Northwestern reacts to first NCAA Tournament berth (video)

Northwestern predictably went crazy after being earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

While Northwestern has been locked into a NCAA Tournament at-large berth for weeks, seeing their name called for the first time on Selection Sunday was still a special moment for the team.

Related: NCAA Tournament Bracket

The Wildcats are headed to the Big Dance for the first time in program history after setting a school record with 23 wins and finishing in sixth place in the Big Ten. As the celebration is 108 years in the making, they understandably went nuts when its seed was revealed on the CBS Selection Show.

The Wildcats are an eight seed in the West region and will take on Vanderbilt in Thursday’s opening round game in Salt Lake City. Vanderbilt feels a little overseeded with 15 losses on its resume, so Northwestern will have at least a good shot of adding its first NCAA Tournament to a historic season.

Things get a little tougher after that, as the Wildcats would then move on to a potential second round matchup with top-seeded Gonzaga, which has lost just one game this year. Still, anything is possible in March Madness, and the Wildcats will have nearly all of America rooting for them.

Chris Collins has done a great job in four years as head coach at Northwestern, including a solid 20-14 season in 2015-16 that set up this year’s run. The spot in the NCAA Tournament is well deserved, as Northwestern owns one of the top defenses in the Big Ten behind a number of talented players like Bryant McIntosh, Scottie Lindsey and Vic Law.

Related Story: Printable NCAA Tournament Bracket

While the Wildcats season has been filled with memorable moments, Selection Sunday was the most heartwarming yet.