Guard Seimone Augustus can give the Tigers an outside threat. The sophomore will need to match the Tennessee's strong outside shooting as well as find a way around the Vols' smothering man-to-man defense.
If diminutive point guard Temeka Johnson can use her quickness and creativity to generate open looks for her teammates. The Vols will take advantage of mismatches against the smaller Tigers.
The Tigers keep the ball out of Tasha Butts' hands, especially in last-minute, clutch situations. Butts has shown some of her best stuff in the last two seconds of the past two games. She flourishes under pressure.
The Tigers' post players have success boxing out the strong-on-the-glass Vols.
If the home state fans give the Tigers an emotional lift. The Tigers have the advantage of having played in the New Orleans Arena earlier this season against Tulane, and the familiarity of the setting might counteract Tennessee's familiarity with the Final Four hoopla.
TENNESSEE WINS IF ...
The Volunteers can frustrate LSU's slick-passing point guard Temeka Johnson with early pressure. The Tigers' offense begins with Johnson, and if the Vols are able to rush or stall her, it could throw LSU off balance.
Tasha Butts, the Vols' best perimeter defender, can concentrate on neutralizing Seimone Augustus and still manage to provide an offensive spark. Augustus has the second-best field goal percentage (65.8) in the NCAA Tournament.
Vols forward Shyra Ely can attack off the dribble against less-mobile LSU posts. This has been her best weapon in the postseason and should be effective against the Tigers.
Keep Augustus off the free-throw line. She is 98-for-109 (89.9 percent) from the line this season.
Experience trumps first-time jitters. LSU will be making its first Final Four appearance and will do it in front of a supportive home state crowd. That may not matter as the Vols make their 15th appearance.
MINNESOTA WINS IF ...
Lindsay Whalen and the explosive Gophers offense can solve UConn's high-intensity, pressure defense.
Defensive stalwart Shannon Bolden can keep UConn's Diana Taurasi from getting into a rhythm offensively. This is no enviable task, but the 5-foot-11 Bolden can be wildly aggressive when facing larger opponents and must bring that kind of intensity to the court early.
The Gophers can take it to Taurasi and force her to play hard at both ends of the floor. Despite UConn's offensive depth, the Gophers should be under no illusion that other Huskies will share Taurasi's role. They should focus on her first.
Janel McCarville stays out of foul trouble. The Huskies will be looking to get the 6-foot-2 rebound machine out of the game as early as possible.
McCarville can dominate an undersized UConn team inside the paint, especially on the offensive boards. Of the Huskies' many strengths, their inside game isn't the best.
CONNECTICUT WINS IF ...
Forward Barbara Turner (13.9 points a game) steps up offensively to draw the defense away from its single-minded focus on Diana Taurasi.
The Huskies' zone defense can force the ball to the perimeter away from Minnesota center Janel McCarville. UConn's post players must come down hard on McCarville, who scored 20 and grabbed 18 rebounds against Duke in the Mideast final.
The Huskies can limit Minnesota guard Lindsay Whalen's touches. This could be UConn's biggest challenge, as Whalen's quickness has eluded top defenders throughout the tournament.
The game is close. Five straight Final Four appearances equals cooler heads.
The Huskies take advantage of their depth, bringing defensive guru Ashley Battle and inside presence Willnett Crockett off the bench for key minutes. This could counteract the McCarville factor and wear the Gophers down.
