ST. LOUIS — Tonight was one for the history books as senior guard Braden Smith claimed his new title of NCAA all-time assist leader alongside Purdue finishing with the second-highest rebounding margin in the NCAA Tournament first and second rounds.
After recently being crowned Big Ten Tournament Champions, No. 2-seed Purdue (28-8, 14-7 Big Ten) now takes on the big dance of March Madness. For the Boilermakers this is just another NCAA Tournament for the books, but for No. 15-seed Queens (NC) (21-14, 13-6 ASUN) this marks the teams first appearance and qualification for March Madness in its school’s history.
Big games have big prizes and for Purdue this meant more than anything as the last time the team was crowned the Big Ten Tournament Champion was the same time the Boilermakers lost in the first round of March Madness in 2023. To the Boilermakers’ luck, history doesn’t always repeat itself as they were able to advance to the second round.
Here are the three takeaways from Purdue’s 104-71 win over Queens:
Your new NCAA all-time assist leader
Smith, returning back to his No. 3 jersey roots, walked into Enterprise Stadium just two assists away from beating Bobby Hurley’s 1,076 assist record — the all-time assist leader since 1993.
With just eight minutes into the game, Smith achieved that goal after an assist to senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn leading to a layup which marked a total of 1,077 career assists.
Senior guard Braden Smith attempts to defend Queens sophomore guard Maban Jabriel and senior guard Nasir Mann during Friday’s Round of 64 March Madness matchup at The Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
Sarah Wiederkehr | Staff Photographer
“For me I don’t think it’s really set in, because to me, again, it’s my job. It’s what I’m supposed to do,” Smith said after being asked what his overall reaction was to beating Bobby Hurley’s record. “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 go score.”
And Smith didn’t stop there as he continued to make big plays across the paint and the arc, in terms of both assists and scoring, to help continue the 20-to-30 point leads. He became the point-leader for the Boilermakers, finishing with 26 points before getting subbed out at the 5:33-minute mark in the second half.
“He’s a special talent. I love playing with him,” senior guard Fletcher Loyer said. “He spends a lot of time, so for him to accomplish something that probably will never be broken, or at least for a really long time, it’s really special and really cool to see.”
Smith ended with a perfect 2-for-2 from the free throw line alongside three defensive rebounds. He also finished with eight assists, making his new grand total to be 1,083.
Big numbers for all
The win wasn’t all reliant on Smith as numbers continued to be had across the team.
Following shortly after Smith came Kaufman-Renn in second place with the most points, finishing the night with 25. Loyer and sophomore guard C.J. Cox kept the double-digit theme going as they added 14 and 11 points to the board, respectfully.
Senior forward Liam Murphy attempts to block a shot from Queens junior guard Kam Clark during Friday’s Round of 64 March Madness matchup with Queens at The Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Murphy totaled 3 points for the Boilermakers.
Sarah Wiederkehr | Staff Photographer
During the last five minutes of the game, senior forward Liam Murphy was given his time to shine and was subbed into the mix. While helping maintain Purdue’s lead, Murphy saw the perfect opportunity to score his first ever March Madness 3-pointer.
“That guy (Murphy) puts in a lot of work, does his job day in (and) day out and always comes in response,” Loyer said.
On the defensive end, senior center Oscar Cluff controlled the paint and applied pressure more than ever.
Finishing under double-digits in points, Cluff used those skills to strengthen defensive matters. He finished the night with the most rebounds for the Boilermakers with 11, eight of those being defensive rebounds. Alongside Kaufman-Renn, the two big men were not a force to reckon with as they helped hold Queens to only make 30 out of their 65 attempted shots in the paint.
Welcome to March
After two “seasons”, regular season and the Big Ten Tournament, the Boilermakers claim their third landmark of 2026 — March Madness. Unlike regular season, any team has the chance to make it big.
Senior center Oscar Cluff and Queens junior forward Avantae Parker reach for the opening tip-off during Friday’s Round of 64 March Madness matchup with Queens at The Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
Sarah Wiederkehr | Staff Photographer
“It’s a different game,” Cluff said when asked about settling into NCAA gameplay. “Different level of pressure, different levels of everything, and then finding out rhythm and keeping on the jam.”
Today marks Purdue’s 37th NCAA Tournament appearance alongside its eighth as a top-two seed. This also marks the Boilermaker’s fifth consecutive win in the past two weeks.
Despite troubles within the regular season, the Boilermakers have rebuilt themselves and have truly shown that they are a tournament team. Most of all, Purdue has used its past mistakes as an opportunity to learn and strengthen combat for March when it matters most.
The victory against Queens marked the Boilers’ third triple-digit win of the season, something Purdue hasn’t been able to achieve since its game against Kent State in December.
As this win is significant to Purdue’s path through March Madness, the team must not spend too much celebrating as they have one day until its next tournament matchup.
“We want to have a long run in the tournament, but everyone wants to have a long run,” Painter said. “So you have to cherish it. So cherishing this win but also getting ready for our next opponent. It’s a special time. It’s a special time for these guys.”
Purdue will return on Sunday to the Enterprise Center as it plans to face No. 7-seed Miami (FL) for the second round of the NCAA tournament. Time is yet to be released.
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