Five reasons Rutgers will cut down the nets tonight

	Epiphanny Prince is one of five freshmen on the Rutgers roster. With 35 games under their belts, they're not playing like freshmen anymore. Bill Frakes/SI
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Rutgers has played spoiler all the way to national championship game. After knocking off top-seeded Duke and a pair of No. 3-seeds in Arizona State and LSU, the Scarlet Knights are looking to thrive in that underdog role once again.

Top-seeded Tennessee will attempt to beat the Scarlet Knights in the tournament for a third consecutive season, but there's no reason why Rutgers can't pull off another upset.

Instead, here are the five reasons why Rutgers will give coach C. Vivian Stringer her long-awaited first national championship:

1. Youth.
Having five freshmen on the roster at the beginning of the season was a question mark, but it may be the best thing for the Scarlet Knights now. None of those players was on the floor when the Lady Vols sent Rutgers packing in each of the past two tournaments, and with experience, tradition and a No. 1-seed, all the pressure is on the Lady Vols -- not the young Scarlet Knights.

The freshmen aren't just showing up, they're contributing. Epiphanny Prince is the team's second-leading scorer with 12.5 points a game. The 5-9 guard does a good job of getting to the boards, too; she's averaging 4.1 rebounds. Myia McCurdy, Brittany Ray and Rashidat Junaid all played solid minutes in the semifinal win over LSU.

"What's interesting is that they're freshmen, you know," Stringer said. "But they seem to be oblivious. We haven't really pounded it into their heads, 'This is the Final Four, my God, it's the Final Four.' We understand history, that we are a 4-seed. We're not supposed to be here. No one expected us to be here. That's all right with us."

2. Balance.
Maryland proved last season that a balanced team can beat one that relies on a single star. Rutgers showed that again on Sunday. When the Scarlet Knights shut down LSU center Sylvia Fowles, no one else stepped up. Matee Ajavon has increased her production during the tournament, leading Rutgers in scoring in each of the last three games. But, with four players averaging double figures, opponents can't focus on just shutting her down.

"They have a lot more offensive weapons as a whole this year than the previous two," Tennessee guard Alexis Hornbuckle said. "Cappie [Pondexter] led their team the first two times that I played them in the tournament, and I don't think Matee's game was as developed then as it is now. And Essence has elevated her game as well. So, it's like they're having a more balanced attack."

3. C. Vivian Stringer.
That's not to say Pat Summitt isn't a great coach, but Stringer certainly gives her team a fighting chance. She has reached the Final Four four times and is the only coach to take two different schools to the women's title game.

With a little tough love, Stringer has also taken a team that struggled early on because of its youth and turned it into a strong, cohesive unit.

4. Defense.
The Scarlet Knights can disrupt even the best of offenses, making it difficult for teams to follow the gameplan. And they've really cracked down in the postseason, holding opponents to 44.6 points a game, a 10-point drop from the regular season. They've yet to give up more than 57 points in the tournament.

Their defense was showcased against LSU on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights sagged in enough to take away Fowles' hook shot and frustrated her throughout the game. Despite a big height advantage, the 6-6 Fowles scored just five points on 2-of-10 shooting. But Fowles isn't alone. Opponents have hit just 36 percent from the field against Rutgers all season.

5. Destiny.
Stringer calls Rutgers a team of destiny, and the Scarlet Knights really believe it. What more do they need?