The road to March Madness didn't happen overnight.

In fact, if CSUB didn't make the transition from division II to division I the NCAA tournament wouldn't be on the table.

"It’s a long process that started about 2005 – 2006,” said Corey Costelloe, CSUB Assistant Athletic Director for Communications.

For nearly forty years CSUB competed as a division II program, cranking out thirty national championships over that time across all sports.

"We hit the pinnacle of division II and our President Dr. Horace Mitchell and our AD at that time, Rudy Carvajal said you know what we're ready for division I," said Ziggy Siegfried, CSUB Director of Athletics.

And so the transition began but some questioned the move from division II to division I because once you move up your up against the best in the nation.

The CSUB president was convinced their athletic team had what it takes to be successful and by 2010 CSUB was officially ranked as division I.

Not only is the basketball team in the spotlight now but the baseball team has been enjoying success as well with the runners making it to the College World Series in 2015.

CSUB is now in the big leagues and there are a lot of benefits of being at the highest division of athletics.

CSUB will be in the national spotlight Friday when they take on the second-seeded Oklahoma Sooners.