Head coach Brad Stevens and his Butler University basketball team are among the latest mid-major squads making a lot of noise in the NCAA tournament.

INDIANAPOLIS — Butler coach Brad Stevens never wanted to play the copycat game.

So the young coach with the old-school approach sought players with a relentless work ethic and a preference for teamwork. He brought in defenders with a penchant for making 3-pointers and guys who would stay long enough to teach their young teammates the key lessons.

It's a rare approach in a world increasingly ruled by one-and-dones.

"I think you have to stay true to what you believe in," Stevens said. "You admire people's blueprints and you're always trying to learn how to become better at what you do. We're not exactly like those other (non-BCS) schools. We just have to find our niche and sell it."

The Bulldogs are one of a handful of "mid-major" teams that have carved out a spot on the national map with a simple strategy: You win by being yourself.

Xavier and Gonzaga were there before Butler. George Mason made a brief appearance with its 2006 Final Four run, and it's almost certain more schools will join the pack.

Suddenly, schools that once relied on the big boys' leftovers are recruiting their own big-time players and getting more television opportunities because the networks need to fill air time. All those NCAA tourney upsets have shown how much parity exists, and those who doubt whether non-BCS schools can win national titles only have to be reminded of the close calls by George Mason, Memphis and Butler.

Getting attention is one thing.

Maintaining success is a tricker proposition.

Power conference schools balk at the idea of playing nonconference road games, especially ones they could lose. If they're going to play a Butler, it's going to be on a neutral court.

Other mid-majors view games against Xavier, Gonzaga or Butler as their chance to make headlines, and league games in non-BCS conferences become more competitive when you're carrying a Top 25 ranking.

What's the secret to success?

"We have an administration that has really placed a great emphasis on the basketball program. They want us to do extremely well because when we do, it benefits everyone at the university," Xavier coach Chris Mack said. "Second, we have really good players. The one thing we've managed to keep is balance among our classes. We've never really had that class where we graduate six seniors."

The consistently strong results have been just as impressive.

Gonzaga has played in every NCAA tourney since 1999, when it reached the regional finals, and has been to the regional semis four times since then. Xavier has 19 tourney appearances in 25 years, reaching the Sweet 16 four times since 2004, including two regional final appearances. Butler has made seven NCAA appearances since 2000, advancing five times, reaching three Sweet 16s and this year's national championship game.

And each of those schools compiled its resume knowing it would have been left out of the NCAA tourney without a conference tourney title.

It's no longer a fleeting trend, either.

Butler, Cornell, Northern Iowa, Saint Mary's and Xavier were among the last 16 teams in this year's tourney.

Three national runners-up since 1998 — Utah, Memphis and Butler — and four of the last 11 national players of the year — Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin, Xavier's David West, Saint Joseph's Jameer Nelson, and Utah's Andrew Bogut — all came from non-BCS schools.

Who's next? Perhaps Northern Iowa, with five NCAA tourney appearances since 2004. The Panthers won their first two tourney games in March and produced the biggest win in school history with a second-round upset of top-seeded Kansas.