stanford ready for another long trip to final 4

For the fourth year in a row, the Stanford Cardinal will be playing in the Final Four.

And for fourth year in a row, the Cardinal will be making another long trip.

Out of the four teams competing in this weekend's Final Four in Indianapolis, Stanford will have the longest commute. Indianapolis is 2,336 miles from the Stanford campus.

Players like seniors Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen and junior Nnemkadi Ogwumike are getting used to these long trips. During their trips to the Final Four to Tampa (2008), St. Louis (2009) and San Antonio (2010), the Cardinal logged in a total of 6,967 miles. So after this weekend, Stanford will have traveled 9,303 miles in its four straight trips to the Final Four.

But the Cardinal aren't planning leaving Indy empty-handed like they did in Tampa, St. Louis and San Antonio. Stanford lost in the championship game in 2008 and 2010 and was knocked off by UConn in the semifinals in 2009. The Cardinal haven't won a national title since 1992.

"Yeah, I'm so excited, I really can't even put it into words right now," Pohlen told the Stanford Daily on Tuesday. "Going to the Final Four every year, I mean it's a dream for people, some people don't even get that close."

It's a possibility UConn and Stanford will square off in the Final Four for the fourth straight year. UConn plays Notre Dame in an all-Big East semifinal and that follows the Stanford-Texas A&M semifinal at 7 p.m. EST.

Pohlen and Petersen will play in the Final Four for the fourth straight year. So far, Pohlen is turning in her best college season, winning Pac-10 Player of the Year honors and earning a first-team all-American award. Petersen earned all-American honorable mention honors after averaging 12.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Pohlen and Petersen join Ashley Cimino and Hannah Donaghe as the first class members in Stanford history to reach four consecutive Final Fours.

Stanford advanced to the Final Four by cruising past Gonzaga 83-60 on Monday in the Spokane Regional championship game. The Cardinal had the longest commute among the Elite Eight teams (Spokane is 1,047 miles from the Stanford campus).

By going to Indianapolis for the Final Four, Stanford will be making its third trip east of the Mississippi River this season. This time, the Cardinal hope the third time will be the charm. On Dec. 16, the Cardinal traveled to Chicago to play DePaul and lost 91-71. Three days later, Stanford headed south to Tennessee to play the Lady Vols and lost 82-72. The Cardinal haven't lost a game since.