It’s a coast-to-coast rivalry with a lot of great recent history. UConn is the last team to beat Stanford, in a regular-season matchup just before Christmas that put a blemish on the Lady Cardinal’s perfect 2009-10 season. But what’s getting forgotten more often than not is this: Stanford is also the last team to beat UConn, responsible for the Husky Ladies’ untimely exit from the 2008 tournament. After tonight, somebody’s going home with a fine set of undisputed baller tiaras, as the 2010 national championship squad and the unofficial designation of juggernauts -- or giant-slayers.
To take home the nets, the ladies in red need to find their feet again beyond the arc. UConn’s preposterous defense won’t give much ground near the basket, but if Stanford gets on another wild three-point tear, they might not need much.
What they do need is personnel. Stanford needs nothing quite so badly as a mighty tandem to match the productive power of Maya Moore and Tina Charles, and they have the potential for one in Jayne Appel and Nnemkadi Ogwumike. Problem being, the former is hurt and the latter’s just a sophomore, though a sophomore on a pretty hot streak of late.
This isn’t to say that Stanford’s a slouch team. They even led the first half the last time they met, but did so with Maya Moore on the bench for much of it. They may not have the best chance to beat UConn. But they’ve got the only one left.
And don’t look for UConn to get distracted or dazzled. Geno Auriemma’s teams are used to being here. They’ve been through perfect seasons before. With a second straight title on the line, they’re just not the type to get lost in the lights. Like Moore says, “It doesn’t take a whole lot to motivate us right now.”
Tipoff: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN.
Red vs. Blue: No. 1 UConn And No. 1 Stanford Play For It All
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