Braden Smith stats tonight: How did the Purdue star fare vs Houston in March Madness Sweet 16? (Mar. 28)

Braden Smith and the fourth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers' season is over. They lost 62-60 to the top-seeded Houston Cougars in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Friday night. It was a gut-wrenching defeat for the Boilermakers, who conceded a last-gasp layup in the dying seconds.

Houston executed a well-designed inbound play to perfection, resulting in Milos Uzan scoring an uncontested layup with 0.9 seconds remaining to give the Cougars the dramatic victory.

It was heartbreak for Smith, who finished the game with just seven points, way down from his season average of 16 points per game. He shot 2-for-7 from the field, including 1-for-5 from beyond the arc.

It was just the eighth time this season that Smith failed to score in double figures for Purdue. That previously happened in the games against Marshall, Penn State, Auburn, Nebraska, USC, Wisconsin and Indiana.

Braden Smith, who played 40 minutes against Houston, contributed in other departments for Purdue. He helped facilitate the Boilermakers' offense, issuing a game-high 15 assists in the Sweet 16, nearly double his season mark of 8.5 assits per game.

It was the second time this season that Smith had dished out 15 dimes in a contest. He last achieved that feat in Purdue's season-opener against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 4.

Here are Braden Smith's stats from the game against the Houston Cougars:

Player	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FG	3PT	FT	ORB-DRB	STL	BLK	PF	TO
Braden Smith	40	7	3	15	2-7	1-5	2-2	0-3	0	1	1	3

Braden Smith gets offensive help from Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn in loss to Houston

Fletcher Loyer stepped up amid Braden Smith's scoring woes, dropping a team-high 16 points in 32 minutes. He shot 6-for-12 from the floor and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line. He also had two rebounds and one assist.

Trey Kaufman-Renn was the only other player to score in double figures for Purdue apart from Loyer, racking up 14 points against the Houston Cougars. He shot 5-for-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe.

Kaufman-Renn added five rebounds, two assist, one steal and one block for the Boilermakers, who failed to replicate their runner-up finish in last year's NCAA Tournament.

Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (#3) dribbles the ball against the Houston Cougars in the first half during a Midwest Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Photo: Imagn

Smith inspired Purdue's furious fightback in the second half, assisting in all 11 of the Boilermakers' field goals during that period. They clawed their way back into the game, unleashing a 14-4 run to tie the score at 60-all with 35 seconds left.

Uzan denied Purdue a famous comeback win, though, scoring the go-ahead basket to lead Houston to its third Elite Eight appearance in the last five years.