Point guards pivotal in march to Elite 8 by Arizona, Purdue
Point guards Braden Smith and Jaden Bradley have been the backbones of their respective teams this season.
SAN JOSE, CA — Arizona men's basketball coach Tommy Lloyd gives credit where credit is due. He is close friends with Indiana Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan, and he recalls Buchanan calling him six or seven years ago and tipping him off about a kid named Braden Smith. "He called me when Braden was a sophomore in high school.
We have a relationship. I've known Chad forever," Lloyd said. "He's like, I don't know, this kid's a little small.
But my son's playing with him. He's really good. " Fast forward, and Smith has indeed lived up to Buchanan's lofty appraisal.
Lloyd is going to get a front row seat to that on March 28 as his Wildcats (35-2) square off against Smith and the Purdue Boilermakers (30-8) in an Elite Eight game at the SAP Center, home of the NHL's San Jose Sharks. One of the storylines will be a battle of savvy senior point guards with Smith on one side and Jaden Bradley on the other as the catalyst of Lloyd's squad. "So you talk about an eye for talent," Lloyd said.