I heard some commentary about the teams like Cornell, Northern Iowa and Butler being so successful in the tournament. The commentator said it is a side effect of the 'one and done' rule. He said that y and large, the 'one and done' rule only affects the 'BCS' schools. The others keep doing their thing with players who assume from day 1 that they will be in school for 4 years. By the time Northern Iowa meets KU in the tournament, they have a more seasoned and experienced team than a team like KU. KU may have more talent but NI has the edge in experience.
Add a young coach into the equation and you have a perfect storm.