Her freshman year she talked mostly to then-assistant Tonya Cardoza, now the Temple coach, and didn't always grasp Auriemma's instructions. "He knew what it took to be a point guard, and I was not there," Montgomery says.

Now she anticipates what will be said in timeouts and finds herself calling plays before Auriemma suggests them. "Just to be on the same page with him, it makes me excited," Montgomery says. "I think he's a basketball genius."

Auriemma is a staunch fan of Montgomery, whom he puts in the pantheon of UConn point guards such as Jennifer Rizzotti, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, all of who won NCAA titles.

"I really admire her as a person," Auriemma says. "Even when she doesn't make a shot, when she takes shots I think are ill-advised, even when she didn't talk to me for a couple of years when Tonya was her coach, I still admired her. Every great team has somebody like this."

Montgomery, an All-American also named the top point guard and the best player 5-7 or shorter, has earned many honors. Auriemma thinks she deserves to end her career with an NCAA title tonight: "I don't know that I've wanted anything more than I've wanted this," she said.

Louisville hopes for better ending

Louisville women's basketball coach Jeff Walz jokes about his grand strategy behind two blowout losses to Connecticut this season.

"We were setting them up (for overconfidence)," Walz says.

Tonight's third meeting is for the NCAA title. No. 1 overall seed UConn (38-0) is seeking its sixth national title, its first since 2004, and to become the fifth unbeaten champ in the tourney's 28 years.

"There's no disputing the fact we won by a lot both times," Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma says of a 93-65 win in January and a 75-36 win in March in the Big East tournament final. "But I don't know what that gets you. You still have to go out and make shots and stop them.

"If we don't make shots and we don't stop them, we're going to lose. We have to be really good."

No. 3 seed Louisville (34-4), in its first Final Four, will be seeking what might rank as the biggest upset in tournament history.

"There's no question UConn is the best team in the country," Walz says. "But what we have to do is find a way to play better for 40 minutes."

UConn has All-Americans in point guard Renee Montgomery, wing Maya Moore and post Tina Charles. Louisville counters with All-America guard-forward Angel McCoughtry but has no true point guard or center.

Walz used unusual defenses such as a triangle-and-two in the first game but not the second. "We're going to have to try to find a way to make them uncomfortable," says Walz, an assistant on Maryland's 2006 title team.

Big East dominance:

The conference had seven teams earn berths to the NCAA and six to the WNIT, won by South Florida. Four of the 10 State Farm All-Americans were from the conference: UConn's Montgomery, Maya Moore and Tina Charles plus Louisville's Angel McCoughtry. And there's the all-Big East final tonight.

"I don't think there's a question of what league was best," said Louisville coach Jeff Walz, referring to some rankings that had the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference ahead of the Big East.

Auriemma, recalling the dark days of 2005 when Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College left the Big East for the ACC, pointed out that Villanova and Louisville were in the men's Final Four.

"That's four out of eight," he said. "There's a lot of good conferences, a lot of good schools, but I would venture to say that the Big East is healthier, stronger and better than it's ever been."

UConn flaws:

"I think I saw their manager drop a bottle of water, so that's a weakness," Walz said.

"They don't have a lot of depth, but they don't need it," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said.

No problem:

UConn has not allowed an opponent to come within 10 points all season. But Auriemma isn't worried if the game comes down to a possession or two at the end.

"If you told me there's 30 seconds left and we need a three to win the game, I'd dare you to pick anybody in this tournament you would want shooting the ball other than Renee Montgomery and Maya Moore," he said. "So I feel pretty good about that."

Contributing: Wire reports

Enlarge By Jeff Curry, US Presswire Connecticut's Renee Montgomery, dribbling up court during Sunday's semifinal against Stanford, was named the top point guard and the best player 5-7 or shorter this season.