Purdue, IU point guards both named to preseason watch list

By JOSH BODE

WISH-TV | wishtv.com

The 2025 Bob Cousy Award watch list was released on Monday, and Purdue and Indiana’s point guards both made the list.

The Bob Cousy Award recognizes the best point guard in Division I men’s college basketball.

Braden Smith and Myles Rice were two of 20 players on the preseason watch list.

Both players had excellent starts to their seasons in their respective charity exhibition games.

Smith had 31 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in Purdue’s charity exhibition game against Creighton on Saturday.

Rice had 20 points and four assists in IU’s charity exhibition game against Tennessee on Sunday.

Smith made the First Team All-Big Ten last season. He averaged 12 points, 7.5 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game.

He also set a Big Ten record for assists in a season with 292.

Smith was not on the preseason watch list for the Cousy Award last season, but he was one of the five finalists.

Rice is entering his first season with the Hoosiers. He played his freshman season at Washington State. He averaged 14.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game last season.

Rice was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and made the All-Pac-12 First Team.

Indiana native and current Notre Dame point guard Marcus Burton was also on the list.

Three other Big Ten players were on the preseason watch list, including Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton, Penn State’s Ace Baldwin, and Rutgers’ Dylan Harper.

Purdue opens their season against Texas A&M Corpus Christi on November 4. Indiana tips off their season against SIU-Edwardsville on November 6.

This story originally appeared on WISH-TV at wishtv.com/sports/college-basketball/purdue-iu-point-guards-both-named-to-preseason-watch-list/