If you’re just checking in on the women’s NCAA basketball tournament, it may look as if it’s all business as usual. The teams slated to vie for the title in Cleveland on Sunday and Tuesday include the leading program in the sport’s history, the University of Tennessee, Louisiana State University, which is in the Final Four for the fourth straight season, the University of North Carolina, which spent much of last season ranked no. 1 and this season in the top five, and a perennial top 10 team, Rutgers.

In fact, this year’s tournament has been anything but the usual; only UNC’s run has followed the expected script. LSU’s track record notwithstanding, no one outside a few diehard fans in Baton Rouge expected the Lady Tigers to overcome the shock of head coach Pokey Chatman resigning just days before the tournament amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

When Rutgers started the season by losing four of its first six games, including a 40-point trouncing by Duke in Piscataway, most observers figured it was a rebuilding year as the Scarlet Knights’ stellar freshman class learned the ropes of NCAA ball. But the youngsters caught on quickly, and they’ve won 21 of 24 since January 1, including a stunning upset of no. 1-ranked Duke in the Greensboro Regional. That win followed victories over Michigan State in East Lansing in the NCAA second round and the University of Connecticut in Hartford in the Big East title game.

Tennessee fans screamed foul when for the second straight season the selection committee put the Lady Vols in a group of death with several other highly ranked teams. The Dayton region included four top 10 teams, but the big story wasn’t the clash of the titans but rather the series of upsets.

A no. 13 seed from Poughkeepsie, Marist, crashed the sweet 16, and the fifth-place team in the Southeastern Conference, the University of Mississippi, had an even bigger run of upsets, making the elite eight. So instead of arriving in Cleveland survivors of a grueling run in Dayton, the Lady Vols enter the final four having downed the tournament’s two biggest Cinderella teams.

Let’s look at how the teams stack up:

LSU vs. Rutgers
Sunday, 7 p.m.

First team to 50 points wins! These teams like a slow, methodical pace. Two years ago, when Rutgers downed then-no. 1 LSU in Piscataway, the final was 51-49 … in overtime.

This is an intriguing matchup of teams with similar styles but different strengths. Rutgers has a suffocating backcourt defense led by Matee Ajavon and two-time Big East defensive player of the year Essence Carson. In their four tournament games so far, they are allowing an average of 47 points a game, and their slate included three high-scoring opponents.

For years, the knock on Rutgers was that they couldn’t score. This team can; the offense is led by super frosh Epiphanny Prince — from Murry Bergtraum High School in Lower Manhattan — and sophomore center Kia Vaughn. Each averages just less than 13 points per game.

LSU lost its emotional leader, Chatman, but kept its tactician. Interim head coach Bob Starkey continues to insist that he’s not interested in the position permanently, preferring to be the x’s and o’s guy.

Starkey has designed a stellar defense. In four tournament games, the Lady Tigers have allowed an average of 43.8 points per game, and all season they have held opponents to an NCAA low 32.6% shooting percentage.

The offense is led by center Sylvia Fowles, one of the best players in the game right now; she’s one the four collegians invited to play on the national team for the Beijing Olympics. The backcourt tandem of Erica White and RaShonta LeBlanc is known for taking care of the ball, a key against a pressing team like the Scarlet Knights.

While Rutgers has improved markedly from its slow start, it is still vulnerable to big active post players. UConn’s Tina Charles gave it fits, and Duke’s Alison Bales put up 21 in the regional semis. Fowles is on a roll, and should lead her team to its first national final.

UNC vs. Tennessee
Sunday, 9 p.m.

A lot of observers are calling this game the de facto national title game, and the logic is attractive. Both are powerhouses whose arrival to this stage surprises no one. These are also teams that can put up points in a hurry and play solid D.

The Lady Vols are led by Candace Parker, who fills up a stat sheet with 19.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game. She’s supported by a balanced cast on a team that averages 74 points per game.

UNC is led by point guard Ivory Latta, 16.4 ppg and 4.5 apg, and with a deep bench, it plays an uptempo game. Its 85.5 points per game led the nation. The team does it by pushing the tempo and shooting threes — NBA fans will notice a distinct similarity to the Phoenix Suns in the Tar Heels’ game. On defense, UNC ranks in the top five in blocks, steals, and rebound margin.

Tennessee fans should worry. On December 12, the Lady Vols played their game, forcing 23 turnovers and grabbing 38 boards, both right in line with their seasonal averages, but they lost badly to UNC, 70–57.

UNC also eliminated Tennessee last season in the elite eight. It’s hard to imagine a Pat Summitt team losing three in a row to the same opponent, but the Tar Heels’ superior athleticism should carry them to Tuesday night’s final.

mjohnson@nysun.com