Notre Dame drew a first-round men's NCAA basketball tournament opponent that not only has momentum, but charmed history on its side.

George Mason, everyone's favorite underdog two years ago when it advanced to the Final Four, struggled all season but got hot at the end to win the Colonial Athletic Conference tournament.

In other words, they're the usual dangerous No. 12 seed, ready to pounce on a big-conference favorite. No. 5 seed Notre Dame (24-7) will play George Mason (23-10) in the first round on Thursday in Denver, Colo.

“(Their history) gives them confidence, no question about it,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said Sunday night. “It's a confident group from two years ago when they were the magical story.”

George Mason finished 12-6 in the CAA, three games behind Virginia Commonwealth, and entered the conference tourney as the No .3 seed. But William & Mary upset the regular-season champion in the tournament, and George Mason seized the opportunity.

Now that they're in the NCAA Tournament, they'll have the benefit of not only their strong finish, but their experience. Two players return from the magical run of two seasons ago: guard Folarin Campbell and center Will Thomas. In the conference title game, Campbell scored 20 points and Thomas had a double-double: 18 points, 13 rebounds.

George Mason's quotable coach Jim Larranaga described Thomas as the Patriots' Bill Russell, showing both his old-school mind-set and his appreciation of Thomas' skills. Campbell and Thomas are interchangeable as offensive leaders, however. Campbell averages 15.9 points per game, Thomas 15.8. George Mason also picks up considerable offensive help from guard John Vaughan, who averages 12.6 points per game.

George Mason played erratically during the regular seasons, losing games it shouldn't have lost, including one to CAA last-place team Georgia State.

Brey expects to see the version of George Mason that upset Kansas State, however.

“They're a good defensive team that knows how to play, and they rebound well,” Brey said. “They're a group that has played together and won together for a while.”

Brey said his team seemed revitalized by the tournament draw. He expected the Irish to be a No. 4 or No. 5 seed. And while he reiterated the team's disappointment in losing its opening game to Marquette in the Big East Tournament, he expected them to bounce back.

“Nobody quit after that game,” Brey said. “We ran into a heck of a basketball team in Marquette. But we're very resilient and we bounce back from things.”

Notre Dame is 3-1 in first-round NCAA Tournament games under Brey, with the one loss being an upset loss to Winthrop last season.

“The three we've won, we've gotten out of the gate attacking offensively early in the game,” Brey said. “It's probably not a coincidence when this team gets out of the gate like that, it plays well.”