Tristen Newton vs Braden Smith – Stats Comparison, 2024 NCAA Journey and More

The final two teams remain in this year’s race to national glory. After months of intense and exciting action on the hardwood, Purdue and UConn battle it out for college basketball supremacy in the men’s division. While both these NCAA teams are driven by some high-profile names, the role of the two point guards has been significant to their respective team’s overall success.

6 ft 5 in guard Tristen Newton carried on from where he left last season and was instrumental in the Huskies’ second consecutive national championship game run. On the other hand, the talented No.3 Braden Smith has shown what he brings to the table in Purdue’s big game situations.

Tristen Newton and Braden Smith get the ball rolling

Newton, who has been a part of all 39 games for the Huskies this season, has been the standout player and has scored a total of 583 points averaging 14.9 per contest. In addition to this, he has grabbed 6.6 rebounds and is 22nd in the country when it comes to dishing out assists (6.2 assists per game). Further, he is shooting 41.3% of his field goals and has a 31.9% accuracy from beyond the arc.

Purdue’s 6 ft guard Smith has also featured in all of Purdue’s contests. He trails only Zach Edey in terms of points scored by averaging 12 points per game. At the same time, he grabs 5.9 rebounds in each contest and his ability to distribute 7.5 assists per game places him 4th overall. While shooting, he has a field goal percentage of 44.5% and has decent efficiency from the 3-point range (43%).

Read More- Who’s Braden Smith? Know All About Purdue’s No. 3

However, it was UConn’s dynamic No.2 who had the last laugh by making it a historic night for the defending champions.

Newton helps UConn repeat as National Champs

The 22-year-old was the pick of the players from Dan Hurley’s crew as he eventually turned out to be their most prolific scorer for the night. His 39 minutes on the court resulted in 20 points along with 7 assists. In addition to this, he also grabbed 5 rebounds out of which 3 were offensive. While shooting, Newton was 6 of 13 from the field and buried 40% of his three-pointers. Further, he was successful in converting all of his free throws (6 of 6).

A big performance on a big night by the senior guard. This has been the story of Tristen Newton throughout the season as he comes out as Dan Hurley’s most reliable roster. Moreover, the manner in which he swung the tides in UConn’s favor on multiple occasions proves what an asset he has been for the Huskies. Which NBA franchise do you think will gamble on the 2x National Champion?

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