Thursday: Baylor vs. Wisconsin, 6 p.m.;

Gophers vs. Stanford, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday: Championship, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

U lowest seed in Final Four

About the Gophers: For the third time in the past five years, the Gophers (27-5, 17-3 Big Ten) are in the Final Four. The tournament's No. 7 seed defeated Stanford for the first time in program history, winning 3-1 in State College, Pa. The Gophers lead Final Four teams with 16.11 digs per set and 330 total blocks.

About Stanford: The Cardinal (28-4, 18-2 Pac-12) weathered an injury to Kathryn Plummer to win its third consecutive Pac-12 title. Plummer leads third-seeded Stanford with 5.01 kills per set. Stanford is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the Final Four and leads all NCAA programs with eight national championships.

About Baylor: It's been a breakout season for the Bears (29-1, 15-1 Big 12), who earned the No. 1 ranking and top seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time. Their lone loss was at Texas on Oct. 23. Baylor has won 13 in a row since then. Yossiana Pressley is ranked second nationally with 5.37 kills per set. Baylor is hitting .296, the fifth-best mark in the country.

About Wisconsin: The Big Ten champion Badgers (26-6, 18-2 Big Ten) made the Final Four for the third time in program history. Fourth-seeded Wisconsin has swept all four NCAA tournament opponents. Junior setter Sydney Hilley of Brooklyn Park leads the Big Ten with 12.18 assists per set. The Badgers are averaging 3.50 blocks per set and are hitting .296 in NCAA tournament play.

RACHEL BLOUNT