UConn seniors on a mission

Connecticut’s four seniors have never been to the Final Four. To get there before their college careers end, the Huskies must potentially get past “new” rival Rutgers in the Greensboro Regional.

The No. 1 seeded Huskies (32-1) will open against No. 16 Cornell on Sunday in Bridgeport, Conn.

Connecticut, ranked atop the AP poll for 12 of the final 13 weeks, is hoping to get to the Final Four for the first time since 2004. The Huskies lost to LSU in the regional final last season. The women’s Final Four is April 6 and 8 in Tampa, Fla.

If the Huskies don’t get to the Final Four this year, it will be the first Connecticut senior class in 20 years to not have played in at least the national semifinals.

The Scarlet Knights handed Connecticut its lone loss during the season, beating the Huskies on Feb. 5 in a Big East matchup. Rutgers lost in the national championship game last season to Tennessee.

North Carolina earned the top seed in the New Orleans Regional. The Tar Heels open Saturday against No. 16 Bucknell. The Tar Heels ran through the Atlantic Coast Conference with their only two losses coming to Tennessee and Connecticut.

The other No. 1 seeds are Maryland in the Spokane Regional and and defending national champion Tennessee is No. 1 in the Oklahoma City Regional.

Louisiana State, seeded second in New Orleans, has reached the Final Four for four straight seasons and with Van Chancellor at the helm the Lady Tigers hope to see the streak continue.