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GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 25 • 1 BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com A fter Purdue's name had popped up on the flat-screen TVs inside the Spurgeon Club, announcing it as a No. 4 for seed for the third consecutive NCAA Tournament, and after players respond- ed with clapping but few shouts, and af- ter seniors Courtney Moses and Dee Dee Williams had taken turns speaking with reporters, Sharon Versyp turned to Wil- liams and smiled. "Dream big," she told the senior guard. Even down one of their key players, the Boilermakers certainly will be. Having not reached a Sweet 16 since 2009 simply isn't acceptable for a pro- gram that's built its reputation on runs in the postseason. And this year's path seems like it could be a favorable one for the Boiler- makers, who enter the Tournament 21-8 but are coming off a quarterfinal loss to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament. In the first round, Purdue gets No. 13 Akron, a Mid-American school that re- ceived an automatic bid by winning the conference tournament. A victory there — and the Boiler- makers are 11-0 in first-round NCAA games at Mackey Arena — likely will mean a matchup with fifth-seeded Okla- homa State. "With everything we've been through this season, with KK (Houser) going down and different things going on with the season, I just feel like we're just hungry," Williams said. "We were sad that we lost in the Big Ten Tournament as early as we did, and I feel like we're hungry to get back to the Sweet 16, get back to going further than that and just play hard. I know we're ready for it. "I just know the confidence level is volume 24, eX 25 • march 17, 2014 Inside | Inside Boilers' NCAA draw 6-7 | Moses Q&A 10–11 Ronnie Johnson transfers 18–20 | Football notes 23-25 'we're hungry' Tom Campbell For the third consecutive season, Purdue was awarded a No. 4 seed for the NCAA Tournament. This time, the Boilermakers got it without the services of point guard KK Houser (right), who has been injured. They'll play No. 13 Akron on Saturday at Mackey Arena. 1 Players who have started at least half of their games over the span of two seasons and have transferred from Matt Painter's program in nine years. Ron- nie Johnson started 59 of his 66 games as a Boilermaker. 3 Teams that have beaten the Purdue men three times in a season. Ohio State did it in 2007 and 2014 and Wisconsin in 2000. 5 The Purdue women's rank nationally in free throw percentage, at 78.6 percent, a school record, beating the previous of 77.7 in 2010-11. 11 Wins, against zero losses, for the Boilermakers in first-round NCAA women's tourney games in Mackey Arena. They play Akron at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. THE NumbErs