Meet Braden Smith: 5 Things To Know About the Purdue Point Guard

Meet the giant-destroyer and the best passer in college basketball history: Braden Smith. The men’s college basketball season is ramping up with high-stakes games every night and the NCAA Tournament just around the corner. In those key regular-season games, March Madness stars introduce themselves to the nation with magical moments and Cinderella runs. We’re teaching you about them before they become national heroes. Ahead of No. 13 Purdue facing Iowa on Saturday night (5 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), let us help you get to know Smith. 1. Player Build Smith is a 6-foot point guard. He controls the pace of the game with his handle, dicing up defenses in the pick-and-roll. He makes up for his height with nifty pump-fakes and precise footwork. 2. Four-Year Starter Smith has started all 134 games of his Purdue career going back to his freshman year. That ranks second to only former Purdue guard E’Twaun Moore, who had 136 starts for the Boilermakers. If he stays healthy, Smith will pass Moore and set the record for most starts in a Purdue jersey on Feb. 20 against Indiana. 3. National Praise Smith earned first-team All-American honors as a junior and won the Bob Cousy Award for the best point guard in the nation. 4. Prolific Passer Smith became the Big Ten’s all-time assists leader on Jan. 3 during Purdue’s game against Wisconsin. He’s built that total up to 968 — and counting. 5. Couple Goals Smith’s girlfriend is Gracie Lux, a swimmer at Purdue. The couple first went public last summer and consistently post and promote each other’s athletic achievements.