It took three games, but Maryland’s women’s basketball team finally looks like a top seed.

Following lackluster victories in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, the Terrapins (33-3) utilized a stingy, switching man-to-man defense to move to within one victory of the Final Four after posting a resounding, 80-66 victory over fourth-seeded Vanderbilt on Saturday.

The Terrapins will have to play with similar passion tonight at 9:30 in front of a national television audience on ESPN when they face second-seeded Stanford here for a Final Four berth.

Stanford (33-3), which advanced to meet the Terps with a 72-53 victory over sixth-seeded Pittsburgh, is a West Coast carbon-copy of Maryland, which is seeking its second national title in three seasons.

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The Cardinal, winners of 21 straight games, features All-American senior guard Candice Wiggins (19.6 ppg) and boasts a powerful offense similar to Maryland, which is seeking its first trip to the Final Four since 1997.

Maryland counters with senior forwards Crystal Langhorne (17.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg) and Laura Harper (14.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg), who have powered the Terps to a record of 11-2 in the NCAA tournament since they arrived in College Park. But all that matters to the greatest senior class in school history is the Terps winning their last game.

“You can’t help but think about it,” Langhorne said. “I think that’s what our senior class thinks about a lot ... because you never know when it’s going to be your last few plays.”