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Purdue’s Braden Smith Breaks NCAA Career Assists Record in First-Round Win

Longevity in one program made the once-untouchable mark attainable.

Overview

  • Smith passed Bobby Hurley with career assist No. 1,077 on a bounce pass to Trey Kaufman-Renn at 12:11 of the first half after tying the mark on a feed to Oscar Cluff.
  • Purdue routed Queens 104-71 to reach the Round of 32, with Smith finishing at 26 points and eight assists.
  • He entered the night needing two assists following a Big Ten Tournament surge that produced assist records for a game (16), a tournament (46) and a career (96) plus Most Outstanding Player honors.
  • The senior has been a near-every-game starter across four seasons (146 appearances) and is the only NCAA player with at least 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 rebounds.
  • Hurley’s 33-year benchmark was widely viewed as out of reach in the modern transfer era, and Smith can extend his total with each remaining NCAA Tournament game.