NCAA Tournament 2017: What You Need To Know About Princeton vs. Notre Dame

PRINCETON, NJ — On Thursday, 2017 NCAA Tournament action tips off with the Princeton University men's basketball team

In their first NCAA Tournament since 2011, the Tigers are the No. 12 seed in the West Region and will face No. 5 Notre Dame in the first round at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY, on Thursday. Tip-off is at 12:15 p.m., and the game will air on CBS.

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The Tigers advanced to the tournament after defeating Yale, 71-59, on Sunday afternoon at The Palestra in Philadelphia to win the Ivy League championship in the conference's inaugural tournament.

Notre Dame advanced to the finals of the ACC tournament this year, but fell to Duke, 75-69, on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Princeton was 23-6 overall and was undefeated in conference play. Princeton started the season 4-6, but is currently riding a 19-game winning streak. Notre Dame was 25-9 overall, and 12-6 in the ACC. Notre Dame was one of nine ACC teams to make this year's tournament.

ESPN Princeton at No. 50 in its "Full Guide To Every Team In The NCAA Tournament." The network says Princeton "does everything well defensively, slows the pace and rarely turns the ball over" while emphasizing Princeton's 41.7 percent three-point shooting percentage. Notre Dame, and 6'5" all-American candidate center Bonzie Colson, is No. 22.

Notre Dame's weakness lies in rebounding, where they ranked 12th in the 14-team ACC, according to campusinsiders.com.

The winner plays the winner of the game between No. 4 West Virginia (26-8) and No. 13 Bucknell (26-8) in the second round on Saturday. West Virginia and Bucknell tip off 30 minutes after Princeton's game against Notre Dame concludes.

Gonzaga is the No. 1 seed in the West. The Bulldogs (32-1) were undefeated until the final game of the regular season, when they lost to Brigham Young. Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference tournament to clinch an automatic bid.

Villanova (31-3) earned the No. 1 overall seed, and will play in the East Region. They will also play in Buffalo on Thursday, against either Mt. St. Mary's or New Orleans, 7:10 p.m. The nightcap in Buffalo pits Wisconsin, the No. 8 seed in the East, against No. 9 Virginia Tech, with the winner to play the winner of Villanova's game on Saturday.

Kansas (16-2) is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest, and North Carolina (14-4) is the No. 1 seed in the South.

To view the full bracket, visit ncaa.com.

For the full schedule, including dates and locations, visit espn.com.

Princeton became the first team to win a conference tournament to capture the Ivy League title when it beat Yale on Sunday at the Cathedral of College Basketball.

Myles Stephens led the way for the Tigers with 23 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.

Steven Cook had 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal. Devin Cannady had 13 points and four rebounds.

Sam Downey led Yale (18-11, 9-5) with 12 points, six rebounds and an assist.

For the second day in a row, the Tigers found themselves in a tight game, as they led by just two points at halftime, 31-29. However, Princeton pulled away in the second half to seize the conference crown.

On Saturday, Princeton needed overtime to defeat No. 4 Penn, 72-64. In that game, the Tigers didn't have their first lead of the game until the extra session against the Quakers (13-15, 6-8).

Stephens also had two assists, two blocks and a steal. Cannady had 12 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.

Ryan Betley led Penn with 18 points, 12 rebounds and one assist.

It was more than any team previously had to do to win an Ivy League title. Previously, the team that won the regular season crown advanced to the NCAA Tournament, but the conference made the decision last year to add a conference tournament beginning this season.

With the win, Princeton clinched its 25th NCAA Tournament appearance. Princeton is 13-28 all-time in the tournament, with one Final Four appearance, in 1965. It has never won the national championship.

Notre Dame is making its 36th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame is 37-39 all-time in the tournament, with one Final Four appearance, in 1978. It has also never won a national title, but it has advanced to the regional finals each of the last two years.

Princeton coach Mitch Henderson is 118-59 in six years at the university, according to The Buffalo News. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey is 381-186 in 17 years with the Fighting Irish.