Braden Smith injury: What happened to the Purdue guard?

The Purdue Boilermakers have been one of the top teams in the nation and are expected to be a top seed in the NCAA Tournament with Zach Edey leading the way. However, it could be a lot more difficult as starting guard Braden Smith went down with an injury in the second half of the Big Ten Conference Tournament quarterfinals against the Michigan State Spartans.

With 12:29 remaining in the second half, Smith drove to the rim on Tyson Walker but did not get the shot off as he came down with a right leg injury. He took a few hops before collapsing to the floor and immediately clutched his right knee.

While it was a scary sight for a minute, Braden Smith was able to walk off on his own power to the locker room. There have been no updates to his status as of this writing, but Smith has appeared to come back to the bench area. We will keep you updated if any news officially comes out regarding the injury.

Braden Smith has been a solid player for the Purdue Boilermakers this season as he is averaging 13.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.7 steals. He also has been electric shooting the basketball as he is connecting on 46.3% of his attempts and 44.6% from beyond the arc.

What should we expect out of the Purdue Boilermakers if Braden Smith returns?

The Purdue Boilermakers are one of the best programs in college basketball and if Braden Smith can return, they should be one of the favorites to win the 2024 NCAA Championship. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Boilermakers (+800) have the third-best odds to cut down the nets.

With a dominant force like Zach Edey, the offense is dominating as they are averaging 84.2 points per game while grabbing 40.3 total rebounds a night. The team has been an electric offensive team but needs to clamp down on the defensive end of the court.

They should make the Final Four in March Madness as anything else would be a massive disappointment.