The Terriers received the No. 16 seed in the Southwest Regional and face top-seeded Kansas on Friday at 6:50 p.m. at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.

“I haven’t had this feeling in a long time, since I was at Villanova and we were the last team in,’’ said BU coach Pat Chambers. “You’re sitting there and you’ve got butterflies and . . . when you see we’ve got Kansas, you’re like, wow, we get to go to Oklahoma and play Kansas, what a great thrill for these guys, for this program, [and] for this university.’’

The Terriers (21-13), the only Boston-area school in the field of 68, are riding an 11-game winning streak, culminating with their sixth America East title. The 56-54 win over Stony Brook gave the Terriers their first trip to the Big Dance since 2002.

“We’re passionate about the direction of this program,’’ Chambers said. “This is going to be a thrill for us. I’m enjoying the spotlight.’’

BU has never faced Kansas, ranked No. 2 in both major polls.

“I just want [us] to compete,’’ said Chambers. “I think we have a young group that hasn’t reached their potential yet . . . I don’t think we’ve really played up to our capabilities. I’m just hoping to come to practice tomorrow and get better and who knows? We are just going to compete, play hard, and on Friday we’ll see what happens.’’

The Terriers hope America East Player of the Year John Holland continues playing like he did in the second half against Stony Brook. After a quiet start, Holland (who averages 19.2 points per game) erupted for 23 second-half points to help BU overcome a 15-point deficit and earn the automatic bid.

Holland isn’t feeling intimidated. “We played Kentucky. We played Villanova, so I don’t think it has anything to do with [us] being intimidated, it’s just a matter of executing and hopefully you end up with the opportunity to do something special,’’ he said.

If BU stands any chance, Holland will need some help from junior guard Matt Griffin, who has seen Kansas suffer an NCAA Tournament first-round upset in person. Griffin watched his brother, John, help No. 14 seed Bucknell stun the third-seeded Jayhawks in 2005.

“It’s something I’ve been watching since I was little,’’ Griffin said. “I would run home from school just to see the first round. My brother played in it for two years, and I was fortunate enough to watch him.

“Finally to get a chance to sit down and actually watch your own school get its name called, it’s an unbelievable feeling.’’

No 16 seed has ever won a game in the tournament. Holland isn’t ruling it out: “It’s got to happen eventually, so you never know.’’