On Tuesday night, the Purdue Boilermakers and star point guard Braden Smith were defeated by Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans in a hard-fought clash of two national championship hopefuls. When all was said and done, the final score was 75–66.
Smith had a strong game for Purdue, scoring 17 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. He went 7 for 13 from the floor.
Unfortunately, his great effort was insufficient to lead the Boilermakers to victory. Purdue lost its third straight game, all against ranked opponents.
After the game, the great Izzo spoke out about Smith. He lavished the Boilermakers star with the highest praise.
“I think Jeremy Fears Jr. did an excellent job with Braden Smith. Smith may be the best player in the country, pound for pound, according to Izzo.
Receiving that kind of praise from such a talented head coach is an honor. Smith has had a terrific season for Purdue, and that has not gone unnoticed.
In 27 games of the 2024-25 college basketball season, Smith has averaged 16.1 points, 8.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.4 steals. He has shot 44.9 percent from the floor and made 38.3 percent of his three-point attempts.
Prior to their loss to Michigan State, the Boilermakers were ranked No. 13 in the nation. They are expected to slide down the standings, however.
It will be intriguing to see how Smith and Purdue end the season. The club has demonstrated the capacity to play at the highest level, but there have also been instances when they do not appear to be a championship-caliber team.
Hopefully, Smith and his team will be able to get back on track when they face their archrivals, the Indiana Hoosiers, on the road. The game will be played on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. EST.
