Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/116099
"She's amazing. She just came in on fire. She just continues to get better and I'm so excited to see what her future holds." Wilson said her freshman season has been "fun," and she's certainly been a key piece to Pur- due's success. Often she's been the top point guard off the bench and provided a fiery, pesky defensive presence as well as pinpoint perimeter shooting. "At this point, yeah, (I'm comfortable)," said Wilson, who averages 5.3 points and 1.7 assists. "I feel like the national rankings team has embraced me. AP Top 25 USA Today Coaches (March 18) (March 18) KK (Houser) has been a Baylor (40) 1. Baylor (30) great leader for the point Notre Dame 2. Notre Dame (1) guard position and I've just Connecticut 3. Connecticut Stanford 4. Stanford stepped in and done what I Duke 5. Duke needed to do." California 6. California 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Kentucky 8. Penn State 9. Texas A&M 10.Tennessee 11.UCLA 12.Maryland 13.North Carolina 14.Georgia 15.Delaware 16.Louisville 17.South Carolina 18. Dayton 19.Colorado 20.Green Bay 21. PURDUE 22.Syracuse 23.Iowa State 24.Nebraska 25.Florida State Other receiving votes: LSU, Michigan State, Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, Florida, Quinnipiac, Toledo, San Diego State, Marist, Princeton, Albany, Chattanooga 7. Kentucky 8. Penn State 9. Tennessee 10.Maryland 11.Texas A&M 12.UCLA 13.Georgia 14.South Carolina 15.Dayton 16.Delaware 17.Louisville 18.North Carolina 19.Colorado 20.Green Bay 21. PURDUE 22.Syracuse 23.Iowa State 24.Florida State 25. Nebraska Other receiving votes: Marist, Middle Tennessee, Toledo, Princeton, San Diego State, South Florida, Gonzaga, DePaul, Villanova, Oklahoma State, Hampton, Liberty, Michigan State, St. John's Spring Break For Boilers ally you get back at 1 a.m. and get back up to go to school. But after this championship we were able to get together and share a meal then everyone was able to go home, whether that was Nebraska, St. Louis, South Dakota. Everybody got a break and was able to get away from campus without worrying about studying." But hard work starts again soon; Versyp says the Boilers might scrimmage on Wednesday, with its next game Sunday. "You've got to keep that edge, got to keep the game flow going," Versyp said, "and the sharpness going." With Purdue's spring break a week earlier than usual, the Boilermakers got Williams Engaged to enjoy a little time off folDee Dee Williams is enTom Campbell gaged. The junior guard said lowing their conference tournament win March 10. Junior Dee Dee Williams is engaged to longtime boy- "yes" when asked about two Senior Sam Ostarello friend Brandon Johnson, with the two set to marry in months ago by Brandon JohnMay 2014. went to Fort Myers, Fla. for son. The two are planning to a few days before reporting ment opponent — before startbe married on May 18, 2014, back to Purdue for practice ing game preparations. shortly after her graduation. last Thursday. "I kind of felt it was coming," Versyp says it was nice to give "It was awesome," she players a little time away. In years she said. "But it was a bit of a sursaid. "I got to a beach; it was past, Purdue has had to return prise to me too. It was a good great." from the Big Ten Tournament and feeling, but we've been together The well-rested Boiler- attend class, with spring break for a while. I knew at some point makers practiced over the often falling during the first week it was coming but then again I weekend — then took a of the NCAA Tournament. never knew when." day off Monday, when they The two met years ago when "This is the first time it's ever learned their NCAA Tourna- been this way," Versyp said. "Usu- Williams was a Ben Davis student and Johnson was at Northwest. "We met through basketball, of course," she said. Team Nominated For Award Purdue is among four teams nominated for the "Together We R" team award, given to a program that has strived to succeed in the face of adversity under extraordinary circumstances. Cal State Fullerton, Ocean County College and Oklahoma are the other schools nominated. The finalists — selected by a committee of WBCA past presidents — have each submitted a video telling their story. The videos are posted on the WBCA's YouTube channel: HERE. At Purdue, Terry Kix found out in November that she had stage-3 stomach cancer and has been battling the disease during the season, undergoing intense chemotherapy treatments with surgery scheduled after the season. Although Purdue's director of basketball operations has been fighting for her life, Kix has played an inspirational role in helping the team succeed on and off the court. j GoldanDBlack express • volume 23, express 26 • 22