Entering the 2024-25 season, all of those involved with the Purdue basketball team knew they would have to lean heavily on Braden Smith to lead the Boilermakers back to March glory. After a brutally challenging non-conference schedule in November and December in which Purdue faced five nationally-ranked opponents, Smith and his battle-tested Boiler mates have found their stride in January in time to attack the rest of their Big 10 opponents.
The 17th-ranked Boilermakers are currently on a five-game heater, and not surprisingly, their junior point guard has played like the All-American candidate he was expected to be during this stretch.
During last season’s dream run to the national championship game in Phoenix, Braden Smith emerged as the unquestionable floor general of Purdue’s team despite only being a sophomore.
Starting every one of Purdue’s 39 games, Smith played the part of Robin to Zach Edey‘s Batman to perfection. Playing alongside the two-time National Player-of-the-Year, Smith dished out 7.5 assists per game while ranking second to Edey on the team with a 12.0 points per game average, which included hitting on 43.1% of his shots from distance. That effort earned Smith a spot on the first-team all-Big 10 squad.
Not surprisingly, conference coaches and writers expected Smith to continue that success and voted him as the Big 10 preseason POY. With his production this year, those voters have been proven prophetic.
Following back-to-back losses to SEC opponents 17th-ranked Texas A&M and #2 Auburn in December, the Purdue Boilermakers righted the ship with an 83-64 victory over Toledo on December 29. From there, Purdue has won four more consecutive games in conference play, all by at least 18 points.
Braden Smith’s numbers during his team’s five-game streak have been nothing short of remarkable. His per-game averages since the Toledo contest:
During the Minnesota victory, Smith reached an historic milestone. He became just the second Boilermaker in program history to hit 1,000 points, dish out 500 assists and grab 400 rebounds in a career, matching Bruce Parkinson‘s achievement during his career from 1973 through 1977.
Following the Northwestern game on January 5, Smith was named Big 10 Player of the Week, his first such honor, for his efforts.
Purdue head coach Matt Painter realizes that as Braden Smith goes, so go his Boilermakers. Following the Northwestern win, Painter praised his leader highly.
“To me, for him, it all starts with him being hungry and shooting. When he dribbles down and shoots or he doesn’t pass and shoot in those situations, we encourage that, we think those are high-percentage shots. But it also keeps everybody honest. So, now, when those guys are hedging, or switching, or getting out, we just have to make the right reads. When he’s making the right reads and being aggressive, we’ve had a lot of success.
“His ability to shoot the basketball and pass the basketball is very unique. Good leader, good player, very competitive, he just needs to keep growing and keep getting better.”
Should the Purdue players have any visions of playing in San Antonio for the 2025 Final Four dancing in their heads, Braden Smith must continue his stellar play, especially with taking care of the basketball as point guard. In their four defeats, the Boilermakers averaged 16.8 turnovers per loss, compared to just 9.3 mishaps in their 13 wins.
Coincidence? Not a chance, especially when Smith has his hands on the ball the vast majority of the time. If Smith deftly guides his mates through the winter months of their schedule, beginning tonight with the start of their initial West Coast swing through Seattle and Eugene, the Boilermaker Special may be rolling through the Purdue campus celebrating another championship season.
Read More College Sports News From Stadium Rant Here: College Sports News
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
