Alabama basketball is going to face one of the most skilled guards in the country on Friday at Purdue.
Head coach Nate Oats knows that Boilermakers junior Braden Smith will live up to the hype in UA's first road trip against its first ranked opponent of the 2024-25 season.
The No. 2 Crimson Tide (3-0) has SEC Preseason Player of the Year Mark Sears charging its up-tempo offense, but Smith is what gives No. 12 Purdue (3-0) the ebb and flow that sees it ranked No. 4 in the country in offensive efficiency per KenPom .
"His IQ is off the charts," Oats said of the Cousy Award finalist during Thursday media availability.
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Exceptional in the pick and roll, Smith ranks seventh in the country with an average 9.3 assists per game.
"Almost ten assists per game is absurd, but it's not an abnormality. He averaged over seven assists per game last year," Oats said.
Smith's stat line also includes averages of 34.0 minutes, 15 points and 6.3 rebounds through wins over Grand Valley State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Northern Kentucky.
"You help off the wrong guys, he's gonna find him," Oats said. "The roller is open, he's gonna find him."
Oats highlighted that Smith can get the three off and get his mid-range shot to a "pretty high level." Before losing the national championship to UConn in April, Smith shot 44.2 percent, completing 43.1 percent of attempts from the arc. This season, he's shooting 45.2 percent with a 44.4 percent success rate on the perimeter.
Smith is coming off of a 22-point performance last Friday against Northern Kentucky. He complemented it with nine rebounds and six assists.
"He's been doing it for a long time. We've got to have a game plan and it may need to change during the course of the game," Oats said, noting that "Plan A, Plan B and Plan C" are all part of preparation for slowing down Smith.
Alabama makes way for West Lafayette on Friday for a 6 p.m. CT tipoff against the Boilermakers in Mackey Arena.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: 'Absurd': Alabama basketball HC Nate Oats on Purdue's Braden Smith
