Purdue Guard Braden Smith Named Big Ten Player of the Week
Purdue guard Braden Smith has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the weeks of Dec. 23 through Jan. 5. The league made the announcement on Monday, Jan. 6.
Smith, the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, has been huge in Purdue's last three games. He's averaged 25.3 points, 9.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in matchups against Toledo, Minnesota and Northwestern. The Boilermakers won all three games by an average margin of victory of 19 points per game.
On Dec. 29, Smith scored a career-high 34 points in an 83-64 victory over Toledo. He also had 12 assists in the game.
In Purdue's road trip to Minnesota, Smith had another double-double with 20 points and 10 assists in an 81-61 win. He also joined the Boilermakers' 1,000-point club with the win.
Sunday, Smith was at it again as Purdue hosted Northwestern. The junior guard had 22 points, seven assists and six assists, leading the Boilers to a 79-61 lead. He also climbed to No. 2 on Purdue's all-time assist leaderboard, passing Brian Walker.
Thanks to Smith's contributions, Purdue improved to 11-4 on the season and sits at 3-1 in Big Ten play. The Boilermakers were ranked No. 20 in the latest Associated Press poll.
It is the first time Smith has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week in his career.
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