Overview
- Purdue fell 79–64 to Arizona in the Elite Eight on Saturday, ending Smith’s four-year run with 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
- Smith departs as the NCAA’s all-time assists leader with 1,103 career assists, surpassing a mark that stood for 33 years.
- He set the NCAA record for minutes by a four-year player at 5,067 after logging 35 minutes in the loss.
- The NCAA saluted him after the game with a post that read, “An absolute LEGEND. Thank you, Braden Smith.”
- Matt Painter praised seniors Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn for setting Purdue’s standard with a school-record 117 wins.