In the early 1990s, coaches Tara VanDerveer and Geno Auriemma were well into establishing the programs that would define them, and vice versa. Dawn Staley was one of the top players in college. Vic Schaefer was brand new to coaching women's basketball.
Now they and their teams -- Stanford, UConn, South Carolina, and Mississippi State -- will all converge at the Women's Final Four.
Friday at American Airlines Center, VanDerveer's Cardinal will face Staley's Gamecocks (7:30 p.m. ET), followed by Auriemma's Huskies vs. Schaefer's Bulldogs. Both games are on ESPN2.
The Huskies, on a 111-game winning streak and winners of the past four national championships, are the center of attention.