WASHINGTON — Could this be the year that Pittsburgh finally breaks through?

This afternoon at the Verizon Center, the Panthers will begin another quest for the national championship that has eluded the most successful program in the powerful Big East Conference over the last decade.

The top seed in the NCAA tournament’s Southeast Regional, Pitt (27-5) will open against No. 16 seed North Carolina-Asheville.

A top seed has never fallen to a last seed in tournament history.

“This is a one-in-a-million opportunity,” said UNC-Asheville guard Matt Dickey, whose 3-pointer Tuesday with 10 seconds left against Arkansas-Little Rock sent the first-round contest into overtime. The Bulldogs prevailed, 81-77. “We have a chance to make history. There is a first time for everything, and, hopefully, we can go out and do something good.”

Pitt, which has not reached the Final Four since 1941, has been knocking at the door recently without success.

The Panthers have made the NCAAs 10 straight times, reaching the Sweet 16 five times since 2002. But the furthest Pittsburgh has advanced under eighth-year coach Jamie Dixon is the Elite Eight in 2009, when the Panthers had their hearts broken by a last-second, length-of-the-court drive by Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds that gave the Wildcats a 78-76 victory.

Last season, Pittsburgh lost to Xavier in the second round.

The Panthers are coming off a 76-74 loss to Connecticut last week in the Big East tournament quarterfinals.

“Just being part of a program like Pittsburgh, the main focus is to go out there and win,” said senior guard Brad Wanamaker. “Last year, we think we kind of underachieved, and just coming from the Big East tournament, we know we underachieved there going out in our first game. So, we’re very focused and motivated to go out and play, and we’re ready for (today).”

If form holds true and Pittsburgh dispatches N.C.-Asheville, the Panthers will meet the winner of Thursday’s game between Butler (23-9) and Old Dominion (27-6).

Old Dominion, which claimed an automatic bid by winning the Colonial Athletic Association tournament, is a strong rebounding team that could challenge the Panthers under the boards.

Butler, which enters the tournament with a nine-game winning streak, also could be dangerous. Kansas State (22-10), which scored late-season wins over Kansas and Texas, bears watching in the Southeast Regional, along with Wisconsin (23-8), Gonzaga (24-9), and Florida (26-7).

“There are so many tough opponents and so many big games, and sometimes games get talked about a week or two down the road,” Dixon said. “We’ve been in this position before. We’ve really got to be consistent, and to be at the top of the (Big East), which we’ve been, you have to focus on that next game. So, that’s exactly where we are and what we do.”