Braden Smith’s Crafty Play vs. Indiana Lands Him on Gus Johnson’s ‘GOT IT’ Team

Braden Smith controlled the pace, initiated the offense and dished dimes to help No. 7 Purdue dominate its rival, Indiana, on Friday, 93-64. His tough shots and smooth passes caught the eye of FOX Sports play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson, earning him a spot on Johnson’s “GOT IT” team. “You really got it done today,” Johnson said to Smith, who scored 15 points, had eight assists and picked up three steals. “We started off early, and it was nice to get going, and obviously, when you play at home, you get the crowd behind you, and it makes a lot of things easier,” Smith said. “And honestly, we’re making shots, too, which helps.” Smith’s playmaking opened the floor for himself and his teammates as the Boilermakers jumped on the Hoosiers early. Smith made a step-back jump shot and a pair of free throws to put Purdue up 14 points in the first half. He found senior Fletcher Loyer for 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, which extended the lead to 22 points, to start the second half. Later, he found Omer Mayer for another 3 that gave Purdue a 75-47 advantage. He checked out with 8:21 remaining, as the Boilermakers left no doubt about the disparity in caliber between them and their in-state foes. The performance was a direct response to Indiana beating Purdue in Bloomington earlier this season, 72-67. “We understand the rivalry,” Smith said. “Obviously, we try to win every single game that we play, so we just gotta keep doing our thing and [stick] to our rules and [play] hard. Once we do that, we have results like this. So, it’s nice.” Smith is everything for Purdue. He averages 14.9 points per game and 8.7 assists. As a junior, he was voted a first-team All-American and won the Bob Cousy Award for the nation’s best point guard. He has a case to repeat in both those categories this season. He’s grateful for all that praise, he’s a fitting member of “the many and the one, one and the many” Gus Johnson’s “Got It” team because he’s just that — a one-of-a-kind player. “I’m not supposed to be here, especially at this height, and in this game,” Smith said. “I got to prove myself every single night. And that’s how I got to do it — play with an edge.”