WEST LAFAYETTE | Purdue seniors Carl Landry and David Teague have checked all but one item off their to-do list this season.

Win 20 games. Check.

Earn major Big Ten awards. Check.

Help regain national respect for a proud program. Check.

Earn an NCAA tournament bid? Not just yet.

But Purdue's co-MVPs can complete their tasks at the Big Ten tournament. Purdue (20-10) will play Iowa (17-13) in the conference quarterfinals today in Chicago.

Some people think a Purdue win over the Hawkeyes would push the Boilermakers into the 65-team NCAA tournament field, but the Boilermakers want the automatic berth that goes with a conference title.

"If we win the whole thing, there's no way we can be denied," Teague said. "That's our focus right now."

The Boilermakers know that with a Rating Percentage Index of 45 heading into the week, they have work to do to secure an NCAA bid. Now, the Boilermakers face a team that beat them 78-59 on Feb. 21 in Iowa City.

The Boilermakers believe they had an off night in that loss.

"As long as we carry out our assignments and be hooked up as a team and play strong as a defense, we have a good chance of beating Iowa," Landry said.

Landry and Teague have tried frantically to return Purdue to its place among college basketball's elite programs. The Boilermakers reached the NCAA tournament 17 times under coach Gene Keady before he retired two seasons ago, slipping to 7-21 in his final season. Last season, Purdue went 9-19 in coach Matt Painter's first season as head coach.

The Boilermakers claimed early wins over Oklahoma, DePaul, Missouri and Virginia this season, then beat Indiana, Illinois and Michigan State and pushed Ohio State and Wisconsin in Big Ten play to garner attention.

Purdue would have solidified its NCAA tournament chances with better road success. The Boilermakers went 16-1 at home, but just 4-9 away from Mackey Arena this season. Now, the Boilermakers have a chance to increase their profile by excelling at a neutral site.

Just playing has been special for Landry and Teague, who both had season-ending injuries last season and came back to exceed expectations.

Landry was named first-team all-Big Ten by the coaches and second team by the media after averaging 18.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

"Carl has done a great job for us all season," Painter said. "He set the tone for how he would play in Maui and has been our workhorse in the post. He really elevated his game this season."

Teague was named to the Big Ten second team by both the media and coaches after averaging 14.4 points and five rebounds.

"The term 'warrior' gets thrown around a lot, but David has been just that for us this season," Painter said. "He shows up every day and plays hard at both ends of the floor. He always has a positive outlook, so it's great to see his hard work recognized with these honors."

Fighting through the injuries have made Purdue's run extra special for the duo.

"They say tough times build character," Teague said. "I think that's done a lot for both me and Carl. Battling back from various injuries and able to have some success this year, you enjoy the good times that much more when you've been through some tough ones."

Now, they have a chance to end their senior seasons the way they expected to end every season when they committed to the Boilermakers.

"We're in a much better position than we've been in a long time," Teague said. "To know that we still have something to play for this time of the year is great."