St. LOUIS – Braden Smith’s first assist as a Boilermaker was to Trey Kaufman-Renn 1,228 days ago inside Mackey Arena during the 2022-23 season opener against Milwaukee.
It was only fitting that the NCAA record-breaking assist was delivered to Kaufman-Renn on Friday night in West Region first-round action against Queens
Smith put his name in the record book, paving the way for second-seeded and eighth-ranked Purdue to begin pulling away from the Royals for a 104-71 victory at the Enterprise Center.
PURDUE COACH MATT PAINTER
PURDUE’S FLETCHER LOYER
PURDUE’S OSCAR CLUFF
The Boilermakers will face No. 7 seed Miami (Fla.), an 80-66 winner over No. 10 seed Missouri, in Sunday’s second round (12:10 p.m. ET, CBS). The winner advances to the West Region semifinals in San Jose.
After the opening tip, big man Oscar Cluff handed out assists like candy on Halloween. His first assist went to Smith, followed by a sharp pass to Fletcher Loyer, who buried a 3-pointer. Cluff fed Kaufman-Renn and Purdue had a quick 7-2 advantage.
But Smith settled into his game. He found Cluff inside to tie Duke standout Bobby Hurley’s record and broke the mark by flipping a bounce pass to Kaufman-Renn, who was cutting down the lane. Kaufman-Renn was fouled with 12:11 left before halftime.
Hurley’s record of 1,076 assists stood 33 years before Smith began his assault on the mark four seasons and 146 games ago on that Tuesday night in West Lafayette.
However, the Boilermakers couldn’t shake the 15th-seeded Royals until late in the first half. Purdue parlayed a 12-2 run, including 10 straight points to open a 45-30 advantage.
Matt Painter’s team didn’t hold its first double-digit lead until 1:52 remaining until halftime.
The Boilermakers started the second half on an 11-3 run, capped by Loyer’s 3-pointer with 17:15 to play, forcing a timeout by the Royals (21-14). Purdue expanded the stretch to 20-5, putting Queens in a hole it couldn’t recover from.
Purdue made its first six field goal attempts en route to shooting 63.1%, the highest for the program in NCAA tournament history.
Queens, making its first NCAA tournament appearance in its first year of eligibility, couldn’t handle Cluff and Kaufman-Renn inside. The pair physically dominated the smaller Royals on the boards and in the paint.
Smith poured in a game-high 26 points, and Kaufman-Renn added 25. The pair combined to hit 22 of 33 from the field. Smith finished with eight assists, continuing his solid postseason run, including last weekend’s Big Ten tournament. Loyer added 14 points, and C.J. Cox had 11. Loyer and Cox combined for seven 3-pointers.
Cluff pulled down 11 boards as the Boilermakers owned the rebounding 41-19.
The Royals needed to shoot a high rate from 3-point range to counter Purdue’s balanced offense, but managed just 7 of 25 from beyond the arc.
“A LITTLE SURREAL”
Painter had to take a step back and soak up the idea that Kaufman-Renn was Smith’s first assist in the season opener in November 2022 and the record-breaker.
“A little surreal,” Painter said. “The guy that gets his first assist gets the assist to break the record. It was great to see.”
Kaufman-Renn had to adapt his game to Smith’s passing skills, and the two worked together for numerous hours perfecting the chemistry to make it effective over the long haul. They’ve grown together since Smith arrived on campus, and Kaufman-Renn was coming off his redshirt season, eager to play for the first time.
Kaufman-Renn modeled his game, knowing “I’m going to have the best ballhandler in college basketball history on my team.
“It’s the same thing we had Zach (Edey) on our team, and that’s the advice coach gave me. You know he’s going to play. He’s such a great player. So, you have to be able to fit with those guys. So, when you have such special players, just being able to model your game around them.”
For Smith, the moment likely won’t fully set in until after Purdue’s tournament run ends, the hectic schedule slows down, and he’s able to filter through the emotions of what he’s accomplished.
“I don’t think it’s really set in, because to me, it’s my job,” said Smith, who now has 1,083 career assists. “It’s what I’m supposed to do. It’s why I came here.
“As a point guard, that’s what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to get guys the ball to go score, and obviously, I have a lot of great people around me who can do that. For me, it’s my job to put them in positions to score.”
Queens coach Grant Leonard has nothing but praise for Smith and what he’s achieved. Leonard said Smith’s decision-making, while under control, stands out.
“He’s a phenomenal player, and you could see it on the court how under control he is,” Leonard said. “I think he probably has the highest basketball IQ in the country to go along with the toughness and you’re not even talking about the skill yet.”
As Smith sat next to Painter in the postgame press conference, he listened as his coach rattled off the accomplishments, the great players he passed on his way to the top, and tried to encapsulate what he’s meant to the program.
“It’s an unbelievable feat,” Painter said. “Especially from the great Bobby Hurley, who we were in the same grade, and he was just the quintessential point guard and winner at Duke University when he played and had a fabulous coaching career.
“But for him to have that honor for 33 years just speaks to how great Bobby Hurley was. And you look at the other guys that are right behind him … it’s a big-time achievement. Happy for him and excited about advancing in this tournament and having some fun.”
LOCKED IN EARLY
Add Friday’s production to the list of efficient performances the Boilermakers have showcased this season.
It marked the third game shooting over 60% this season and the 16th time surpassing the 50% threshold. The end result was established by Purdue’s quick start.
“I thought our guys were ready to play,” Painter said. “Our starters were pretty locked in. Fletch didn’t get many looks there and opened up more in the second half. TK did some good things, and Braden played well.”
Purdue’s points per possession were a robust 1.844 in the second half and 1.552 for the game.
“HE’S BEEN A LOAD”
Cluff’s retained his form after a strong showing at the Big Ten tournament.
He had three of his five assists early, dominated the rebounding, and was a force inside at both ends. Purdue needs Cluff to maintain his level if the Boilermakers are going to make a deep run.
Cluff totaled nine points, 11 rebounds and matched his season high with four blocked shots.
“Oscar had a three, four-week run where he wasn’t as effective as he was early in the year, and the last two, three weeks he’s been a load,” Painter said. “We need him on the glass, we need him defensively, and we need him to score that ball down low when they stay home on our shooters.”
The presence of Cluff and Kaufman-Renn allowed the Boilermakers to take advantage of the open looks on the perimeter, draining 14 of 24 from 3-point range.