Overview
- Purdue’s run ended in the Elite Eight with a 79-64 loss to top-seeded Arizona, a Saturday result that closed Braden Smith’s four-year career.
- Smith finished with 1,103 career assists to top the Division I record and reached 5,067 minutes to set the four-year career mark for time on court.
- The NCAA saluted him on social media with a parting message that called the Purdue point guard a legend.
- Coach Matt Painter praised departing seniors Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn, noting their school records for 117 wins, multiple Big Ten titles, and a standard he said will be hard to match.
- CBS Sports reports Purdue now faces a roster reset in the transfer and NIL era, with a five-player 2026 class and Princeton transfer Caden Pierce offering early pieces for the rebuild.