Braden Smith entered Purdue’s first-round game in the NCAA men’s tournament vs. Queens needing two assists to make history. Smith now stands alone at the top of the NCAA’s all-time assists list with 1,077 and counting.
Smith on Friday became the most accomplished passer in men’s college basketball history, as the Purdue senior point guard surpassed Duke legend Bobby Hurley on the NCAA’s all-time assists list during the first half of the Boilermakers’ game against Queens. Hurley set the previous mark of 1,076 during his tenure with the Blue Devils from 1990 to ’93.
CONGRATS TO BRADEN SMITH 👏#MarchMadness https://t.co/QOD4ei9qTY pic.twitter.com/mX8sx2kIPC
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026
Smith now sits at 1,083 career assists after dishing out eight in the Boilermakers’ 104–71 win over Queens to advance to the second round of the tournament.
Smith is fresh off of a prolific performance as a passer in Purdue’s Big Ten tournament title run in which he handed out 46 assists in four games, including 16 against Northwestern, a mark that tied his career high.
Braden Smith’s journey to becoming the best college basketball passer ever
Smith was a standout player at Westfield High School (Ind.), where he became the school’s all-time leader in points and assists while leading his team to its first sectional title in 105 years. He was named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball, awarded to the best high school basketball player in the state.
Smith received an offer from Purdue in April 2021, and he committed to the Boilermakers less than a week later, despite the program’s offer being the only one he received. Gonzaga, Villanova, Oregon and Indiana were also interested in Smith’s services. And Smith wasted no time in rewarding Purdue’s interest in him, as he became the third freshman in Big Ten history to score at least 340 points while racking up 150 assists and 140 rebounds in a season, joining Magic Johnson and D’Angelo Russell.
The Westfield, Ind., native has made a huge impact on the Boilermakers during his four-year tenure, as he helped lead the program to its first national championship game since 1969 during the 2023–24 season, a game the Boilermakers lost to the UConn Huskies.
Smith, a rare fourth-year senior who has spent each season with the Boilermakers, has increased his assist average each year he’s been on campus, topping out with a career-high 9.0 per game this year. Smith was a consensus All-American in 2024–25 after a season that saw him average 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. He also received the Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard.
Now, he’s arguably the top point guard in men’s college basketball history.
“I’ve been very thankful to be around a lot of great guys who can score and put the ball in the basket,” Smith said during the Big Ten tournament. “They trust me. ... The coaching staff trusts me to go out there and make plays. When you give me confidence, it’s kind of what you want as a player.”
More March Madness From Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
- Ranking All 16 Men’s March Madness Second-Round Games
- Curious Case of Darryn Peterson Continues When He Goes Missing in March Madness Moment
- How a Little-Used 7' 9" Florida Center Became March Madness’s Most Electric Moment
- March Madness Day 2 Winners and Losers: Cinderellas Are Hard to Find, but Nine-Seeds Run the Show
- NCAA Sues DraftKings Over March Madness Usage to Protect Collegiate Integrity
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Purdue’s Braden Smith Surpasses Bobby Hurley, Sets NCAA’s All-Time Assists Record.
