One of the advantages of making it to the XL Center on Dec. 23 at an event commemorating UConn winning its NCAA Division I basketball record 89th straight win was getting a chance to interview Geno Auriemma and Rebecca Lobo in almost a 1-on-1 setting.

It was during that time that I got Rebecca Lobo's opinion on the upcoming UConn/Stanford game. Bear in mind, this came before Lorin Dixon's injury and Stanford's absolute dissection of fourth-ranked Xavier.

"I think they are going to pose some matchup problems," Lobo said of Stanford's frontline which is taller than some WNBA teams. "I think each team will pose matchup problems for the other. UConn is so thin in the post. I thought Ohio State would give them a good game and UConn whooped them. Coming into the season I was saying they were going to lose to Stanford. I am not convinced they are going to lose to Stanford anymore but I still think it is going to be a good game."

With Lobo, motherhood takes precedent so she is passing on working the game so she can be at home with her kids. Still, I respect her opinion and basketball insight probably more than any other women's basketball broadcaster so I was curious what her keys to the game would be.

"How healthy both teams are," Lobo said in reference to Kayla Pedersen's health and not looking into the future in terms of Dixon's bum foot. "I think the key will be how UConn handles their size and experience. For Stanford, can they handle Maya. She had 41 (against Florida State) and it was unbelievable."

It should be noted that with no Rutgers players remaining from the squad that beat UConn on Feb. 5, 2008, Stanford seniors Kayla Pedersen, Jeanette Pohlen and Ashley Cimino are the only active college players who can say they played in a game which UConn lost. Pedersen had 17 points and 7 rebounds, Pohlen had two points and two assists while Cimino did not score in her brief appearance in Stanford's 82-73 win over UConn in the 2008 national semifinals. That was the last time UConn lost a game.