Braden Smith rebounds from poor performance to lead No. 11 Purdue past No. 21 Michigan

Braden Smith, the point guard for Purdue, took the setback personally Tuesday night in West Lafayette, Indiana.

He therefore assumed leadership from the beginning on Friday night.

As the No. 11 Purdue Boilermakers defeated No. 21 Michigan 91-64, he converted an opening possession theft into a breakaway layup and finished with 24 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, and four steals in 37 minutes.

WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA – JANUARY 24: On January 24, 2025, in West Lafayette, Indiana, Braden Smith #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers attempts a jumper against Tre Donaldson #3 of the Michigan Wolverines during the second half at Mackey Arena. (Image courtesy of Justin

“When Ohio State happened, I was really upset about it,” Smith said, alluding to the Boilermakers’ 26-game winning streak that came to an end. “I thought I failed the squad. I thought I was to blame, but I knew they would claim I wasn’t or whatever. But to me, that’s who I am as a person and as a competitor.”

Ever since he first set foot on campus three years ago, Smith has been a household name. Smith was named to the All-Big Ten team each of the previous two seasons, and he and shooting guard Fletcher Loyer both earned starting positions in their debut seasons.

However, 7-foot-4 Zach Edey, the two-time national player of the year, dominated his attention.

However, this season (16-5, 8-2 Big Ten). He also set the tone early on and throughout the game, despite the fact that he failed to record season highs in any significant categories. And from Friday beginning to end, no one was superior to Smith.

He led a defense that forced a season-high 22 turnovers, had a 29-8 lead in points off turnovers, went 10 of 17 from the field, and only committed one turnover.

How good was he? Smith almost missed becoming one of the few players in school history to record a triple double, along with Joe Barry Carroll. Carroll had 16 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 blocks versus Arizona almost fifty years ago.

Smith made a few attempts at that achievement over the year.

Dusty May, the first-year Michigan coach, saw Smith go 3 of 14 from the field on Tuesday, but he looked more like that guy on Friday than the player who was obviously the difference in the game.

“Braden is going to get 10 assists every night and when you have a point guard that s making the right plays, that s keeping everyone involved, it s tough,” May stated. “I watched him a couple of possessions and his focus and simply just play the game, helped him make plays on both sides of the ball.”

After watching the Buckeyes come back from a 16-point hole in the first half to pull off an upset 73-70 victory, May didn’t expect anything less.

Smith, however, exceeded expectations. The Boilermakers took an early 13-2 lead thanks to his steal and layup on the game’s first possession, which resulted in another turnover on Michigan’s second possession and three more turnovers in the first three and a half minutes.

Smith had just begun, and he was determined not to let the events against Ohio State happen again.

“I thought he was active defensively, got into passing lanes, got some steals, was just really active on both ends,” Purdue coach Matt Painter stated. “His readings tonight, in my opinion, were straightforward. He continued to look ahead, which is what we need from him.