Braden Smith’s incredible second-half performance will be forgotten in Sweet 16 loss

When Zach Edey left Purdue for the NBA last year, the only logical conclusion was the Boilermakers would take a huge step back.

Edey, after all, was the reigning two-time Player of the Year. He willed Purdue to the NCAA Championship Game a year after an embarrassing loss to 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round in 2023. The 7'4" centeraveraged23.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game over his final two collegiate seasons.

By the final results, Purdue did technically take a step back this season. Falling to Houston in the Sweet 16 is worse than making it all the way to the final round.

However, Purdue was the only Big Ten school tomake the Top 25 in the AP Poll every weekthis season. It finished fourth in the conference, earning a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. And against one of the best teams in the nation — and the best defense in the country — Purdue nearly came out on top, falling to one of the best out-of-bounds plays you'll ever see.

Credit goes to Houston and head coach Kelvin Sampson for drawing up that play and surviving Purdue (perhaps also due to some very favorable calls going their way). But credit also goes to Purdue and its biggest stars for a brilliant season that nearly culminated in one of the tournament's biggest upsets.

Braden Smith nearly wills Purdue to Sweet 16 win with incredible passing

Much of the talk this tournament surrounding Purduehas been about junior forwardTrey Kaufman-Renn, and rightfully so.

In the Boilermakers' three March Madness games, Kaufman-Renn nearly averaged a double-double, leading the team in scoring with 19.0 points per game while posting 9.3 rebounds per contest. He was clearly the focal point of Matt Painter's offense — and Houston's defense — in the Sweet 16.

However, point guard Braden Smith deserves a lot of the credit for keeping Purdue attached to Houston's hip in the second half.

Hounded by Houston's dominant perimeter defense, Smith was held to single-digit scoring for the first time since a February 23 loss to Indiana. However, as the Big Ten assists leader has been wont to do this season, Smith picked apart the Cougars to the tune of 15 assists, including a whopping 11 after halftime.

His four first-half assists also helped him make some history, as the point guard became just the third player in history to total 300+ assists in a single season.

The only other college basketball players to accomplish that feat are Kendall Marshall (North Carolina, 2011-12), Sherman Douglas (Syracuse, 1988-89), and Mark Jackson (St. John's, 1985-86).

It was a sour end to a brilliant season for Smith and the Boilermakers, but the point guard's heroics shouldn't be forgotten by fans. Assuming he and Kaufman-Renn return to campus for their senior seasons, Purdue should be right back in the thick of the title hunt next year.

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