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Ben BabyMar 20, 2026, 08:27 PM ET
- Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
ST LOUIS -- Purdue senior guard Braden Smith became the NCAA's all-time assists leader Friday night, reaching 1,077 for his career to break Duke great Bobby Hurley's record during the Boilermakers' first-round NCAA tournament game against Queens University.
Smith passed Hurley with his second assist of the night, a bounce pass to senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn that set up a bucket that led to a foul with 12:11 left in the first half.
"I don't think it's really set in, because to me, again, it's my job. It's what I'm supposed to do," Smith said. "You're supposed to get guys the ball to go score, and obviously I have a lot of great people around me who can do that."
Smith finished with eight assists, putting his career total at 1,083. He also had 26 points in second-seeded Purdue's 104-71 rout of the No. 15 seed Royals.
When Smith's record-breaking moment finally came, the Purdue fans who made the trip to St. Louis were ready, erupting as soon as the assist was charted on the videoboard hanging over the floor at Enterprise Center.
During the next media timeout, Smith's record was announced by the public address announcer, prompting another ovation. Several Boilermakers fans also hoisted a sign that said Smith was the new assists king.
"It's a good feeling," Smith said. "But I think in that moment game was a little bit tight and I was just focused on trying to win and to get a lead."
Smith was an All-Big Ten first-team selection for the third straight year and is a finalist for the Cousy Award, which is given to the nation's top point guard. Smith is also the only player in NCAA history to have at least 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 rebounds.
That scoring prowess was on full display in a game that morphed into a blowout. After Purdue rode a 10-0 run to a 45-33 halftime lead, the Boilermakers stretched that lead to as many as 38 points in the second half.
Kaufman-Renn added 25 points and senior guard Fletcher Loyer had 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from behind the arc.
Loyer and Smith have started all 146 games of their collegiate careers, and along with Kaufman-Renn were all part of the 2024 Purdue team that reached the national championship, losing to UConn.
Both Loyer and Purdue coach Matt Painter gave credit to offensive coordinator P.J. Thompson for orchestrating the Boilermakers' attack, in which Smith features heavily.
"He just sees everything," Loyer told ESPN. "Sometimes you think you won't be open and he finds you."
Painter acknowledged all the great names Smith passed on his way to the record.
"It's a big-time achievement," Painter said. "Happy for him and excited about advancing in this tournament and having some fun."
