Comparing Candice Wiggins and Candace Parker

Updated: April 8, 2008, 1:33 AM ET

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By Kara Lawson
ESPN.com
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Stanford's Candice Wiggins and Tennessee's Candace Parker share the same first name, All-American accolades and a spot in Tuesday's national championship game (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET). Roughly eight years after they first played together on an AAU team, they also split national player of the year honors. So how do their games stack up? A look at how they rate:

Candice vs. Candace
Candice Wiggins, Stanford, G, 5-11½, senior	Candace Parker, Tennessee, F/C/G, 6-4, junior
Key stats: 20.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 43 percent from the field, 3.2 apg	Key stats: 21.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 53.6 percent from the field, 2.4 bpg
As a ball handler: She's always a threat when she has the ball in her hands because she has great range. She's not one of those players you can back off of. She's also very quick to the basket and is very economical and efficient -- she doesn't waste her dribbles.	As a ball handler: Her size presents many problems, and her ballhandling in transition is really hard to defend. Generally, in transition defense, you talk about stopping a guard. But here's someone who's 6-4 who can rebound and take it coast to coast.
As a shooter: She gets it off quick. Look at the back-to-back 3-pointers she hit in the second half Sunday to bust Connecticut's zone. She catches -- and boom! She just has a pretty quick trigger and great range.	As a shooter: Contrary to what we saw Sunday, this is the one area where she has really improved. She's consistently knocking down the jump shot and has a nice fadeaway on the baseline that is tough to guard because of her height.
Defensively: She's very complete on the defensive end. She doesn't make mistakes and has good size and athleticism. Plus, she's a smart player who is going to make you take contested shots. You're going to have to earn your points.	Defensively: She has great length and help-side defense with her ability to block shots and make things difficult for the shooter. If you take her outside, she's athletic enough to stay in front of you and keep you from driving. She really clears the defensive boards.
Basketball IQ: She just understands how to play the game. She knows when to change speeds and how to be aggressive but not force things. Everyone knows she's going to put up 25 points, but she still finds a way to use the attention that is being paid to her to her team's advantage. I'm not saying it's any easier for a post to find the open player when double-teamed in the paint. But it is a difficult thing for a perimeter player who is the scoring focal point to help open up shots for her teammates.	Basketball IQ: As with Wiggins, playing with Team USA has helped expedite Parker's maturation process. The competition is better, which forces her to make decisions and plays she isn't forced to do yet elsewhere at this point of her career. It's fun to watch Parker going one-on-one. It's almost as if she toys with the defender. She has a great sense of which shoulder to turn over and how to get the defender to bite on a fake. Some players rush their fakes, but she is patient, takes her time and allows the defender to fall for it.
As a leader: Wiggins is the best leader in the country. She has the ability to lift her teammates almost psychologically, to make them play above themselves. Don't get me wrong. Her teammates are very good players. But her confidence gives them the ability to play out of their minds. They follow her lead and turn in great performances. Some players elevate their teammates' games by creating easy shots. Wiggins does that, but she also seems to elevate the Cardinal mentally.	As a leader: Wiggins is more vocal, but she's also surrounded by little pups. She's the lead dog. Parker, meanwhile is surrounded by seniors, and Alexis Hornbuckle and Nicky Anosike are the vocal leaders on the team. But Parker is the one everyone looks to. Even when she was going 6-for-27, Tennessee put the ball in her hands with seven seconds left on the clock. That's how much confidence in and respect for Parker her teammates have. When things aren't going well, she's the player they believe in.