While 64 men's basketball teams begin jockeying for position Thursday on the road to Seattle and the Final Four, their female counterparts have their sights set on a similar Target. Namely, the Target Center in Minneapolis, where the women's Final Four will be played April 1-2.

Connecticut, the No. 1 seed in the East Region and the No. 1 team in the nation, enters the tourney undefeated and will obviously have to stay so to win it all.

The Huskies earned the No. 1 spot in the national polls in January when they beat then-No. 1 Tennessee. The Lady Vols, the No. 1 seed in the Mideast Region, hope to get another crack in the NCAA Finals. The two teams are the favorites to win it all.

The other two No. I seeds -- Vanderbilt in the West and Colorado in the Midwest -- have stiff challenges ahead of them to make it to the Final Four. Stanford, the No. 2 seed in the West, has been in the nation's top five for most of the season. And Penn State, No. 2 in the Midwest, has won nine games in a row and is the co-champion of the ultra-tough Big Ten conference.

Here is a look at the top six seeds in each of the four Regions:

The selection committee made things pretty tough for undefeated UConn. The Huskies, ranked No. 1 in the final regular season polls, are in the strongest region. They may have to face traditional powerhouses Virginia, or Louisiana Tech to get to the Final Four. However, they have an advantage up until the Final Four, as they will not have to leave their home floor in Storrs, Conn. They are led by player-of-the-year candidate Rebecca Lobo's 17.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

The Lady Techsters made it to the tournament finals last season before falling to North Carolina on Charlotte Smith's last second three-pointer. They are poised for another title run this year with strong defense and great perimeter shooting. Their schedule has been a demanding one, so the gruel of the tournament should not affect them too severely.

Coach Debbie Ryan brings a balanced and experienced squad into the tournament. The Cavaliers have four players scoring in double-figures. Forward Wendy Palmer averaged 17.8 points and 9.6 rebounds, all of which will be needed to make up for lack of depth. A second-round matchup with Florida could be interesting.

A Final Four team one year ago, the Crimson Tide rely heavily on the play of player-of-the-year hopeful Niesa Johnson. The forward averages 21.1 points per game and is shooting 41 percent from three-point range. The Tide were a Cinderella team last season, but for the slipper to fit this year, the Huskies will probably have to let them try it on in the Regional semifinals.

The Blue Devils are making their first tournament appearance since 1987 and they are riding the momentum of an upset of Virginia in the ACC Tournament.

Guard Merlakia Jones leads a very quick and explosive Gator squad. Jones averages 18.3 points per game, but she and her teammates may be done in by the 18.1 turnovers they commit each game.

Coach Jim Foster's squad lost 6-foot-10 center Heidi Gillingham, but they didn't lose the winning edge. The Commodores are riding high after beating Tennessee to win the SEC championship. That was just one of 17 games Vandy has played against Top 25 teams.

All-name team member Kate Starbird leads the Cardinal with 16.7 points and 3.8 assists per game. The PAC-10 champions have been ranked in the national top 5 most of the season and are the favorite in the West.

Charlotte Smith hopes to take the Tar Heels back to the Promised Land of a second-straight national championship. Smith sank the game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds of last season's title game. This year she's averaging 19.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.

The Boilermakers shared the Big Ten regular-season title for the second-straight year with Penn State, despite losing center Johnson.

The Aztecs have one of the strongest benches, which is contributing 23.9 points per game, but they're also having their troubles from the free-throw line. They became the only men's or women's team in WAC history to go unbeaten in conference play.

Fortunately, the Pirates got shipped to the West so they won't have to face Connecticut, who dropped them three times this season. Forward Dana Wynne has 21 double-double games this year and averages 13.4 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.

Coach, Pat Summitt is in search of her fourth national championship. Connecticut, the Lady Vols play each game at home en route to the Final Four. They are paced inside by Johnson and Johnson (Dana and Tiffany) and outside by guard Michelle Marciniak and forward Nikki McCray.

Lady Raiders are making their sixth-sraight tournament appearance and have a clear road to the regional semifinals. One of the team strengths is rebounding, as it has been outrebounded just three games all year.

The Huskies are bolstered by the fact that they play in the very strong PAC-10 conference. Washington has a lot in the way of senior leadership, particularly in the form of 6-foot-3 guard Rhonda Smith 8.1 points, 8.8 rebounds).

The Sun Belt conference champs are a perennial NCAA tournament participant as they make it for an 11th consecutive year. The Hilltoppers are quick and are third in the nation in rebounding.

Coach Aki Hill is a coach-of-the-year candidate for bringing the Beavers to the tournament. Much of that success has to do with the play of forward Tanja Kostic. The junior averages 22.2 points and 7.7 rebounds a game.

Making their first tournament appearance since 1991, the Hogs are the epitome of balanced scoring. They have four starters that score in double figures, but they have a problem of starting slowly in games.

After making the Sweet 16 each of the last two seasons, the Buffaloes are hungry to make it to Minneapolis. They have it all. They have size up front, with 6-foot-5 center Isabelle Fijalkowski and 6-foot-3 forward Erin Scholtz. They also have a great backcourt with Shelley Sheetz and DeCelle Thomas.

All-Big Ten point guard Tina Nicholson makes the Lady Lions tick with her 8.1 assists and 2.9 steals per game. Her corps of backcourt mates has been depleted by injuries but senior Carla Coleman remains a steadying influence on the team. Forwards Angie Potthoff and Missy Masley provide a 1-2 scoring punch inside that led the Lady Lions to the Big Ten title.

The Bulldogs' strength lies in the fact that they play in the nation's best conference, the SEC. They are directed by guard Saudia Roundtree's 14.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists. The youthful Dawgs have had bouts with inconsistency all year.

The Atlantic-10 champion Colonia Women have had a banner year under Coach Joe McKeown. They have been ranked nationally all season long, primarily because of size, depth and very strong defense. They are very physical. Player-of-the-year candidate Debbie Hemery leads the team with 19.2 points per game.

With a stronghold of five returning starters, Drake could make some noise in the tourney if it is able to get past Mississippi, which beat Drake last year in the regional semifinals. While the personnel are there, Drake needs to watch turnovers, which they average 19.6 of per game.

The Ducks are led on the inside by forward Arianne Boyer (14 points and 7.9 rebounds per game) and center Renae Fegent (17.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game). However, lack of depth could hurt the Ducks if they get further along in the tournament.

Finally, a few brain teasers to check your knowledge of women's basketball:

Trivia questions

1) Which teams advanced to the 1994 Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Final Four, held in Charlotte, N.C.?

2) Who was the lowest-seeded team to advance to the Final Four last year?

3) Who shot the winning three-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining in last season's NCAA championship final?

4) Which Big Ten player won the Wade Trophy, given to college basketball's top senior female player, last year?

5) Penn State finished this regular season ranked No. 7. Where did the Lady Lions finish last year?

6) What four schools made the Final Four in the 1982 inaugural women's tournament?

7) What was the lowest-seeded team ever to make the Final Four and when?

Trivia answers

1) Alabama, Louisiana Tech, North Carolina and Purdue.

2) Alabama, the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region, advanced to the Final Four by beating . . . Penn State 96-82 in the Midwest Regionals.

3) Forward Charlotte Smith made the winning shot, which gave the North Carolina women's team its first national title.

4) Minnesota's Carol Ann Shudlick.

5) No. 2 behind Tennessee

6) Louisiana Tech (champion), Cheyney (runner-up), Maryland and Tennessee.

7) Southwest Missouri State, No. 8 seed, in 1992.