Purdue Guard Braden Smith Makes More NCAA History During Remarkable Junior Season
In this story:
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Braden Smith continues to make history. On Thursday, the junior guard joined elite company while helping Purdue to a 75-63 victory over High Point in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Smith finished Thursday's game with 20 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals. With those numbers, the junior guard became just the second player in NCAA history to score 500 points, dish out 275 assists, grab 150 rebounds and record 75 steals in a single season.
The only other player to do it in college basketball's history is Georgia Tech's Kenny Anderson, who accomplished the feat during the 1989-90 campaign.
After Thursday's win over High Point, Smith has now scored 550 points, dished out 293 assists, grabbed 155 rebounds and recorded 76 steals. Anderson finished the 1989-90 season with 721 points, 285 assists, 193 rebounds and 79 steals.
Simply elite.
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) March 20, 2025
🌟 @3bradensmith x Kenny Anderson.
The only ones with 500-275-150-75. pic.twitter.com/gNqNIr1lcd
It's been a year full of accomplishments for Smith. He eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career and surpassed 500 total rebounds. He also became Purdue's all-time assists leader.
Smith was named the Big Ten Player of the Year for 2025 and was also tabbed as a first-team All-American. Additionally, he is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, presented to the top point guard in college basketball.
Smith will have a chance to add to his totals on Saturday, as the Boilermakers will play McNeese State in the second round.
Related stories on Purdue basketball
PURDUE GETS MCNEESE: Playing with confidence, swagger and a hardly-ever-used 2-3 zone, No. 12 seed McNeese stunned Clemson on Thursday to claim their first-ever NCAA Tournament win. That sets up a date with No. 4 Purdue on Saturday. CLICK HERE
BOILER BANTER COLUMN: Purdue has allowed many leads to slip away over the last month. It almost happened again on Thursday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against High Point. This time, though, the Boilermakers found a way to weather the storm. Here is Dustin Schutte's ''Boiler Banter'' column. CLICK HERE
PURDUE GAME STORY: No. 4-seed Purdue grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, and all those extra possessions helped the Boilermakers knock off High Point 75-63 in their first-round NCAA Tournament game Thursday in Providence, R.I. Trey Kaufman-Renn had 21 points, and Braden Smith added 20. CLICK HERE
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.
Follow SchutteDustin