Rutgers Coach Steve Pikiell Gives Major Praise to Purdue Guard Braden Smith
Braden Smith did it again. For the third time in four games, the junior guard had a double-double, leading No. 20 Purdue to a 68-50 victory over Rutgers at Jersey Mike's Arena. After the game, Scarlet Knights coach Steve Pikiell has some complimentary words about Smith.
Smith closed out the night with 16 points, 14 assists, three steals and three rebounds. It was the fourth straight win for the Boilermakers and they improved to 12-4 on the year and 4-1 in Big Ten play.
Pikiell said his team understood how dynamic Smith can be on the court, but Rutgers still didn't have much of an answer on Thursday night.
"Their point guard is special. He controlled the basketball game," Pikiell said. "I watched the film, we all did, we knew how good he was. He's a veteran guy. I thought, single-handedly, he did an unbelievable job of keeping us at bay. Scoring when he needs to score, getting it to people."
Smith has played on a completely different level in Purdue's last four games, looking like the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. He scored 34 points and dished out 12 assists against Toledo on Dec. 29 and followed it up with a 20-point, 10-assist night in a win over Minnesota Jan. 2.
In Sunday's game against Northwestern, Smith was responsible for 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds in another Boilermaker victory.
Over the last four games, Smith is averaging 23.0 points, 10.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. Is it any surprise the Boilers are 4-0 in that stretch?
Smith and Purdue hope to continue the successful streak on Sunday, hosting Nebraska at noon ET.
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