ANAHEIM, Calif. -- For the men's basketball program at Cornell, today was 20 years in the making.

For the first time since 1988, the Big Red will play in the NCAA basketball tournament, facing the Cardinal of Stanford at about 5 p.m. EDT on CBS. (Officially the game will start 25 minutes after the Marquette-Kentucky game ends, which could be as early as 4:45 p.m. EDT. It will be televised on Channel 5 in Syracuse and Channel 12 in Binghamton.)

Credit: Patrick Shanahan/Sports Information

Credit: Patrick Shanahan/Sports Information

The team spent Wednesday relaxing, practicing and then four players -- Louis Dale, Ryan Wittman, Jason Hartford and Adam Gore -- answered questions during a press conference, where the media characterized the Cornell-Stanford game as the "battle of the nerds" and "the brainy bunch."

Gore, answering a question about the brainy brawn of both schools, said: "We're not really focused on how hard Stanford's classes are or how well they're doing. I think it's more we're focusing on the athletic side of it."

Even Stanford players like Drew Schiller received questions about the Cornell-Stanford academics. "Guys [on the Stanford team] were saying, 'Of course Stanford draws the only team that's better in the SATs.' I think people on campus are making a big deal of it," he said.

The Big Red players are looking forward to today's matchup: "It's just a wonderful opportunity for us," said Dale. "We have nothing to lose. We're just going to come out and play as hard as we can. That's why it is 'March Madness.' Anything can happen so we'll see what happens. I don't think we're really focusing on being the underdog. We're just going to stay within ourselves and do what we can do."

While Cornell has the only 7-foot-tall player in the Ivy League, Jeff Foote, the Stanford team has a pair of twin 7-footers, Robin and Brook Lopez.

"The last time I went up against a 7-footer was my brother when I was only 6-foot-4, so it is a new challenge -- not just one, but two," said Foote, during yet another media interview. "It's really exciting, and it's a good chance to see where I am -- playing the best competition. We know they're going to block some shots, but we can't play timid around them and just kind of give in to them. We've got to be physical and attack."

On this trip, people living in Anaheim know the NCAA tournament is in town. And everywhere this well-mannered basketball team went, the friendly locals inevitably smile and say kind words. Waiters, bellmen, airline pilots and others all wished them the best.

The team's assigned bus driver, "Robbie" Robinson, who will "take you guys anywhere you want to go," sang "Happy Birthday" in a California style to player Andre Wilkins Wednesday night, as the bus rolled through Disneyland. The rendition led to rousing cheers for Wilkins and for Robinson from everyone aboard.

In the end, this NCAA experience is about learning to cope under a social microscope, smiling under pressure and acknowledging cheers.

Wittman, the team's leading scorer this season, was asked if he had consulted his father -- Randy Wittman, head coach of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves -- for advice prior to the tournament. "I've talked to him a bit, but this is kind of something you have to experience for yourself. There's only so much you can say about being in the tournament. He told me to go out, have fun and enjoy the moment."

No doubt, judging from their poise, the Big Red men's basketball team has savored this experience. It's game time.