Any person that follows the NCAA tournament knows that upsets do happen. But why? How is it possible for a team filled with All-Americans and potential NBA prospects to loose to a small school whose best player would not start on most top 25 teams? ";
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spt_cbk_upsetrecipe[i-1].body = "Underrated coaches
Just because a coach's team isn't a Top 25 team, it doesn't mean they aren't a good coach. In fact, several of the big name coaches start their respective careers at a small school and make their name by defeating a powerhouse in the tournament.
Few believed in George Mason in 2006. No one except for head coach Jim Larranaga that is. Behind Larranaga's brilliant gameplanning and savvy motivational abilities, the Patriots upset the likes of North Carolina and UConn en route to an improbable Final Four appearance."; spt_cbk_upsetrecipe[i++] = new Array("","Momentum","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Upsets/Richmond.vlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Doug Mills", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "358", "275", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_cbk_upsetrecipe[i-1].body = "Momentum
Some of the mid-major teams end their conference tournament a few days before the top conferences and that gives them a chance to rest up before the Madness begins.
However, sometimes a powerhouse team like Syracuse loses early in their conference tournament and ends up playing a smaller school like Richmond that has momentum from winning its conference title. In 1991, Syracuse was also batling rumors that a probation period was on the horizon, and No. 15 Richmond took advantage of it.";
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spt_cbk_upsetrecipe[i-1].body = "Less star power
It's no secret that a large majority of high school stars go to top colleges. But what is overlooked is that a team filled with stars may lead to a team filled with individuals as opposed to a team filled with a bunch of team players that just want to win and do not care about having a limelight.
Going to a lesser known school also allows kids to mature into great players without being constantly scrutinized by the media. The Big Dance in 1993 was Steve Nash's coming out party. At the time Nash was an unknown, but he led No. 15 Santa Clara to a huge upset of No. 2 Arizona. ";
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spt_cbk_upsetrecipe[i-1].body = "No pressure
When a top team comes into the tournament they have a ton of pressure on them to succeed. They're told that they have to win and that anything less then a Final Four berth is considered a failure. They fall into the trap of forcing things and feel the pressure of NOT becoming the next team in the history books for the greatest upsets ever.
In 1989, Siena endured a measles outbreak on campus and didn't have too many big crowds to play in front of as a result. After going through such odd circumstances, when they got to the Big Dance there was no pressure and they were able to play lose and knock off No. 3 Stanford."; spt_cbk_upsetrecipe[i++] = new Array("","Matchups","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Upsets/CoppinState.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Al Bello", "Getty Images", "273", "393", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_cbk_upsetrecipe[i-1].body = "Matchups
Not all top seeds have a complete team and sometimes they get caught offguard by an underdog that has all the right pieces to the upset puzzle. Some underdogs have bigger and smarter players that may not have more skill, but have enough size and or speed to beat the team they are matched up with.
In 1997 No. 15 Coppin State was able to exploit its favorable matchups as Danny Singletary went off for 22 points and Antoine Brockington filled it up with 20 points.
";
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spt_cbk_upsetrecipe[i-1].body = "Questionable seedings
Believe it or not but sometimes the committee gets it wrong when it comes to seeding and gives a weaker team from a power conference a better seed then a much more deserving smaller school.
In 2005, Syracuse barely got into the NCAA Tournament, but because the Orange came from the Big East they were still a high seed. That didn't stop Vermont from pulling off the upset."; spt_cbk_upsetrecipe[i++] = new Array("","Strange times","Bucknell stunned Kansas in 2005","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss_050318_ncaa_day2/050318_ncaa_day2_11.vlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Sue Ogrocki", "AP", "358", "203", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_cbk_upsetrecipe[i-1].body = "Strange times
When teams play in the tournament they aren't always guaranteed to play on their coast. Imagine being an East coast team who has played 99.9 percent of its games in the East and your first game is on the West coast and is the first game of the day. Would that affect how you perform?";
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spt_cbk_upsetrecipe[i-1].body = "Looking ahead
Imagine you’re a top team like Iowa State and you find out that you’re playing some small school named Hampton University in the first round of the tournament. Would you think that you had to prepare for this unknown team if you were picked by experts to be in the Final Four and also walk all over your opponents? Bad idea.";
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// END editorial data