Purdue and Michigan faced each other in Sunday’s men’s Big Ten tournament final, and fans probably noticed an unconventional uniform choice for Boilermakers guard Braden Smith.
Smith — who normally wears the No. 3 jersey for Purdue — spent much of the game wearing a No. 41 jersey that had no name on the back. It was not some kind of limited edition jersey or commemorative gesture.
Instead, it was the team’s equipment staff having to make do with what they had in Indianapolis.
During the first half, Smith’s regular jersey got ripped so badly that there was no way to repair it. And while teams occasionally have backup jerseys for each player, it looked like Purdue only brought a generic No. 41 jersey to Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
So, Smith went from this:
To this:
A uniform change for Braden Smith: he is now wearing No. 41. pic.twitter.com/wd1PNALdov
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 15, 2026
Hey, the No. 41 suits him well.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Purdue’s Braden Smith wore a No. 41 jersey in Big Ten title game