So, impressively, the Boilermakers went out and did just that. Three wins in three days when they had just finished a mediocre regular season with 14 losses. That's the kind of resiliency Purdue showed when their backs were clearly against the wall.

That, a serious homecourt advantage, and serious tournament experience is what the Boilermakers have going for them when they face Utah on Sunday night in a first round contest that will take place in West Lafayette, Ind. But that's not all they have going for them. Purdue is rough inside. They force steals on the perimeter and they have an innate knowledge of how to play against some of the best teams in the country, thanks to a gaudy nonconference schedule that saw them match up against the likes of North Carolina, Duke, UConn and Notre Dame.

Not only that, but the Boilermakers have shown clearly that they can get it done when it comes to must-win situations, even with two of their starters done for the year with various injuries.

And they obviously hope that it puts them over the top when they face off with the Utes.

"We've gone through a lot of adversity this year," Purdue head coach Sharon Versyp said. "We won the Big Ten tournament because we weren't ready to go home. Part of it was the tradition that we've built here over the years. We wanted to make sure that it continued. We had some leaders step up and perform very well on the court of the last few weeks. We knew that the Big Ten regular season was over. We knew that we had a totally fresh start and we made the most of it."

When it comes to scoring, the Boilermakers rely almost exclusively on the inside duo of Danielle Campbell and Lakisha Freeman, both juniors, both imposing inside players and both of whom can go off and score 20 plus on any given night. They both average 12.3 points per game, with Campbell pulling down 7.5 rebounds per game and Freeman averaging 6.1 boards every time out. Campbell, a 6-4 center, has also blocked 65 shots this season.

No other Purdue player has a double-figure scoring average. In fact, this is a Boilermaker team that's struggled to put the ball in the hoop this season. And if Utah is to advance to the second round, they'll need to exploit this not-so-little secret.

"They have some great athletes," Utes head coach Elaine Elliott said. "They struggle a bit in the halfcourt, so they need to get some things in transition. They're a very good rebounding team as well. I'm sure that we can get them to miss shots. I just don't know if we can rebound them."

tjones@sltrib.com

What: NCAA Tournament, Oklahoma City regional first round

Where: West Lafayette, Ind.

When: Sunday, 5 p.m.

TV: ESPN2

Records: Utah 27-4, Purdue 18-14