The road to New Orleans begins at Maples

Here is how the teams that will play rounds 1 and 2 at Maples match up statistically:

	Stanford	Tulsa	Michigan	Villanova
Points per game	70.7	63.6	60.8	59.5
Scoring margin	+18.8	+1.9	+5.8	+7.3
Field goal %	0.453	0.386	0.436	0.397
3-pointers per game	5.0	4.8	6.2	8.3
3-point %	0.311	0.309	0.347	0.331
Free throw %	0.719	0.656	0.728	0.691
Rebounds per game	42.6	39.1	34.9	34.1
Rebounding margin	+7.4	-1.0	+3.2	-3.7
Assists per game	14.1	12.2	13.9	16.0
Turnovers per game	12.0	16.2	13.9	10.6
Assist/turnover ratio	1.18	0.76	1.00	1.50
Steals per game	6.1	9.5	6.2	7.2
Blocks per game	5.3	2.3	3.2	4.0
Win-loss record	31-2, 17-1	17-6, 8-8	21-10, 9-7	21-10, 9-7
RPI	3	94	35	28
Schedule strength	5	51	30	24

Michigan and Villanova will meet for the first time in the other game at Maples. Doug Feinberg, AP sports writer, predicts a win for Villanova, "Kim Barnes Arico knows all about Harry Perretta's system, having spent years coaching at St. John's. Her new team just doesn't have enough offensive weapons to beat the Wildcats."

  Tulsa Golden Hurricane

The Golden Hurricane finished with an 8-8 conference record, tied for fifth in Conference USA (C-USA) behind SMU, Tulane, East Carolina and UAB. They won four games in four days at the conference tournament and earned their automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

This will be the first meeting ever between the Cardinal and the Golden Hurricane.

It will be the Golden Hurricane's second appearance at the NCAA Tournament. They made their first appearance in 2006 as a #12 seed, also as C-USA's automatic qualifier. They upset North Carolina State in the first round and lost to DePaul in the second round.

The Golden Hurricane is coached by Matilda Mossman, in her second season at Tulsa.

The Golden Hurricane is led by senior guard Taleya Mayberry with 18.7 points per game and a team-high 116 assists and 76 steals. Freshman guard Kelsee Grovey nets 10.5 points per game; senior forward Tiffani Couisnard averages 8.5 points per game, a team-best 9.1 rebounds per game and has a team-leading 37 blocks; and junior forward Loren McDaniel adds 6.8 rebounds per game.

Here are Tulsa's 2012-2013 statistics, roster and game notes.

  Michigan Wolverines

The Cardinal and the Wolverines have played each other a couple of times, but not since 2000.

The Wolverines finished fifth in the Big Ten this season behind Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan State and Purdue. They lost to Michigan State in the quarter-finals of the Big Ten Tournament.

Their best wins this season came back-to-back in early February against No. 13 Purdue and Michigan State.

This will be the Wolverines' second consecutive and sixth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They advanced to the second round in 1990 and 2001. Last season, they lost to Oklahoma in the opening round.

The Wolverines are coached by Kim Barnes Arico, in her first season at Michigan. She came to Michigan from St.John's, who she guided to the NCAA tournament in the previous three years.

The Wolverines are led by the second-most prolific three-pointer shooter in the nation — senior guard Kate Thompson who makes 3.45 per game at a rate of 39%. She averages 14.5 ppg and has scored in double digits 23 times.

Thompson is joined by two other double-digit scorers — senior center/forward Rachel Sheffer (12.7 ppg) and senior guard Jenny Ryan (10.1 ppg).

Here are Michigan's 2012-2013 statistics, roster and game notes.

  Villanova Wildcats

The Cardinal and the Wildcats have never played each other.

The Wildcats finished in a three-way tie for sixth in the Big East this season behind Notre Dame, UConn, Syracuse, Louisville and St. John's. They lost to Syracuse in the quarter-finals of the Big East Tournament.

Their best wins this season were over Princeton, DePaul, Syracuse (No. 22).

This is the Wildcats' tenth at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Their most recent appearance was five years ago.

The Wildcats are coached by Harry Perretta, who is in his 35th year at Villanova.

The Wildcats are noted for their slow offensive tempo. Coach Perretta believes the game clock can be your friend.

Although they rank seventh in the nation in three-pointers per game (8.3), they average only 58.7 points per game. Their emphasis is on defense. They've held opponents to 36% field goal accuracy and only 51.8 points on average.

The Wildcats are also a very disciplined team. They commit the fewest turnovers in the nation (10.6 per game) and have the second-best assist/turnover ratio (1.5).

The Wildcats are led by fifth-year senior forward Laura Sweeney who leads the team in five statistical categories — scoring (13.9 ppg.), rebounding (6.9 rpg.), field goal percentage (.520), steals (71) and blocks (59). She missed the Big East tournament loss to Syracuse with a concussion but is expected back for the NCAAs.

Senior guard Rachel Roberts ranks second on the team in scoring (11.0 ppg) and three-pointers (2.1 per game).

Here are Villanova's 2012-2013 statistics and roster .