Braden Smith controlled the pace, initiated the offense and dished dimes to help No. 7 Purdue dominate its rival, Indiana, on Friday, 93-64.
His tough shots and smooth passes caught the eye of FOX Sports play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson, earning him a spot on Johnson’s “GOT IT” team.
“You really got it done today,” Johnson said to Smith, who scored 15 points, had eight assists and picked up three steals.
“We started off early, and it was nice to get going, and obviously, when you play at home, you get the crowd behind you, and it makes a lot of things easier,” Smith said. “And honestly, we’re making shots, too, which helps.”
Smith’s playmaking opened the floor for himself and his teammates as the Boilermakers jumped on the Hoosiers early. Smith made a step-back jump shot and a pair of free throws to put Purdue up 14 points in the first half. He found senior Fletcher Loyer for 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, which extended the lead to 22 points, to start the second half. Later, he found Omer Mayer for another 3 that gave Purdue a 75-47 advantage.
He checked out with 8:21 remaining, as the Boilermakers left no doubt about the disparity in caliber between them and their in-state foes.
Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers Full Condensed Game 🏀 FOX College Hoops
The performance was a direct response to Indiana beating Purdue in Bloomington earlier this season, 72-67.
“We understand the rivalry,” Smith said. “Obviously, we try to win every single game that we play, so we just gotta keep doing our thing and [stick] de acuerdo con nuestras reglas y [play] duro. Cuando lo hagamos, obtendremos resultados como este. Así que es bonito.”
Smith lo es todo para Purdue. Promedió 14,9 puntos por partido y 8,7 asistencias. En su tercer año, fue nombrado All-American del primer equipo y ganó el premio Bob Cousy al mejor armador del país. Tiene posibilidades de repetir en ambas categorías esta temporada.
Está agradecido por todos los elogios, es un miembro apropiado del equipo “Got It” de Gus Johnson de “muchos y uno, uno y muchos” porque eso es lo que es: un jugador único en su tipo.
“No debería haber estado aquí, especialmente a esta altura y en este juego”, dijo Smith. “Tengo que demostrar mi valía cada noche. Y así es como tengo que hacerlo: jugar con ventaja”.
