Purdue’s Braden Smith breaks Bobby Hurley’s all-time NCAA assists record

The Purdue Boilermakers are taking on the Queens University of Charlotte Royals in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. Early in the contest, Braden Smith made college basketball history by surpassing Bobby Hurley’s all-time assist record.

Smith, who is a senior point guard for the Boilermakers, recorded his 1,077th career assist about midway through the first half against the Royals. He hit his teammate in the post after a nice pick-and-roll play that led to a two-point conversion, giving Purdue a 17-12 lead at the time.

CONGRATS TO BRADEN SMITH #MarchMadness https://t.co/QOD4ei9qTY pic.twitter.com/mX8sx2kIPC

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026

Bobby Hurley initially set the all-time assist record at 1,076 assists in his final season with the Duke Blue Devils in 1993. Amazingly, Smith managed to set a new record, considering how many players leave college basketball early for a plethora of reasons.

Brade Smith has been an assist machine since joining Purdue as a true freshman in 2022. He’s been a starter throughout his entire career, playing a minimum of 35 games every year. Smith will go down in history as one of the best college point guards in NCAA history, as he’s also a two-time Consensus First-Team All-American.

The Purdue point guard upped his performance this season, as his ball-facilitating has been a major reason why the Boilermakers were named a No. 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament. Smith entered the tourney averaging 14.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists (career-high), and 1.8 steals per contest while shooting 44.6% from the field and 36.5% from deep.

Smith will have a chance to rack up the assists throughout the tournament, assuming Purdue defeats Queens University of Charlotte in the first round. He could put up a number that doesn’t get beaten for over 30 years like Bobby Hurley.

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