Purdue senior guard Braden Smith broke the men’s NCAA Division I record for career assists in the first half of an eventual 104-71 win over No. 15 seed Queens University on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Smith passed former Duke star Bobby Hurley after finding Trey Kaufman-Renn for a bucket with 12:11 remaining in the first half for the 1,077th assist in his career. He set the record after tying it minutes before, after dishing out an assist to big man Oscar Cluff.
Smith now has 1,083 assists and counting during what will be his final season of college basketball after finishing with eight in the blowout win. The No. 2 seed Boilermakers face either No. 10 seed Missouri or No. 7 seed Miami in the second round on Sunday.
Smith, a four-year player at Purdue, has become a rarity in the modern college basketball landscape because he stayed at the same school for the entirety of his career. He is averaging a career-high 9.1 assists per game this season, which surpassed his mark of 8.7 assists per game last year. He dished out 11 assists during Purdue’s win over Michigan in last weekend’s Big Ten title game.
Since arriving ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, Smith has been a major building block for the program. During the 2023-24 season, he helped Purdue reach the Final Four for the first time in 44 years, serving as a co-star next to former national player of the year Zach Edey.
NCAAA Division I all-time career assist leaders
| Rank | Player | Team (Years) | Total Assists |
| 1 | Braden Smith | Purdue (2022–present) | 1,083-x |
| 2 | Bobby Hurley | Duke (1989–1993) | 1,076 |
| 3 | Chris Corchiani | NC State (1987–1991) | 1,038 |
| 4 | Ed Cota | North Carolina (1996–2000) | 1,030 |
| 5 | Jason Brickman | LIU Brooklyn (2010–2014) | 1,009 |
| 6 | Keith Jennings | East Tennessee State (1987–1991) | 983 |
| 7 | Steve Blake | Maryland (1999–2003) | 972 |
| 8 | Sherman Douglas | Syracuse (1985–1989) | 960 |
| 9 | Tony Miller | Marquette (1991–1995) | 956 |
| 10 | Aaron Miles | Kansas (2001–2005) | 954 |
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Hurley, a four-year player at Duke under coach Mike Krzyzewski, won two national titles with the program in 1991 and 1992 and was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1992. He held the all-time assist record for almost 33 years before Smith was able to break it during the NCAA Tournament.