By Alex Forkner | @AlexFork3

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Last year, UK Hoops faced the Connecticut Huskies in the Elite Eight in a northeastern arena filled with UConn faithful.

This year, UK Hoops will face the Connecticut Huskies in the Elite Eight in a northeastern arena filled with UConn faithful.

Déjà vu, right?

Just like last season, UK is the No. 2 seed and UConn the No. 1 seed. There are familiar faces on both sidelines, returning to the Final Four’s doorstep for what should be an exciting rematch.

But with all the similarities, shouldn’t the result be the same?

The Cats are hoping for a different outcome than the 15-point loss to the Huskies, which ended last season, and leading the case for a trip to New Orleans are two players who weren’t suited up for last year’s matchup.

Jennifer O’Neill and DeNesha Stallworth both redshirted last year, O’Neill because of a foot injury and Stallworth due to transfer restrictions when she came to UK from California.

O’Neill is a spark plug of a point guard, pushing the pace as fast as UK head coach Matthew Mitchell wants it to go, a factor missing from last season’s offense.

When she’s feeling it, O’Neill’s a deadeye shooter capable of racking up points, and not just spotting up, either. She’s just as prolific when she puts the ball on the floor and pulls up over a defender.

On the season, O’Neill is making 39.3 percent of her field goals, and 35.9 percent of her 3-point field goals.

O’Neill also leads UK in assists this season with 99.

Against Delaware on Saturday, O’Neill sank four 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 19 points, leading her team to victory over the formidable Elena Delle Donne and the rest of the Blue Hens.

Stallworth is a 6-foot-3 power forward/center who gives the Cats consistent post scoring, a valuable asset in tournament play. When UK needs a bucket, it can run a set to get the ball to Stallworth down low.

The junior is shooting 48.9 percent from the field on the season and has dealt 67 assists. The interior passing between her and Samarie Walker conjures comparisons to former UK stars Chuck Hayes and Erik Daniels.

Good things happen when the ball is in her hands.

There’s also a defensive dimension to her contribution to the Cats. Stallworth has tallied 52 blocks this season, second on the team to Walker’s 54.

Whereas Walker was the only real defensive post presence last year, now Stallworth serves as an accomplished accomplice.

Stallworth was relegated to the bench with foul trouble for most of the Delaware game, scoring just four points in 13 minutes, but she logged a double-double in the first round against Navy (18 points, 11 rebounds) and chipped in 14 points against Dayton in the second round.

The Cats will likely need big games from both of these players and large contributions from several more — expect A’dia Mathies to fight hard for a trip to the Final Four in her last season.

With O’Neill and Stallworth on the floor, UK is a different team than it was a year ago.

Their presence in the rematch just might break up the parallels between last year’s game and this one.