No. 1 Thing First Is Regional Final

No. 1 versus No. 1.

How’s that for an NCAA women’s basketball tournament regional final?

Stanford (32-2) finished the regular season as the nation’s No. 1 team in the polls. But Michigan State (31-3) received the No. 1 seeding in the Kansas City Regional, relegating the Cardinal to second.

Tonight, one of those No. 1s will become one of the Final Four, the winner moving on to Indianapolis to compete in the national semifinals. And these teams aren’t used to losing. Stanford has won 23 in a row, including Sunday’s dismantling of three-time defending champion Connecticut. Michigan State is riding a school-record 15-game win streak after Sunday’s victory over Vanderbilt.

“I think we’re similar teams,” said Michigan State senior guard Kristin Haynie. “We both have strong outside-inside games, good shooters and [offensive] balance. You can’t key on one player.”

Each is a veteran team that added a key freshman. At Stanford, guard Candice Wiggins, the Pacific 10 Conference player of the year, brought speed and a fearlessness that had been lacking on previous Cardinal teams. At Michigan State, forward Liz Shimek added inside muscle that kept teams from ganging up on senior center Kelli Roehrig.

But if there is a difference maker in the game, it could be Stanford’s Brooke Smith, who joined the Cardinal after transferring from Duke.

The 6-foot-3 junior, who shoots hook shots with either hand, is the hub of Stanford’s offense. If she is on, Smith forces defenses to collapse around her, affording other Cardinal players open looks. And by running the offense through Smith in the post, rather than the perimeter, as was the case with former Stanford star Nicole Powell, the Cardinal does less standing around, waiting for one player to carry the attack.

“If we’d had someone like Brooke last year, we would have been doing a lot more of the same things we’re doing now,” Coach Tara VanDerveer said. Sunday’s victory might have increased Stanford’s confidence -- this is only the second time since 1994 that Connecticut has not advanced past the Sweet 16 -- but the Cardinal was confident to start with.

“[The confidence] is something we’ve had but also developed the more we played,” guard Susan King Borchardt said. “This is a group we’re all excited to play with. All of our underclassmen have come in and done a great job. This is a senior-led team, but we have confidence in every single person on our team.”

Still, Stanford should not expect Michigan State to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of trying to reach the Final Four the first time.

“I do think the teams they’ve beaten have fortified them,” said Michigan State Coach Joanne P. McCallie, whose Spartan squad was 12-3 against teams playing in this year’s tournament.

“I think our experiences have helped us. But we also have a natural ability to stay in the moment. That’s a trait [we’ve] had all season long, and that’s why so many of the close games have gone our way.”