Most of the fun and excitement in the NCAA Tournament comes about because this is the chance for the little guy to jump up and knock out the bully on the block.

Most folks don’t celebrate a No. 2 seed’s 25-point beatdown of a No. 15 seed. Instead, folks remember when Richmond upsets Syracuse, Hampton shocks Iowa State and Santa Clara stuns Arizona.

With that in mind, here’s a look at some key ingredients underdogs use to pull first-round upsets (we’re talking at least a five-seed difference here, and we’re not including any “Big Six” conference teams among the “underdogs”). With an eye toward the brackets this season, we’ve included teams that have some of the necessary ingredients to pull those upsets this season.

BOMBS AWAY

THE BUZZ: The great equalizer in college basketball is the three-point shot. Not everybody has big-time talent at each position, but a lot of teams have numerous guys who can fill it up from beyond the arc. Remember that shooting 38 percent from three-point range is the equivalent to shooting 57 percent on two-pointers and shooting 41 percent from three-point range is the equivalent to 61.5 percent on two-pointers.

FITTING THE PROFILE THIS SEASON: Cornell (43.4 percent), Lehigh (40.0 percent), Montana (40.4 percent), New Mexico State (37.1 percent), Sam Houston State (37.8 percent), UC Santa Barbara (37.9 percent), Utah State (41.9 percent).

APPLY THE PRESSURE

THE BUZZ: Games can turn on defense, and an underdog who can stay close—through whatever means—eventually will get the crowd on its side. Whether it’s applying constant pressure, throwing a funky press at an unsuspecting opponent or playing a tough match-up zone, teams that can play defense often hang around longer than expected.

FITTING THE PROFILE THIS SEASON: Arkansas-Pine Bluff (40.7 field-goal percentage), East Tennessee State (8.3 steals per game, 16.7 forced turnovers per game), Murray State (10.0 steals per game, 17.3 forced turnovers per game, 38.6 field-goal percentage, 5.6 blocks per game), Oakland (5.0 blocks per game), Ohio U. (15.2 forced turnovers per game, 41.0 field-goal percentage), Old Dominion (40.1 field-goal percentage), Robert Morris (15.7 forced turnovers per game, 40.9 field-goal percentage), Sam Houston State (15.5 forced turnovers per game), Siena (8.8 steals per game, 15.2 forced turnovers per game), UC Santa Barbara (15.5 forced turnovers per game), Utah State (40.3 field-goal percentage), UTEP (8.8 steals per game, 15.9 forced turnovers per game, 39.0 field-goal percentage), Vermont (39.7 field-goal percentage), Winthrop (8.8 steals per game, 15.5 forced turnovers per game, 39.8 field-goal percentage).

STAR TIME

THE BUZZ: Think back at the lower seeds that have pulled big upsets in the NCAA Tournament; each had a go-to guy who came up large. Navy’s David Robinson in 1985. Arkansas-Little Rock’s Pete Myers in 1986. Southwest Missouri State’s Winston Garland in 1987. Chattanooga’s Johnny Taylor in 1997. Valparaiso’s Bryce Drew in 1998. Weber State’s Harold “The Show” Arceneaux in 1999. Kent State’s Antonio Gates in 2002. UW Milwaukee’s Joah Tucker in 2005. VCU’s Eric Maynor in 2007. If there’s an upset this season, chances are one guy is going to have a 20-points-plus game, and these teams have to like their chances because of their star players.

FITTING THE PROFILE THIS SEASON: Houston G Aubrey Coleman (25.6 ppg), UTEP G Randy Culpepper (18.0 ppg), Morgan State’s Reggie Holmes (21.7 ppg), Montana G Anthony Johnson (19.6 ppg), Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum (18.6 ppg), New Mexico State G Jahmar Young (20.5 ppg).

DON’T GET RATTLED

THE BUZZ: Senior leadership is important throughout the season, but never more than in March. When a coach can count on veteran players, it eases some concerns, both when a team is preparing for a game and when it is on the court.

FITTING THE PROFILE THIS SEASON: Arkansas-Pine Bluff (four senior starters and one junior starter vs. Winthrop in play-in game); Cornell (four senior starters and one sophomore starter, plus three key senior reserves, vs. Temple); Sam Houston State (three senior starters and two junior starters vs. Baylor); Siena (three senior starters and two junior starters vs. Purdue).

WE’VE DONE THIS BEFORE

THE BUZZ: A lot of these schools are on the national stage for the first time this season—and maybe forever. Thus, the intimidation factor can be huge. But some lesser-known teams are more battle-tested than others. They’ve already gone out this season and beaten “bigger” teams; those teams have to be confident they can handle most anything thrown at them.

FITTING THE PROFILE THIS SEASON: Old Dominion (won at Georgetown), Utah State (won at home against BYU).

SIZE MATTERS

THE BUZZ: It’s always easier for a double-digit seed to pull an upset when the big-time opponent doesn’t have a roster filled with a plethora of big guys. Even when the favorite has a big guy or two, there are reasons not to be that worried about those big guys. And there are times when a “smaller” school’s big guys are the best big guys on the floor.

FITTING THE PROFILE THIS SEASON: Morgan State (F Kevin Thompson vs. West Virginia), Oakland (C Keith Benson vs. Pitt), Old Dominion (C Gerald Lee vs. Notre Dame), UTEP (F Derrick Caracter vs. Butler).

HOW ABOUT SOME STRATEGY

THE BUZZ: If you watch a lot of college basketball, you know that there are a lot of excellent coaches toiling in “lesser” leagues. This is the time for a lot of those guys to shine. No, they don’t have the facilities or talent of their big-school brethren. But they do have the acumen to draw X’s and O’s with anybody, and this is their chance to show off.

FITTING THE PROFILE THIS SEASON: Steve Fisher (San Diego State), Fran McCaffery (Siena), Stew Morrill (Utah State), Blaine Taylor (Old Dominion), Bob Williams (UC Santa Barbara).

McClatchy-Tribune