For eight teams, the trip to the Final Four in Boston will begin at University Park, with stops at Bridgeport, Conn., and Albuquerque, N.M., on the way.

Starting Sunday, Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center will entertain the women's NCAA Tournament, hosting opening-round games.

Action will tip off at noon, when No. 7 St. John's faces No. 10 California, and will continue all day, ending with No. 2 Connecticut against No. 15 Coppin State.

Second-round action will continue Tuesday, March 21, with the winner of No. 2 Maryland/No. 15 Sacred Heart taking on the winner of St. John's/California and the winner of No. 7 Virginia Tech/No. 10 Missouri facing the winner of Connecticut/Coppin State. Games are scheduled for 7 and 9:30 p.m., respectively, but it's unsure who will play when.

The University Park stop features many intriguing story lines:

Game 1, No. 7 St. John's (21-7) vs. No. 10 California (18-11), noon Sunday, Albuquerque Regional.

Back in October, nobody would have guessed this matchup.

St. John's had a breakout year, shocking the Big East. Picked to finish eighth in the conference, St. John's finished fourth with an 11-5 record. It's St. John's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1988, when it advanced to the second round. The strong season earned Kim Barnes Arico the Big East Coach of the Year award.

With four freshmen playing substantial minutes, California surprised the Pac-10 with its strong play, but finished sixth in the conference and lost in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament, leaving many, including the Golden Bears themselves, surprised at the selection.

"It was really surprising for the simple fact that nobody thought we were going to get in," freshman guard Alexis Gray-Lawson (14.5 points, 36.2 minutes per game) said Monday.

Game 2, No. 2 Maryland (28-4) vs. No. 15 Sacred Heart (26-4), 2 p.m. Sunday, Albuquerque Regional.

Sacred Heart has won 10 straight, but drawing a game against Maryland doesn't give the Northeast Conference Champion Pioneers favorable odds. Led by guard Amanda Pape (18.0 points, 7.4 rebounds per game), Sacred Heart posted its best record ever, winning its first NEC regular season title and tournament championship en route to its first NCAA Tournament appearance -- the Pioneers have only been in Division I seven years.

Maryland is No. 3 in both major polls, behind No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Ohio State, and arguably deserved a No. 1 seed in the dance. Duke and Louisiana State, two No. 1-seeds, finished behind Maryland in the polls.

Maryland will make its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Brenda Frese. Last year, Ohio State bounced the Terrapins in the second round. Sophomore Crystal Langhorne, a finalist for the Kodak/WBCA All-American Team, leads Maryland with 16.3 points and 8.6 boards per game. Her 65.9 percent shooting percentage is best in the nation.

Game 3, No. 7 Virginia Tech (20-9) vs. No. 10 Missouri (21-9), 7 p.m. Sunday, Bridgeport Regional.

Upsets aren't common in the women's bracket, but Missouri has done well as an underdog. In 2001, Mizzou entered the dance as a 10-seed and waltzed into the Sweet 16 with wins against No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 2 Georgia.

The Tigers will make their ninth NCAA Tournament and first since 2004, when they lost to Stanford in the first round. Kodak/WBCA All-American Team candidate LaToya Bond leads Mizzou, scoring 17.3 points per game.

Virginia Tech, despite posting a losing record in the Atlantic Coast Conference, finished 12-0 before losing nine games to conference foes. Led by seniors Dawn Chriss and Kerri Gardin (12.8 and 12.4 points per game), Virginia Tech is also making its ninth NCAA Tournament cameo.

Game 4, No. 2 Connecticut (29-4) vs. No. 15 Coppin State (22-8), 9 p.m. Sunday, Bridgeport Regional.

After starting the season 1-8, Coppin State has won a school-record 21 straight to clinch its second straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title. It's the second-longest active winning streak, behind only Chattanooga's streak of 26.

To keep the streak, Coppin State must beat one of the nation's top schools, coached by Geno Auriemma, who just happens to have five national titles.

MEAC Player of the Year Sherrie Tucker (12.8 points per game) will lead the Eagles against the Big East Tournament champions.

Connecticut has won three of the last four national titles and is again one of the favorites. If Connecticut advances to Bridgeport, it will practically get home-court advantage. The Bridgeport Regional, played at The Arena at Harbor Yard, is only 82 miles from Storrs, Conn. The Huskies are 17-2 at home this season.

Senior Ann Strother leads the Huskies with 13.8 points per game while sophomore Mel Thomas and senior Barbara Turner chip in 11.6 and 11.3, respectively.