WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – For the second time in his career, Braden Smith has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week for his role in leading the Boilermakers to a pair of big victories over the week.
Smith averaged 22.5 points, 7.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds in victories over No. 8-ranked Alabama and Akron. He scored 29 points, 21 of which came in the second half, with seven rebounds and four assists in an 87-80 win over Alabama on Thursday. Smith connected on the game-winning basket with just over a minute to play against the Tide to give Purdue an 82-80 advantage, then on the next possession, drew a foul with one on the shot clock, making both free throws to push the lead to 84-80.
He then added 16 points and 10 assists for his 19th career double-double in Sunday’s 97-79 win over Akron.
The wins propelled Purdue back into the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll after spending one week at No. 2.
For the season, Smith is averaging 17.8 points, 8.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game, having made 8-of-20 from long distance and 19-of-25 from the free throw line.
Smith is now one of seven players in NCAA history to have at least 1,400 points, 775 assists and 525 rebounds in their career.
The Boilermakers will travel to the Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, Bahamas, where it will face Memphis at 6 p.m. ET, on Thursday, on the CBS Sports Network.