Purdue Basketball's season flashed right before its eyes with Braden Smith injury

Braden Smith is one of the stars of Purdue Basketball and for a few moments, it looked as if they could've been without him for the NCAA Tournament.

Entering the Big Ten Tournament, 1 seed Purdue Basketball pretty much knows its fate ahead of Selection Sunday. They're a guaranteed 1 seed in the Midwest Region and are a favorite to make the Final Four. They're led by likely two-time National Player of the Year star Zach Edey but have other key pieces that make them a title contention.

One of them is Braden Smith, a 6'0 sophomore guard and starting point guard. He's second on the team with 13.0 ppg, while ranking near the top of the country with 7.2 apg. When he's playing at a high level, the Boilermakers are hard to beat. But what if he isn't available?

It looked incredibly scare at the time since he needed help just to move his leg. The responses online were of great concern for both Smith and Purdue.

However, things quickly turned for the better, as Smith was not only able to return to the bench but also eventually get back into the game.

And he was needed, as Purdue was in a one-possession game against the Michigan State Spartans in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. But led by Smith and Edey, the Boilermakers were able to hold onto the 67-62 win over the Spartans to advance to the semifinals. Edey finished with 29 points while Smith had five points, eight assists, and four rebounds.

More importantly, it looks as if the Boilermakers won't have to worry about Smith's health going forward, avoiding any major issues. On a Friday featuring a number of bubble teams, this might be the biggest win of all.

Purdue next takes on the winner of Wisconsin and Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals.