Courtesy: Beverly Schaefer No. 24 Princeton will take on Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament First Round Saturday.

Back to the Big Dance: The No. 24 Princeton women's basketball team (24-4 overall) returns to the NCAA Tournament after winning its third consecutive outright Ivy League Championship. The Tigers, who are the first Ivy League women's team to be nationally ranked, are coming off their second perfect 14-0 Ivy season in three years and are riding a 17-game winning streak. Princeton, a No. 9 seed, will open tournament action with No. 8 seed Kansas State (19-13 overall, 9-9 Big 12) on Saturday, Mar. 17 at 11:20 a.m. The Tigers will face the Wildcats at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com.

Scouting Kansas State: No. 8 seed Kansas State earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, marking the squad's 13 appearance. The Wildcats went 19-13 overall, 9-9 Big 12 on the year and enter postseason play following their 86-65 conference semifinal loss to No. 1 Baylor. Entering the tournament, K-State is 1-4 in its last five games.

Jalana Childs leads the Kansas State offense, averaging 14.5 points per game. She's shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 76.8 percent from the free throw line, both team bests. Brittany Chambers is the team's second-leading scorer (14.3) and top rebounder with 6.3 rebounds per game. Rounding out the Wildcats' top scorers is Tasha Dickey's 10.1 points per game, while guard Mariah White dished a team-high 157 assists.

All-Time Series History vs. Kansas State: Kansas State leads the all-time series versus Princeton 1-0. In the lone matchup between the Tigers and Wildcats, K-State defeated Princeton 63-51 on Nov. 25, 2000 at the Oregon State Invitational in Corvallis, Ore.

The game was played prior to current head coach Courtney Banghart's tenure at Princeton.

A Quick Look Forward: If the Tigers advance past the first round, Princeton will face the winner of the No. 1 seed Connecticut - No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M matchup. PVAM is the two-time SWAC Tournament Champion and heads to the tournament for the second consecutive season. This is the Panthers' fourth appearance in program history.

Opposite Prairie Valley is No. 4 UConn, which is making its 24th consecutive tournament appearance. The Huskies (29-4 overall, 13-3 BIG EAST) have won five of the last 10 NCAA Tournaments.

This will be the first meeting in Princeton program history versus Prairie View or Connecticut.

The Bracket: Princeton is in the Kingston, R.I. region for the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The Tigers will play the first and second rounds at the Webster Bank Arena in the Bridgeport, Conn. regional site

How to Get Tickets: Tickets are available through www.Ticketmaster.com. Day session tickets are $41.

Last Time Out: Princeton wrapped up its second perfect 14-0 conference slate in three seasons with a 79-42 win over Penn on Mar. 6 at home. The Tigers shot 51.8 percent (29-for-56) from the field, while holding the Quakers to 26 percent (13-for-50). After going into halftime with a 33-15 lead, Princeton opened second half action on a 23-6 run. The Tigers forced the Quakers to commit 21 turnovers, which they converted into 24 points. Princeton held a 37-21 point differential in bench points, as well as a 30-12 advantage in the paint.

In the game, four Tigers scored in double figures, while Lauren Polansky grabbed a game-high seven steals.

The Tiger Leaders: The Tigers enter postseason play behind a trio of 1,000-point scorers, with unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year and All-Ivy First Team selection Niveen Rasheed leading the way. Rasheed, a junior returned to the lineup after an ACL tear last season to be the Ivy League's leader in rebounding (8.8) and second-best in scoring (16.8). Rasheed led Princeton in scoring, rebounding, assists (7.8) and was knotted for the squad's best in steals with 68. All-Ivy seniors Devona Allgood and Lauren Edwards also reached the 1,000-point mark this season and round out Princeton's offensive leaders. Allgood's .486 field goal percentage led the League for the third consecutive season. She averaged a team second-best 5.9 rebounds and was the squad's third leading scorer with 10 points per game. Edwards finished the year averaging 11.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. She led the team with 51 three-pointers (.370).

Defending the Crown: Princeton made program history by winning its third consecutive outright Ivy League Championship and 10th overall. The Tigers clinched the title in their 74-44 victory over Harvard at home on Feb. 24. Princeton's 10 Ivy Championships date back to the program's first in the 1970's. The squad won the title outright five times (1972, 1975, 76, 77, 78 and 85) after becoming a varsity sport in 1972. The Tigers won a share of the title in 1999 and 2006, but lost the playoff game both season's to Dartmouth.

Tigers Earn First-Ever National Ranking: After receiving votes towards a national ranking for the past eight consecutive weeks, the Princeton women's basketball team finally moved into the national Top 25 on Mar. 12. In the Week 18 AP Top 25 Poll, the Tigers are ranked No. 24 in the nation. Princeton earns a national ranking for the first time in program history and is the only Ivy League women's team to every be ranked.

Punching a Ticket Not Good Enough: After making program history in 2010 by earning its first berth into the NCAA Tournament, Princeton is looking to change its fate this year. After falling in the first round in both 2010 and 2011, the Tigers are looking for their first-ever tournament victory this year.

No. 9 Seed: Princeton made Ivy League history by earning a No. 9 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament. The previous highest seeding was the Tigers' No. 11 seed in 2010. The Tigers were a 12 seed in the 2012 tournament.

In the Ivy history, Harvard earned a 13 in 2002 and Dartmouth did in 2000. They have earned five 16s, three 15s and six 14s. The only Ivy League team to win an NCAA Tournament game was Harvard in 1998, when as a No. 16 seed upset No. 1 Stanford. Coincidently, current Tiger assistant coach Milena Flores was a member of that losing Stanford team.

