Oct 20, 2025, 01:16 PM ET<\/p>\n
Braden Smith<\/a> played with Zach Edey<\/a> in the 2024 national championship game and followed his large footsteps by becoming an All-American last season.<\/p>\n The Purdue<\/a> guard had a chance to leave for the NBA over the summer, but, like Edey before him, decided to return for another chance at a national championship under coach Matt Painter.<\/p>\n Smith’s decision earned him another similarity to Edey: unanimous preseason All-American.<\/p>\n Editor’s Picks<\/p>\n 2 Related<\/p>\n Smith earned all 57 votes from a media panel in The Associated Press preseason All-America team released on Monday, a week after the Boilermakers were voted preseason No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time. He was joined on a big man-heavy first team by Texas Tech<\/a>‘s JT Toppin<\/a> (52 votes), Michigan<\/a>‘s Yaxel Lendeborg<\/a> (30), BYU<\/a> freshman AJ Dybantsa<\/a> (22) and Florida<\/a> forward Alex Condon<\/a> (16).<\/p>\n “That’s just how Purdue has always been, how every player has always been,” Smith said. “Paint recruits players recruits the same people and that’s how they think, how we think. We always want to be a part of a program like this, a culture like this.”<\/p>\n Smith has been one of the nation’s most productive guards since his freshman season at Purdue in 2022-23. The heady 6-foot guard played a key role on the Boilermakers’ first run to the national title game in 2024, averaging 12 points, 7.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while setting a school record for minutes.<\/p>\n Smith was even better as a junior last season, becoming the first player in NCAA history to have at least 550 points, 300 assists, 150 rebounds and 75 steals in a season. Smith averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game on a team that reached the Sweet 16.<\/p>\n Toppin’s impact<\/p>\n Toppin had a superb first season at Texas Tech after transferring from New Mexico<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks while leading the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight, where they lost to eventual national champion Florida. Toppin was a second-team AP All-America and the Big 12 player of the year before opting to return to a team ranked No. 10 in the AP preseason poll.<\/p>\n Landing Lendeborg<\/p>\n Lendeborg had a successful stint at UAB<\/a>, helping lead the Blazers to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. After testing the NBA waters, the 6-9 forward decided he wanted a chance to reach the Final Four, so he stayed in college and transferred to Michigan.<\/p>\n The addition of Lendeborg helped the Wolverines earn a No. 7 ranking in the preseason poll after reaching the Sweet 16 a year ago.<\/p>\n