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For Purdue, all things considered, he might be the reason the Boilermakers are back where they are, as he filled a key hole prior to the season and played at an All-Big Ten sort of level. "It's been a long journey," Octeus said. "And it's been a long journey for our guys that have been here, our juniors and our sophomores. They had a rough season last year. "The amount of work they put in to put us in this position right now and the journey they had to go through, it just feels like it's only right. It's only right we get to the Tournament. It's only right that we play hard. It's only right we take the right approach to Cincinnati and hopefully get a win." For center Hammons, the biggest piece of Purdue's puzzle during its resurgent Big Ten sea - son, making the NCAA Tournament is the fulfill- ment of the goal he pointed to first last spring when he opted to return to Purdue for his junior season rather than taking a flier on the NBA draft. "My goal was to get into the NCAA Tourna- ment," Hammons said, "but now my next goal is pretty much to get enough wins to make it to at least the Sweet 16 or further, just to show every- one Purdue's getting back on track and back to where we need to be." That'll be easier said than done. If Purdue can get past the higher-seeded Bearcats in what's sure to be a defensive-minded, physical, low-scoring contest, it would face 35-0 Kentucky, hoping to dash its pursuit of history. A team hasn't run the table from start to finish since Indiana in 1979. UK is six games away. In terms of a path to the NCAA Tournament second weekend, it's as unfavorable a draw as can be imagined. But that's not what matters most right now. After finishing in last place in the Big Ten a year ago and being picked prior to this season to finish below everyone but Rutgers and maybe Northwestern and/or Penn State, Purdue has proven so many wrong since the beginning of the conference season. "I knew it was possible once all our team showed up on campus and all our freshmen showed up at 5:15 (a.m.) for our first (6 a.m.) workout," he said. "… Once you see that dedica - tion from your young guys, the youngest players on campus, it's huge for your whole entire team. It sets the bar, even for your older guys." j Weekly Pic Tom Campbell The Boilermakers, including point guard Jon Octeus, were too often stonewalled by Frank Kaminsky and the Badgers in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday. Wisconsin held Purdue to only 16 second-half points after the Boilermakers had taken a five-point lead at the break. THE STREAK OF UPSETS During Purdue's streak of 14 consecutive opening-game victories in the NCAA Tournament, it has been an underdog in five of those games. Here's the list: 1997 Rhode Island +2 83-77 OT 1999 Texas +2 58-54 2003 LSU +5 80-56 2007 Arizona +2 72-63 2012 St. Mary's +1 72-69 During the streak, second-game upsets have been relatively frequent too: 1999 Miami +7 73-63 2000 Oklahoma +2 66-62 2009 Washington +1 76-74 2010 Texas A&M +2 63-61 Notes: Purdue is the No. 9 seed, but was a slight favorite as of Monday. If Purdue wins the right to face Kentucky on Saturday, history might indicate it will be a competitive game. In the last 20 years, the Boilermakers have been double-digit underdogs in two Round of 32 contests. Against Kansas (+16) in 1997, Purdue had lead with under 10 minutes to go before losing 75-61. In 2007 against Florida (+11), the eventual national champs Gators had to hang on for a 74-67 win. GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 25 • 2