17 in a Row: The Tigers head to the tournament boasting a 17-game winning streak. Princeton has not lost since its 85-66 loss at then-No. 4 Stanford on Dec. 17. Since then, the Tigers pushed past all opponents, defeating 16 by double figures.

The Only One: Princeton is the only NCAA Division I men's or women's team to defeat all regular season conference opponents by 10 points or more.

Taking the Top Honor: For the second consecutive season a Princeton women's basketball player has been the unanimous selection for Ivy League Player of the Year, as the 2012 recipient is junior Niveen Rasheed. Rasheed was also a unanimous All-Ivy First Team selection, while classmate Lauren Polansky was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. Senior Lauren Edwards was a unanimous First-Team All-Ivy honoree, earning first team accolades for the third consecutive season, and senior Devona Allgood also earned her third consecutive all-conference selection, being named to the second team this year.

Taking Home Weekly Honors: This season three different Tigers have earned Ivy League Player of the Week honors. Niveen Rasheed led the squad with four selections  (Nov. 21, Dec. 19, Jan. 2 and Jan. 16).  Lauren Edwards was named on Feb. 27 and Devona Allgood earned the weekly honor on Mar. 5.

Comeback Kid: After being sidelined last year due to an ACL injury midway through the 2010-11 season, junior Niveen Rasheed came back in dominating fashion. She led the Tigers in points (16.8), rebounds (8.8), assists (78) and tied for first in steals with 68.

She is the first Tiger to be named both Ivy League Player of the Year (2012) and Rookie of the Year (2009). Rasheed was also named to the U.S.  Basketball Writers Association Player of the Year Midseason Watch List this season. She is one of 20 players nationally to be up for the USBWA's top honor.

Banghart Named to Coach of the Year Watch List: Fifth season head coach Courtney Banghart was named to the 10-person USWBA Coach of the Year Watch List. She is in the company of the likes of Stanford's Tara VanDerveer, Baylor's Kim Mulkey and Muffet McGraw of Notre Dame.

Edwards Named Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Finalist: Senior Lauren Edwards has been named a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Out of 30 candidates from NCAA Division I institutions from across the nation, Edwards is one of 10 student-athletes selected as a finalist for the prestigious award.

March Math: Princeton is 53-42 all-time in the month of March, holding a perfect 3-0 record in March this year. Over the last three seasons, Princeton is 9-2 in March, seeing its two losses in the NCAA Tournament.

80 or More: Princeton scored 80 or more points six times this season, scoring a season-high 94 points versus Columbia on Jan. 15 and versus Dartmouth on Feb. 25.

Program Best Marks: Princeton established program  season-best marks in:

         •       72.3 points per game

         •       1234 rebounds

The Scoreboard: Princeton held a +19.5 scoring margin over opponents (72.3 points per game). 22 of its 24 victories this season have been by double figures, including the final 15.

Princeton shot over 50 percent from the field in five games, over 50 percent from beyond the arc in two games and over 80 percent from the free throw line in six games.

Versus the Ivy League: In addition to defeating all conference opponents by 10 points or more, the Tigers held a 31-point margin over Ivy teams (77.3 points per game).

Crashing the Boards: The Tigers are 24-1 when outrebounding opponents. On the year, Princeton is averaging 44.1 rebounds per game, holding a +11.9 margin over opponents. The Tigers tallied a season-high 61 rebounds versus Yale on Feb. 4.

Dishin' it Up: The Tigers dished 10 or more assists in 24 games. In five games, Princeton tallied 20 or more assists, including a season-high 22 at Penn on Jan. 7. On the year, the Tigers made 390 assists.

Don't Think So: Princeton made 310 steals on the year, tallying 11 or more in 17 games. The Tigers grabbed a season-high 18 steals at Dartmouth on Feb. 10.

We'll Take That: Behind 109 blocks, the Tigers had a block in 27 games this season. Princeton averaged 3.9 per game and made a season-high 12 versus Brown on Feb. 3.

Double Figure Scoring: The Tigers tallied eight games with four players scoring in double figures, seven games with three players scoring in double figures, and two games with five players in double figures.

Wins Versus Top-100 RPI: The Tigers have defeated six top-100 RPI opponents this year:

Opponent                RPI       Final Score

Villanova                 39        56-41

Marist                       48        68-51

Saint Joseph's      55        79-62

Hofstra                     57        74-69

Drexel                      79        63-51

Davidson                  85        53-44

Making Their Mark: This season the Tiger 1,000-point club added three new members in Devona Allgood, Lauren Edwards and Niveen Rasheed. Senior Edwards was the first to reach the feat in Princeton's 87-47 win over Lafayette on Nov. 14. Fellow senior Allgood became the 20th Tiger to reach the milestone in Princeton's 63-51 win over Drexel on Dec. 31. Rounding out the trio was junior Rasheed who scored her 1,000th point at Harvard on Feb. 11.

Below 50: The Tigers held 13 opponents to under 50 points. On Jan. 13, Princeton defeated Cornell 64-35 and two days later beat Columbia 94-35, for season-best marks.

The Blemishes: Despite not suffering a loss for nearly three months, the Tigers fell in four games this season. Three of Princeton's losses came to top-25 teams in then-No. 24 Delaware, No. 21/23 DePaul and No. 4 Stanford. Its only loss to an unranked opponent was a 65-52 stunner at Navy on Dec. 9.