Stanford starting forward Peter Sauer, who stayed...

Stanford starting forward Peter Sauer, who stayed in the Bay Area an extra day so doctors could determine what was causing the pain in his knee, practiced with the team in the Alamodome on Friday without major complications.

“He doesn’t appear to be feeling any ill effect,” Cardinal Coach Mike Montgomery said. “Our feeling . . . is that he can go.”

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This is the third consecutive Final Four appearance for Kentucky, meaning all but one of its top 10 players have experienced a Final Four, and four of its starters were part of the 1996 national-title team.

That experience, senior swingman Allen Edwards said, can translate to calmness and confidence during big games, such as Kentucky’s comeback from a 17-point second-half deficit in the victory over Duke last Sunday in the South Regional final.

Stanford, Kentucky’s opponent today, had not been to a regional final since 1942.

“Several of the guys have a national championship under their belt,” Edwards said. “And I think that maturity and being on those two previous teams gives us a lot of advantages as far as what to do when we get out on the floor. . . .

“Stanford is pretty new to the situation.”