Purdue guard Braden Smith led the No. 5 Boilermakers to a dominant 89-73 win over the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday to improve to 13-1 for the season. Smith tallied a double-double of 14.0 points, four rebounds, and 12.0 assists in 37 minutes of action against the Badgers.
It was a historic night for the talented Boilermakers guard, who broke the all-time Big Ten assists record (893 assists), which was previously held by former Michigan State Spartans star Cassius Winston (890).
Braden Smith Receives Congratulatory Messages From Family
After breaking the record, the veteran Smith, who returned to Purdue for an extra season instead of declaring for the NBA Draft, received messages of congratulations from his family members in a clip compiled by the Boilermakers on X.
His mother, Ginny, brother, Maddox, uncle, Larry, and aunt, Lana, all chipped in with heartfelt messages for the Purdue star’s accomplishment.
“Your dad and I want you to know how proud we are of you for breaking the Big Ten assists record,” Ginny Smith said. “What a testament to your hard work and fantastic teammates.”
The overall NCAA assists record is held by former Duke Blue Devils star Bobby Hurley (1,076 assists), who set it between 1990 and 1993. With 17 games left in the current college basketball regular season, Smith is 183 assists away from the overall record, with the possibility of further postseason games for the Boilermakers.
Smith Shrugs Off Big Ten Accomplishment
During his postgame news conference after breaking the assists record, Smith deflected the praise for the accomplishment and instead chose to focus on winning a national championship with Purdue.
“It’s obviously a huge accomplishment, it’s awesome to have,” Smith said. “What’s more important to me, and I know everybody is going to lose their mind, is the win. I just want to win. That’s why we came back, and that’s the goal. I was put around a lot of good teammates and guys who can put the ball in the hoop and make my job easier.
“Right now, it doesn’t mean anything. For me, it’s one game at a time, keep winning, and obviously, this group is special. It’s fun to do it with them. It’s really cool to see and be part of, but at the end of the day, I’m here for something bigger than that, and that’s to win a national championship. That’s really our main focus.”
Smith is averaging 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 9.6 assists for the Boilermakers, who entered the season as one of the favorites to win both the Big Ten and the national championships.