ST. LOUIS - Purdue's standout All-American point guard Braden Smith officially etched his name atop one of college basketball's most significant statistical categories in the Boilermakers' opening win of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Friday night (March 20).
The Westfield, Indiana, native became the NCAA all-time leader in career assists, with his second assist of the victory vaulting Smith past Duke great Bobby Hurley's 1,076 mark (1990-93). Smith scored 26 points with eight assists and three rebounds, going 10-of-15 from the field. The new assist king of the NCAA helped his Boiler squad to a resounding 104-71 victory over 15th-seeded Queens (N.C.) inside the Enterprise Center.
Smith stands with 1,083 dimes heading into Round of 32 action, in which the Boilermakers will face No. 7 Miami (Fla.), a 12:10 p.m. ET tipoff on CBS.
Especially noteworthy from Smith's performance vs. Queens, he became the first player since Cincinnati’s Steve Logan to have at least 26 points, eight assists, four made 3-pointers and shoot 65 percent from the field in an NCAA Tournament game. Logan played for the Bearcats from 1998-2002.
In addition, Smith now needs eight assists to become the third player in NCAA Tournament history to have at least 100 points, 100 assists and 50 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament career (Ed Cota, Aaron Miles). Smith has 124 points, 92 assists and 51 rebounds in NCAA Tournament play. His 92 assists are the 11th most by a player in NCAA Tournament history.