It's March Madness and the road to the championship cuts through White Building.

White Building?

This isn't basketball, it's college boxing and the Northeast Regional Boxing Championships. The preliminary matches begin at 7:30 tonight and the finals are tomorrow at the same time.

At every weight class, from 125 to 190, Penn State enters a fighter with the ability to take the regional crown and move on to college boxing's championships in Santa Clara, Calif.

"Realistically we've got a chance at every weight that we're entered," captain Kelly Cordes said. "I don't think there's any weight where our guys are just out of their league and several weight classes we've got to be considered the favorites."

There are few surprises this time of year and many schools, fearing serious injury to their boxers, will leave a premier boxer unchallenged. The matchups remain a mystery only to be solved when the schools, including Lock Haven, Army and Central Connecticut, arrive today.

The two best probable matchups will be at 165 where Craig Bernier will fight national champion Manny Rose of Lock Haven; and, at 139 where Sterlen Barr will box Army's Dan Bernal.

Rose, the most feared college boxer, has beaten Bernier twice but if Bernier can overcome a bout with nervousness, he has the ability to take the title, Cordes said.

Barr enters his match as a slight underdog to Bernal, a national runnerup last year. Barr's work in Philadelphia gyms comes through in his polished fighting style.

Barr said Bernal is the best fighter he will face in college.

"To be honest with you, I plan to take him out," Barr said. "In a three-round fight, his condition may be a little bit better."

At nationals last year, Bernal was robbed of the decision, Barr said. The judges know this, he said, and this could affect a close fight.

The two fighters sparred earlier this season so they know each other's fighting style. Berlan is very aggressive and is susceptible to straight punches and uppercuts, Barr said.

"I'm going to have to move a lot, a lot of head movement, a lot of dancing around, keep him off balance because he comes straight forward," Barr said.

While these bouts should be exciting, the National Collegiate Boxing Association took away one of Penn State's boxers, 172-pounder Derek Sierra, from a probable rematch with Central Connecticut's Mike Campusano. Sierra won two earlier matches, one an extremely close decision.

Sierra was declared ineligible for boxing in two non-sanctioned bouts last summer.

"Air Force and Navy feel threatened and therefore they're trying to squeeze out every little rule they can and nit-pick at anything possible so they can hang on to their reign as long as possible," Cordes said.

"I had a good chance of taking the whole thing," Sierra said. "I think that's another reason they tried to complain now about regionals, because they might be worried that I would beat their fighters."

Boxing at 125 for Penn State will be Jack Ross. Ross has already beat his main competition, Lock Haven's Doug Pavone. Tom McGrogan's, a 147-pounder, has also already defeated his best competition, Lock Haven's Chris Cassel.

Cordes will box at 132. He may not have to fight to win regionals if no school has someone close enough in experience and skill.

Randy Pogue will enter the 156-pound class as an underdog. The clear favorite is Central Connecticut's Tom Barile.

Sierra's disqualification crystallized the top three weight classes for Penn State. Otherwise a box-off would have had to eliminate an extra fighter. John Dixon will fight at 172. Dixon and Central Connecticut's Mike Campusano, who Sierra beat twice before, are the favorites in the class.

Penn State's Jim Veverka and Lock Haven's DeWayne Bryant are the frontrunners at 180. At 190, Penn State will have its only returning All-American, Matt Osborne. He must shake off the cobwebs of inactivity to repeat.

Attaining a national team title will be difficult coming from the strong Northeast region. Traditional powers Navy and Air Force come from weak regions and can bring nearly their entire team.

"It's an individual sport," Cordes said. "We're all going to be hoping for a team title but primarily we will be looking to win individual titles ourselves."