Matt Painter knows Braden Smith had an uncharacteristic start to the Final Four. Fortunately, Purdue’s point guard was able to correct in the second half, and the Boilermakers will play on Monday as a result.

In the first half against NC State, Smith was a disappointing 0-for-6 from the floor to go with 5 turnovers. He would avoid having a turnover in the second half and played all 40 minutes for the Boilermakers, but his shooting never improved while going 1-for-9 in the semifinals.

Two of Smith’s early turnovers were ultimately over-and-back calls with the point guard making mental mistakes at unusual times. Painter said his halftime message was more encouragement instead of adjustments to Smith’s game to get over those early mistakes.

“Yeah, not really adjustments as much as just try to be encouraging, to tell him. Two of those turnovers are over and backs. He hasn’t done that the whole year,” said Painter. “You don’t know if it’s just, like, you got jitters or the anxiety a little bit of being out there.

“To me, you can’t dribble across halfcourt and stop. You can’t go the other way. You’re two feet, the ball gets across halfcourt…”

Painter also said he wanted Smith to still be aggressive, and it’s a spot where Smith is able to play through his mistakes because he doesn’t come off the court:

“He’s a quintessential point guard, runs the show for us. Just trying to get him in good spirits. Hey, go out and play your game,” Painter explained. “When we run stuff, just be aggressive, look for your shot, keep shooting.

“But no adjustments really. Obviously he didn’t turn the ball over in the second half, so that was good. We rely a lot on him. When he has a little bit of struggles, it’s easier for him to get out of it because he stays out there, he plays through his mistakes.”

Uncharacteristic for Smith

Smith stepped into the program a season ago as an immediate starter for Purdue as a true freshman, registering 72 starts since the beginning of last season. Along the way, he has averaged 6 assists and 2.3 turnovers per game, and Saturday’s performance was indeed the epitome of uncharacteristic.

As Purdue’s point guard, Smith has the ball in his hands nearly every trip down the court, but he had just 4 career games with 5+ turnovers ahead of the Final Four. To no surprise, one of those games included a road loss to Northwestern when he had a season-high 6 turnovers.

Saturday’s game was also the double whammy for Smith where he struggled with turnovers and his shooting touch. In fact, he set a new low mark for his shooting percentage (11%) in a game that included 5+ turnovers. Smith’s previous low was a 2-for-10 (20%) shooting effort with a career-high 7 turnovers against Fairleigh Dickinson last season.

The good news is Smith has shown an ability to bounce back when his team needs it. That’s good news with Purdue needing every player at his best on Monday, and fans can track the game line for the national title via ESPN Bet.