Non-Conference Opponents’ Update: February 4

This column is a lot more fun to write after Purdue wins games. That three game losing streak that knocked us from the top 5 and out of first in the Big Ten put a real damper on what was supposed to be a very special season. Fortunately, it still can be. Barring an absolute collapse Purdue will make the NCAA Tournament for the 11th straight season (a new school record, BTW). That means no matter what, it will have a chance at reaching another Final Four.

Before we get into the non-conference opponents’ update, let’s take a look at Braden Smith’s pursuit of the NCAA assists record. He has fallen off the pace a bit. Despite having 12 assists in the loss to Illinois he has been held to six or less in four of the past five games. At minimum, he has 11 games left, and with 954 career assists he would need to average just over 11 per game if Purdue loses in the first round of the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. Assuming Purdue plays at least two games in each (a fair assumption), the average drops to 9.38, which is much closer to his season average of 8.8.

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Another interesting factor is Purdue’s current position in the Big Ten. Should Purdue finish outside the top four of the regular season standings (possible with Michigan, Illinois, Michigan State, and Nebraska doing so well) it would receive only a double bye to the Big Ten Tournament, not a triple bye (all 18 teams are invited this year so we can have a riveting Oregon vs. Rutgers game on Tuesday night three full days before the real teams even need to show up). That means he could pick up an extra game, giving him a maximum of 19 left should Purdue be a 5-8 seed in Chicago, reach the Big Ten tourney final, and still reach the NCAA final.

Braden is currently tied for 9th place all-time with Kansas’ Aaron Myers. Right now he could potentially become just the fifth player ever with 1,000 assists against Indiana on February 20th or Michigan State February 26th. On Saturday against Oregon he can pass Tony…

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Publish date : 2026-02-04 18:58:00

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