ST. LOUIS — When Purdue traveled to South Bend, Ind., to play Notre Dame in early December, the stakes were in-state supremacy. When the two teams meet today at the Savvis Center, they'll play for the national title.

        “I don't think anybody dreamed the two teams would be playing again in the championship game,” Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said.

        The No.1-seeded Irish (33-2) won the regular-season meeting 72-61 on Dec.9.

        “An eternity ago,” Purdue coach Kristy Curry said.

        That was when the point guard for the third-seeded Boilermakers (31-6) was freshman Erika Valek, now out with a torn knee ligament. That was before freshmen Shalicia Hurns and Shereka Wright became starters.

        A look at today's matchups and key factors:

        • The inside: Notre Dame's Ruth Riley vs. Camille Cooper.

        The 6-foot-5 Riley, winner of several national player of the year awards, and the 6-4 Cooper have been playing against each other since high school all-star games.

        “I think we are kind of identical in the way we play our game, kind of old-school post,” Riley said of the back-to-the-basket players.

        • The perimeter: Notre Dame's Niele Ivey-Alicia Ratay vs. Kelly Komara-Katie Douglas.

        Ivey is an All-American point guard and a strong 3-point threat.

        Ratay is the leading 3-point shooter (55.6 percent) in the country.

        Purdue counters with Douglas, a 6-foot senior All-American and '99 title-team starter, who can play point or power forward.

        With Valek's injury, Komara has switched from shooting guard to point.

NCAA Tournament coverage at Cincinnati.com

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