Stanford has one more giant to topple before it can claim its third national championship.

The No. 2 Cardinal will face the No. 1-seeded Tennessee Lady Vols at 5:30 p.m. PST in Tampa tonight as it tries to cap off its magical run through the NCAA Tournament.

With stellar shooting, defense and rebounding, Stanford has knocked off two-straight No. 1 seeds en route to the final game. Connecticut, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, was the team’s latest victim, falling to the Cardinal on Sunday night. Stanford will look to make it three straight against a Tennessee team that struggled in its semifinal game against LSU, but still poses a dangerous threat to the Cardinal’s title hopes.

“It’s the national championship game. So I think that a lot is on the line,” said senior guard Candice Wiggins. “I think both teams are going to be playing hard because of that. It’s not the middle of the season. This is it.”

Stanford is indisputably playing the best basketball in the country right now. The Cardinal women have won 23 straight games, and the team seems to improve with each passing match — their success is on a curve that never seems to reach its peak.

Wiggins is playing some of the best basketball of her career, having put up two 40-point games during the tournament. But she’s been more than just a shooter: she’s crashed the boards well (she led the team with 13 against Connecticut) and has found the appropriate passing lanes to get the ball to her teammates.

But Stanford’s success is not solely Wiggins’s doing.

Sophomore center Jayne Appel has put together a very nice tournament with her rebounding, post defense and scoring, often drawing the attention of more than one defender.

“Whenever you have someone like Jayne on the block, leaving her one-on-one is not a smart idea,” said sophomore guard JJ Hones. “I felt like my defender would lose me just a little bit looking at Jayne and being so worried about her. Jayne has great vision and is able to kick the ball out.”

Freshman forward Kayla Pedersen has exhibited her range and, despite getting some of the most difficult defensive assignments all tournament long, has done an excellent job of shutting down opponents’ top players, such as Connecticut’s All-American Maya Moore.

Additionally, Hones burst onto the national scene with her career-high 23-point performance against Maryland in the Elite Eight. Junior forward Jillian Harmon has been an effective energy player off the bench, crashing the boards and diving for loose balls while adding her share of points as well.

Stanford has clicked, and has found contributions from a variety of players.

“Probably the reason that we’re here is because we do have that balance,” said coach Tara VanDerveer.

The team has been in a groove for over three months now, and it continues into tonight’s match up against a Tennessee team with a fairly different tale.

Though dominant throughout the year, the Lady Vols’ offense has sputtered as of late, and they’ve been unable to put teams away convincingly since the second round of the tournament. To make matters worse, their star, multipurpose junior Candace Parker, who was largely responsible for their Sweet 16 win over Notre Dame and Elite Eight victory over Texas A&M, has been hampered by a shoulder injury. It showed against the Tigers, as she finished a paltry 6-for-27 from the field.

From the looks of things, Stanford has all the momentum it could hope for, while Tennessee is struggling.

“They’re a better team right now,” said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.

But the Cardinal cannot sleep on the Lady Vols, who, much like the Cardinal, have threats across the floor but employ a small rotation, using only about eight players per game.

It starts with Parker, the AP Player of the Year, who can play nearly any position on the floor but likes to spot up inside. Pedersen will be charged with guarding her, and has already said that she’ll try to force her to her left under the basket so she’ll have to use her weaker hand. Pedersen and Appel will have to be particularly diligent with their rebounding, as Parker is one of the best rebounders in the nation.

But Parker isn’t the only piece to the Tennessee puzzle. Alexis Hornbuckle and Shannon Bobbitt are both threats from the guard positions — Hornbuckle, a defensive star, will be tasked with guarding Wiggins.

“I have a tough defensive assignment,” she said. “I can’t rest, and I can’t take a possession off.”

Along with Parker, Alberta Auguste and Nicky Anosike fill out a dangerous front line. But none of the four starters besides Parker have been particularly consistent during the NCAA Tournament, which has put the brunt of the scoring on Parker’s already-weakened shoulders. Still, all are capable of erupting at any time, and if Parker can regain her form and her teammates can put together solid performances, they’ll be in a prime position to take down the Cardinal.

Wiggins had nothing but praise for her opponents — specifically, Parker.

“There’s nobody in the game like her. And I think she’s carrying all the pressure

really well,” Wiggins said.

The two teams have already met once earlier in the season at Maples. Stanford pulled out a thrilling overtime win, 73-69, over then-No. 1 ranked Tennessee. The victory instilled confidence in the Cardinal and left the Lady Vols seeking revenge.

“I remember the Stanford game like it was yesterday,” said Parker. “It ruined our Christmas.”

“Of course they’re going to be motivated that we beat them before,” said Pedersen. “But I also think we know them, and we know that we can beat them.”

The national championship alone provides all the incentive the Cardinal needs.

“Everybody is going to be trying to find motivation wherever they can,” said redshirt sophomore guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude. “Tennessee’s been here before. They won a national championship last year. And they have theirs. There’s going to be one game left. Why shouldn’t we win? Just go for it. It’s our turn.”