The mood at a watch party for the Northeastern men's basketball team on Sunday was ecstatic as players, coaches and students gathered and watched to see who the Huskies would play in the first-round of the men's NCAA tournament.

Northeastern, which is the 13th seed in the Midwest region, will travel to Salt Lake City, where they will meet the fourth seeded Kansas Jayhawks.

This will be the ninth time in program history that Northeastern will be in the Big Dance. The Huskies last made the tournament in 2015.

This time around, the Huskies will be the underdogs. Northeastern Head Coach Bill Coen recognizes the successes of Kansas' storied basketball program. The Jayhawks are currently ranked 17th in the nation.

"You know, we're gonna have our hands full on that day, but you know, I think going in that, if you're worrying about Goliath, you're gonna be in trouble," Coen said. "You gotta go in and be true to your identity."

Coen said the Huskies have to go into the game with a competitive mindset.

"There's a saying: 'Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.' And why not choose to think you can?" Coen said.

At the watch party, the crowd grew anxious and a little restless as they waited to see which opponent Northeastern would draw. After going through two other regions, the scene turned into a party when the Huskies' name was finally called on the tournament selection show.

It's been a successful season by pretty much any standard for the Huskies. They enter the tournament with a 23-10 overall and a gutsy win over Hofstra University in the CAA tournament championship game that bought them a ticket into March Madness.

Senior forward Jeremy Miller called the feeling of making the tournament in his last year "bittersweet."

"I'm really glad that I actually made it my last year, but also, it being my last year, obviously I don't want it to end," Miller said. "I'm just looking to go as far as we can and see where God takes us from there."

Miller, who has played high-profiles schools like the University of Connecticut and Michigan State with the Huskies, said playing a top-tier team isn't anything new for Northeastern.

"So I'm just excited that we're gonna go against a big school like that," he said.

Miller, who grew up in Milton, is especially excited that Northeastern is the only Boston school in March Madness.

"The fact that we're able to go to this dance, Big Dance, and be the only team in Boston to do it ... it means the world," he said.