The Ivy League champion Big Red men's basketball team is headed to Anaheim, Calif., to face No. 3 seed the Stanford Cardinal Thursday to open NCAA tournament play in the South region. The announcement, which came around 6:30 p.m. Sunday during the annual NCAA tournament selection show on CBS, was greeted with cheers and revelry at a packed Moakley House, where the team, athletics staff, friends and members of the media had gathered.

Cornell received the No. 14 seed in the South region, and members of the Big Red (22-5) were looking forward to facing the team from Stanford (26-7), a university sometimes called "Cornell of the West."

"[Stanford] is such a good basketball team, that's what I look at," said Big Red men's basketball head coach Steve Donahue shortly after the announcement. "They have great size and the Lopez brothers. They have a point guard, [Mitch] Johnson, who played with [Big Red guard] Conor Mullen in high school. So I know them, they're a great basketball team, but you knew you were going to get that. Traveling across the country on Thursday is going to be a challenge; that's what's racing through my mind, the size of this team. ... But we'll get it done."

"I'm sure there are a lot of alums out in the L.A. area that can make the game," he added.

Stanford Cardinal Mitch Johnson was "my point guard in high school," Mullen said. "He is one of my best friends -- I talk to him all the time."

Was it inevitable that the two friends would face each other on the court?

"It was more like something I had hoped for, while playing here, that we would play each other," Mullen said, "because I watch all his games, and he follows me, too. I was pretty excited; they're a really good team. It'll be fun to finally play against him."

This will be the Big Red's third NCAA tournament appearance and its first in 20 years.

"It will be a battle, but it will be great," Mullen said.

Thursday's winner will remain in Anaheim for second-round games on Saturday to face the winner of No. 6 Marquette (24-9) and No. 11 Kentucky (18-12), who also play Thursday.

Also in the South Regional is No. 1 seed Memphis State (33-1), No. 9 Oregon (18-13) and No. 10 St. Mary's.