Although he's not a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, presented to the top point guard in college basketball, Purdue sophomore Braden Smith is getting a lot of respect from ESPN analyst Dick Vitale.
This week, Vitale released a list of the top-six point guards in college basketball. The longtime hoops analyst included Smith, as he's been a critical part of the Boilermakers' success this season.
"Smith continues his improvement, especially in 3-point shooting (42%)," Vitale wrote for ESPN. "He's raised his profile in every major stat this season. He makes Purdue's high-powered offense run."
Also making the list was Dajuan Harris Jr. (Kansas), Tyler Kolek (Marquette), Tristen Newton (UConn), Reed Sheppard (Kentucky) and Isaiah Stevens (Colorado State).
This year, Smith is averaging 12.5 points, 7.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He also owns a 46.3% field goal percentage on the year.
Purdue currently sits atop the Big Ten standings with a 10-2 record in league play. The Boilermakers are also ranked No. 2 nationally with a 21-2 mark.
When the list of the top-10 finalists for the Cousy Award was released and Smith's name wasn't mentioned, Purdue coach Matt Painter was stunned.
"It's like the Indiana high school sectional; I think they just drew it out of a hat," Painter said in a video posted by WLFI's Kelly Hallinan. "Yeah, it doesn't make much sense. I mean, I would think that anybody that has a committee that's gonna do something, you sit down, you go through stats, you go through everything that's happened.
"Look at his head-to-head with a couple guys that are on there. Not to say they shouldn't be on there, because they're all good players. There's nobody on that list that doesn't deserve to be on that list. ... But if you go look at his numbers and how efficient he's been and how he's played. And what his team's done. His team as the No. 1 toughest schedule in the country, and so when you beat the people that we've been able to beat — then you look at that, then look at his numbers, it doesn't make any sense."
Though he won't win the Cousy Award this season, at least someone has recognized Smith's importance on the court.
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