No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Princeton preview: Game time, broadcast, betting line, prediction

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (25-9) are the No. 5 seed in the West Region, and will take on the No. 12 seed Princeton (23-6). The game will be played at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Thursday, March 16.

Preview: Notre Dame landed the No. 5 seed with big wins over Louisville, Miami, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Florida State twice. The Fighting Irish only suffered one loss from a team with an RPI under 100: at Georgia Tech. Notre Dame is led by junior forward Bonzie Colson, who averages 17.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

Princeton reached the tournament by defeating Yale in the first ever Ivy League Tournament. The Tigers are led by sophomore guard Devin Cannady, who averages 13.7 points per game. You can check out the entire NCAA Tournament bracket here. You can also see how the committee ranked the teams 1-68 here.

Date: Thursday, March 16

Time: 12:15 p.m. ET

TV Channel: CBS

Location: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

Announcers: Verne Lundquist, Jim Spanarkel, Allie LaForce

Opening Betting Line: Notre Dame -6.5, via OddsShark

This will be the third match-up between Notre Dame and Princeton. The teams have split the two previous games, with Princeton winning the most recent game in 1976 76-62.

Notre Dame is in its third straight NCAA Tournament. Last year, as a No. 6 seed, the Fighting Irish made it to the Elite Eight, where they lost to No. 1 seed North Carolina 88-74. This is Notre Dame's 36th NCAA Tournament appearance. The program has advanced to 17 Sweet 16s, seven Elite Eights, and one Final Four in 1978.

Princeton's last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2011. As a No. 13 seed, the Tigers narrowly lost to No. 3 seed Kentucky 59-57 in the Round of 64. The Tigers have reached six Sweet 16s, and made the Final Four in 1965.

RELATED: Nate Silver's top March Madness picks

Prediction: Mike Brey teams used to have a reputation for early NCAA Tournament flame-outs, but in the last few years, the Fighting Irish have made deep runs in March. Once again, he has a very well-rounded group, led by Colson, one of the most underrated players in the country. Notre Dame also runs one of the most fun offenses in the tournament.

Princeton ran the table in the Ivy League, and rightfully earned its 12-seed, but Notre Dame will be too much for the Tigers.

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