received some positive feedback. Ultimately, he decided to return to college for the 2025-26 campaign and he'll be one of the top players in the SEC.
Similar to Smith, Pettiford is a smaller guard (6-foot-1), who makes up for his height with athleticism, excellent passing skills, and the ability to shoot from anywhere. He was named to the SEC's All-Freshman Team after averaging 11.6 points and 3.0 assists per game.
Bennett Stirtz, Iowa (Jan. 14 & Feb. 14)
The matchup between Smith and Stirtz is one several fans will have circled on the calendar, and we'll get to watch it twice. Purdue and Iowa will meet on Jan. 14 and Feb. 14, one of the few double plays on the conference schedule. This one has some Spider-Man meme qualities, too.
Stirtz put up massive numbers last season at Drake, averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game. He also shot 49.8% from the floor and 39.5% from three-point range. Oh, and he managed to accomplish that while logging more than 39 minutes per game. At the end of the year, the 6-foot-4 guard was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year.
Stirtz followed coach Ben McCollum from Drake to Iowa, so he's familiar with the system. The only question is whether the new Hawkeye guard can play with the same level of consistency throughout the course of a Big Ten season. Either way, this should be a fun clash between two elite guards who can do everything on the basketball court.
Donovan Dent, UCLA (Jan. 20)
Dent's game has grown tremendously since his freshman season at New Mexico. He went from averaging 5.6 points and 2.3 assists per game in the 2022-23 season to averaging 20.4 points and 6.4 assists per game last year. As a result, he was named the Mountain West Player of the Year.
What makes Dent so dangerous is his ability to drive to the basket, get teammates involved, and knock down shots from the perimeter. He was a 41% three-point shooter last season and also got to the free-throw line 227 times, which ranked 19th nationally. For comparison, Smith shot just 96 free throws during the 2024-25 season.
It's been difficult for opponents to stay in front of Dent. Even if you take him away as a scoring threat — which is nearly impossible — he's a skilled enough passer to find his teammates and get them the ball in shot-making situations.
Bruce Thornton, Ohio State (March 1)
Thornton has provided Ohio State with tremendous consistency over the last three seasons. He's been a reliable scorer for the Buckeyes, averaging 17.7 points per game last season and logging 14 games with 20 points or more. He's incredibly efficient, as well, shooting 50.1% from the floor, 42.4% from three-point range, and 85.3% from the charity stripe.
It's hard to argue that Thornton is one of the best scoring guards in the country, with the ability to get to his spots and knock down pull-up jumpers or drive to the bucket. He's also a solid passer, averaging more than 4.0 assists per game each of the past two years.
When he's in a rhythm, Thornton is one of the most difficult Big Ten guards to defend, which makes the matchup with Smith even more intriguing.
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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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