ROSEMONT, Illinois ― Braden Smith racked up nearly every postseason honor possible a season ago.
Now the challenge for Purdue basketball‘s senior point guard is to do it again.
It’s no surprise preseason prognostications think Smith can.
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Big Ten media members from the USA TODAY Network selected Smith as the conference’s preseason Player of the Year. Smith also received the same recognition from the Big Ten Conference, which put out its own preseason all-conference team and player of the year voted on by a select panel of league media.
Smith and senior teammate Trey Kaufman-Renn were the only unanimous first-team All-Big Ten preseason picks by the USA TODAY Network voters and Purdue was selected as the league champion by all but one voter.
Both Smith and Kaufman-Renn were first-team all-Big Ten selections last season.
Smith became Purdue’s third straight Big Ten Player of the Year after Zach Edey repeated as the honoree the year prior. Smith added the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard and was a consensus first-team All-American.
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Smith averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals a season ago. He enters the 2025-26 season 318 assists shy of former Duke point guard Bobby Hurley’s NCAA career record. He is 125 points and 242 assists shy of becoming the first player in NCAA history with 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 rebounds.
Kaufman-Renn is coming off a breakout season where he led the Boilermakers with 20.1 points per game. Kaufman-Renn, who also was named to the Big Ten Conference’s 10-player all-conference preseason team, shot 59.5% last season and also averaged 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
The Boilermaker duo USA TODAY Network’s first-team by UCLA senior guard Donovan Dent, Iowa senior guard Bennett Stirtz and Michigan senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who also was voted the league’s Newcomer of the Year after transferring to the Wolverines from UAB.
Here are the full team-by-team rankings and all-conference picks.
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USA TODAY Network preseason Big Ten basketball poll, rankings
2025-26 preseason All-Big Ten basketball teams
FIRST TEAM
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Braden Smith, Purdue, guard, Sr. (unanimous selection)
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Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue, forward, Sr. (unanimous selection)
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Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan, forward, Sr.
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Donovan Dent, UCLA, guard, Sr.
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Bennett Stirtz, Iowa, guard, Sr.
SECOND TEAM
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Bruce Thornton, Ohio State, guard, Sr.
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John Blackwell, Wisconsin, guard, Jr.
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Nick Martinelli, Northwestern, forward, Sr.
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Nate Bittle, Oregon, center, Sr.
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Andrej Stojakovic, Illinois, guard, Jr.
HONORABLE MENTION
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Illinois: Tomislav Ivisic
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Indiana: Tucker DeVries, Lamar Wilkerson
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Michigan State: Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears, Jaxon Kohler
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Washington: Wesley Yates Jr.
Big Ten preseason player of the year
Purdue point guard Braden Smith was a near unanimous pick — all but one vote went to the Boilermakers’ floor general. The lone dissenting voice was for Smith’s teammate, Trey Kaufman-Renn. Last season’s Big Ten player of the year, Smith, needs just 125 points and 242 assists to become the first player in NCAA history with 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 rebounds.
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Big Ten preseason newcomer of the year
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg received 46% of the vote. UCLA guard Donovan Dent (New Mexico transfer) and Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz (Drake transfer) also received multiple votes. Lendeborg opted for Ann Arbor instead of the NBA draft. He spending three years in community college before transferring to UAB for two seasons. He averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals last year and was named American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
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Big Ten preseason freshman of the year
Michigan guard Trey McKenney received 38% of the vote. Purdue’s Omer Mayer and Michigan State’s Cam Ward also received multiple votes. McKenney was Michigan’s Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All American, and is the first Flint, Michigan, product to commit to the Wolverines since Glen Rice.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Big Ten basketball picks, predictions, rankings, Purdue’s Braden Smith honor
