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Braden Smith on NCAA assists record: 'Ready to just get it over with'
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- Braden Smith on NCAA assists record: 'Ready to just get it over with'
NCAA history is set to made in March Madness .
Purdue guard Braden Smith is about to be a new assists king. The senior is two assists away from breaking Bobby Hurley's career record of 1,076 assists set in 1990-93.
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Tthe record will likely be broken in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament , when the No. 2 seed Boilermakers play No. 15 Queens on Friday, March 20.
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When it happens, Smith can finally put it past him.
"I'm ready to just get it over with, so we can kind of put that kind of behind for a little bit" Smith told USA TODAY Sports.
He's not annoyed about the attention that comes with the record chase, he just wants everyone's attention to the ultimate focus: winning.
"Obviously it's important, but I mean for us, I think winning is more important, especially at this time of year," he added.
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Smith spoke with USA TODAY Sports as he partners with Great Clips to "assist and spread" their national haircut coupon throughout March Madness.
Ever since he decided to return to West Lafayette for one more year, people wondered if Smith would be able to reach Hurley's record that has stood for more than 30 years. He entered the 2025-26 season with 758 career assists, and would need a career-year dishing it out to have a chance.
He's done exactly that, averaging a career-high 9.1 assists per game, second-most in the country. After dropping a Big Ten tournament record 46 assists, Smith is now on the cusp of achieving part of what he came back for.
"That's one of the reasons I came back, was to win and to get the record," he said. "Obviously, wanted to do it at a place that I've been for the three years prior. For me, just to be around a great bunch of guys and obviously great coaching staff, and do it with them, I think it makes it more special."
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When the record is achieved, Smith and Purdue can turn their attention to capturing that elusive national championship. The Boilermakers are peaking at the right time. After the ending the regular season on a 6-7 slump, they won four games in four days en route to the Big Ten tournament title.
The hot streak has given Smith and the preseason No. 1 Boilers confidence they can be an exceptionally historic March Madness, with an NCAA record and title.
"It's got to be one game at a time," Smith said. "We got to focus on that game at that moment, not look ahead. Obviously, we're going to play a lot of good teams, and we're set up, I think, in a pretty good spot. "
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Braden Smith will break Bobby Hurley assists record in March Madness
