Norman First and Second Round Capsules

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Sooners road to the Final Four begins in Norman, but Oklahoma has some stiff competition coming into the Lloyd Noble Center when NCAA tournament games begin Sunday, March 18. Here's a closer look at the participating teams:

(6) Oklahoma vs. (11) Michigan | NCAA Championship First Round | Sunday, March 18
Tickets | Selection Recap | NCAA Championship Central

St. John's

Nickname: Red Storm
Location: Queens, N.Y.
Enrollment: 21,354
Bid: At-Large
Seed: No. 3
Head Coach: Kim Barnes Arico
Record at SJU: 174-133 (10)
NCAA Record: 4-6
Last Appearance: 2011

Notable: The Red Storm (22-9, 13-3 Big East) appear in their third straight NCAA tournament and fourth in 10 years under Barnes Arico. It's No. 3 seed is the highest in program history. St. John's fired the shot heard around the women's basketball world in 2012 when it ended Connecticut's 99-game home winning streak with a 57-56 victory in Storrs, Conn., on Feb. 18. The team's leading scorer and rebounder, junior Shenneika Smith, was named to the All-Big East First Team.

Key Victory: 57-56 at No. 1-seed Connecticut (Feb. 18)

Leaders
Points: Shenneika Smith, 6-1, Jr., 12.6
Rebounds: Shenneika Smith, 6-1, Jr., 6.6
Assists: Eugene McPherson,5-8, Jr., 4.7

Oklahoma

Nickname: Sooners
Location: Norman, Okla.
Enrollment: 30,754
Bid: At-Large
Seed: No. 6
Head Coach: Sherri Coale
Record at OU: 356-167 (16)
NCAA Record: 27-14
Last Appearance: 2011

Notable: Oklahoma (20-12, 11-7 Big 12) finished second in the nation's toughest conference despite losing two of its three team captains, Jasmine Hartman and Lyndsey Cloman, in the preseason. OU survived a seven-game shooting slump from its leading scorer Aaryn Ellenberg, losing to only Baylor and Connecticut during the span, and went 5-1 with junior forward Joanna McFarland out of the lineup with a broken jaw. OU's 13 straight NCAA appearances is the nation's seventh longest active streak.

Key Victory: 64-55 vs. No. 3-seed Texas A&M (Feb. 21)

Leaders
Points: Aaryn Ellenberg, 5-9, Sophomore, 15.4
Rebounds: Whitney Hand, 6-0, Junior (RS), 7.0
Assists: Whitney Hand, 6-0, Junior (RS), 4.0

Michigan

Nickname: Wolverines
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Enrollment: 42,761
Bid: At-Large
Seed: No. 11
Head Coach: Kevin Borseth
Record at UM: 87-72 (5)
NCAA Record: 2-4
Last Appearance: 2001

Notable: Head coach Kevin Borseth, who took Green Bay to the NCAA tournament in seven of nine seasons, led Michigan (20-11, 8-8 Big Ten) to its first NCAA tournament in more than a decade. Borseth calls his scheme an "equal opportunity offense" and six different players have led a game in scoring this year. The Wolverines finished seventh in the Big Ten conference and were the last from the league to make the 64-team field.

Key Victory: 63-52 at No. 6-seed Nebraska (Feb. 9)

Leaders
Points: Rachel Sheffer, 6-1, Jr., 13.1
Rebounds: Jenny Ryan, 5-9, Jr., 6.4
Assists: Jenny Ryan, 5-9, Jr., 4.0

Creighton

Nickname: Bluejays
Location: Omaha, Neb.
Enrollment: 7,662
Bid: Missouri Valley
Seed: No. 14
Head Coach: Jim Flanery
Record at CU: 190-128 (10)
NCAA Record: 2-3
Last Appearance: 2002

Notable: Creighton (20-12, 11-7 Missouri Valley) was the No. 4 seed in the Missouri Valley Championship and averaged a double-digit margin of victory in three games to win an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the school's first in 10 seasons. Leading scorer Carli Tritz was the MVC tournament MVP and an All-MVC First Team selection, also Creighton's first since 2002. Creighton won the only previous meeting between it and St. John's in New York, 72-66, on Nov. 28, 1997.

Key Victory: 53-38 vs. Drake (March 11) in Missouri Valley Championship Game

Leaders
Points: Carli Tritz, 5-10, So., 14.5
Rebounds: Sarah Nelson, 6-0, So., 7.7
Assists: Carli Tritz, 5-10, So., 3.7