It’s anybody’s tournament.

That’s the attitude most teams, including the University of Maine, are taking into the America East Championship, which begins today with four quarterfinal games at Hartford’s Chase Family Arena.

Coach Sharon Versyp’s fourth-seeded Black Bears take a 16-11 record into their 8:15 p.m. game against host Hartford, which is seeded fifth with a 13-14 mark.

The conference has been characterized by parity all season. Only one game separated the Nos. 2 through 6 seeds in the tournament.

“Anybody can win. Anybody can lose,” Versyp said simply.

Her opponent tonight, Hartford coach Jen Rizzotti, concurs.

“This season has been amazing with the amount of parity in this league and I really believe that just about anybody in the tournament has a chance to win the championship,” Rizzotti said.

UMaine, which has won five of its last seven, looks to break a two-game postseason losing streak against Hartford. It won’t be easy, as the Hawks will have the benefit of sleeping in their own beds and playing on their home court.

“Right now it doesn’t matter where you’re playing,” Versyp said. “It’s the same basketball hoop, it’s the same floor, the same distance. It’s just whoever comes and plays.”

The Bears won’t have any difficulty getting emotionally ready to take on the Hawks. Hartford not only won last Saturday’s regular-season finale at Orono, it knocked UMaine out of last year’s quarterfinals and has won three of the last four meetings between the teams.

“We just played them, they’re fresh in our minds, so the revenge factor comes into play, too,” admitted UMaine senior captain Tracy Guerrette of St. Agatha. “I think it’s a good opportunity for us to play this team again because we know them so well.”

The Bears’ veterans believe the ballclub is much better prepared than a year ago, a when physically drained UMaine team had only seven players in uniform. Today, the Bears can call upon their eight regulars and two reserves against a deep Hartford team that has nine players averaging at least 12 minutes per game.

“We are more fresh, we have a deeper bench this year and I think we’re more confident,” Guerrette said. “We realize it’s a brand-new season. It’s whoever’s ready to play that day.”

Dictating the tempo is a key for UMaine, which held Hartford in check in a 58-49 victory at Chase Arena on Jan. 17. The Bears must bottle up 6-foot-3 center Kenitra Johnson, who had 16 points and nine rebounds in the last meeting.

They also must contain swing player Janeka Lopp, who scored a season-high 22 points last weekend.

“We have to make them shoot from outside,” said Bears defensive catalyst Melissa Heon. “We have to play transition defense and we have to play help-side defense.”

UMaine wants to keep Hartford from running the floor effectively, which means shooting a good percentage and getting back when the Hawks grab a rebound. The Bears also look to slow the tempo of the game by patiently running their half-court offense when they don’t have fast-break chances.

“They make you play ugly,” Guerrette said of the Hawks’ tight man-to-man defense. “They speed up the tempo a lot, so we have to control the tempo with poise and execution.”

UMaine must get aggressive post play from Heather Ernest of Temple, Monica Peterson and Eva Moldre, but the Bears also need Missy Traversi and Tracy Guerrette to hit some 3-pointers, while Heon, Kim Corbitt and Augusta’s Julie Veilleux must provide dribble penetration.

“We don’t execute well against Hartford,” Versyp said. “We ended up getting to the foul line and making our foul shots the first time [we played].”

Rebounding is another key for UMaine, which must limit Hartford’s second-chance points.