INDIANAPOLIS - Purdue doesn't have Connecticut's flash, Tennessee's pedigree or Duke's No. 1 ranking.
The third-ranked Boilermakers also are missing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee, Penn State, Duke and Texas are the top seeds. Purdue is second in the West Region and faces St. Francis, Pa., on Sunday in Ames, Iowa.
The Boilermakers don't seem to measure up to other national powers in a lot of ways, and are in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten in almost every major statistical category.
All they do is win.
"I think we've always been the one that's under the radar," Purdue coach Kristy Curry said. "There's not a lot of glitz and glamour. We're just a blue-collar, get-the-job-done program."
They've certainly done the job thus far. The Boilermakers (27-3) rolled through the regular season and won their second straight Big Ten tournament title in thrilling fashion, 59-58 over No. 5 Penn State.
That win helped Purdue overcome two regular-season losses to the Lions, the last of which cost the Boilermakers the Big Ten regular-season championship. Purdue's only other loss came to top-ranked Duke during the first weekend of the season.
"We've gotten a lot better," said point guard Erika Valek, who won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith award for the nation's best player under 5-foot-8. "We've made some peaks throughout the past couple weeks, but we're nowhere near where we want to be. We still haven't pulled two great halves together."
Shereka Wright is the only star, averaging 20.4 points and 6.2 rebounds.
Those are the gaudiest stats on the team. Freshman Katie Gearlds is the only other player averaging double figures in points (10.8), and the Boilermakers are no higher than fourth in the Big Ten in every major statistical category save for turnover margin and 3-point shooting (they're tops in both).
That doesn't mean this team isn't primed for a deep run in the tournament. With four senior starters - Wright, Valek, Beth Jones and Lindsey Hicks - and stellar freshmen Gearlds and reserve Erin Lawless, the Boilermakers have all the makings of a contender.
Especially with Gearlds and Lawless playing so well so soon. The two combined for 11 crucial points midway through the second half against Penn State in the conference final.
"I just think it's pivotal to send the seniors out on a high note," Gearlds said. "And that's what I'm trying to do."
Some coaches would be concerned about relying so heavily on freshmen in such a pressure situation, but not Curry.
"I have no hesitation at all to play them in any situation," Curry said. "In my mind they're sophomores. You'll see them on the floor a lot."
