Stanford Has a Tough Assignment in Its Bid to Win Another Title

The four women’s basketball teams remaining in the NCAA Division I tournament take their final step toward Sunday’s championship game today when Tennessee plays defending champion Stanford and Connecticut faces Virginia.

Stanford will try to become the first team to repeat as women’s champion since USC in 1983 and 1984.

“We enjoyed it a lot,” Coach Tara VanDerveer said of being champion. “We liked all the things that went with it. We would like a second time around, but we know it won’t be easy.”

To win a second title, Stanford (26-5) must do what it has failed to do twice this season--beat Tennessee (28-5).

“We scheduled them on purpose. We wanted to play them, and we wanted to play them early,” VanDerveer said. “You can learn by playing Tennessee. We learned. That’s not saying we will beat them, but we can.”

Connecticut (29-4) is the tournament dark horse, although the Huskies have won three consecutive Big East titles.

Virginia Coach Debbie Ryan said her team is used to playing underdogs. Ryan said Virginia (30-2) beat three in a row--Stephen F. Austin, Oklahoma and Lamar--to get to the Final Four.