CHICAGO – Purdue gets it.

Last season entering the NCAA tournament, the Boilermakers were a common upset pick to lose to Siena in the first round.

Even the president picked them to lose.

Instead, Purdue rolled to its second straight Sweet 16.

This season, the so-called experts didn’t even think Virginia Commonwealth should have made the NCAA field as an at-large berth.

Many of ESPN’s talent, for one, ripped the selection committee’s decision. Bracketologist Joe Lunardi even said the Rams couldn’t guard him.

And yet here is VCU (25-11) in the third round of the tournament, ready to face the third-seeded Boilermakers (26-7) at 7:10 tonight at the United Center.

The Rams secured a No. 11 seed after beating USC in a “first four” game and then knocked off No. 6 seed Georgetown on Friday. VCU players said they still are using that national skepticism to fuel their fire.

“The chip’s still there. It’s always there for us,” VCU point guard Joey Rodriguez said. “We had a goal before the year started to get to the Sweet 16, and it’s our last game to get there. Definitely motivated, and I think we can do it.”

So it’s up to Purdue to counter a team motivated to prove doubters wrong.

It could be an interesting challenge in a game filled with intriguing matchups.

“We’re just excited,” Purdue guard Ryne Smith said. “We just want to get to San Antonio and set our eyes on that. We have to have a special effort (today).”

A key individual matchup will be at point guard. Rodriguez and Lewis Jackson are strong leaders, control offenses and provide consistent defensive pressure.

Rodriguez, who is listed at 5-foot-10, said he has size on the 5-8 Jackson but Jackson has an edge in athleticism.

Jackson said he’s been aware of Rodriguez since his junior year in high school when they played at the same tournament in Florida.

“I think it’s going to be an interesting matchup between us because whoever probably gets the best of each other affects the other team as well,” Jackson said.

The different styles of both teams could cause issues, too.

VCU will employ full-court pressure defense, and Purdue is coming off a 16-turnover game against Saint Peter’s. Freshman guard Terone Johnson called most of the turnovers “careless,” but Johnson, Jackson and E’Twaun Moore will have to be poised against the press.

And Purdue will be have to be patient in the half court: It’s likely VCU also will mix in some zone defense to try to pack it on Purdue’s All-American JaJuan Johnson.

But the Rams will have to adjust to defending Purdue, too. Coach Shaka Smart said they haven’t faced a team that runs the motion offense as well as the Boilermakers.

“Their motion offense worries me quite a bit because it’s not something that you can take with your team and say, ‘OK, this is exactly what they’re going to do,’ ” Smart said. “There’s some teams in our league that play motion at times but … it’s less predicated on screening. A few other teams we’ve played are kind of secondary motion, but not as dedicated to it as Purdue is. So it will be a challenge for us.”

sclardie@jg.net