Every spring when the Big Dance starts, people are always amazed when a lower seed -- usually a mid-major program -- defeats a higher seeded high-major program.

However, if you closely follow recruiting (as we do) these may indeed be upsets, but they should not in most cases, be shocking ones.

The good mid-major programs don't get the hype, but they do get talent -- they just have to dig a little deeper into the recruiting mine and be willing to take more of the unpolished gems than their high-major contemporaries. Bowling Green, Delaware, Eastern Kentucky, Florida International, Gonzaga, Hofstra, Long Beach State, Louisiana Tech, Manhattan, Princeton and Valparaiso were some of the schools that recruited well last year.

So, it no wonder many of the schools listed above are usually among the list of usual subjects when talking about mid-major programs who traditionally recruit well.

Of course, for various reasons, the better mid-major programs do "steal" a player who is considered a high-major prospect, and they also usually get good junior college talent and some "bounce-backs" -- players who they may have recruited but lost to high-major programs. These players find that the daily training table and the program's television schedule does not compensate for lack of playing time that the mid-major program would have afforded them.

While most mid-major programs do not usually get the bulk of their talent in the early recruiting period, there are some exceptions.

Under head coach Greg White, Marshall has put together three consecutive strong classes of recruits when you include this fall's commitments. Six-foot-seven power forward LeVar Carter (Male H.S./Louisville, Ky.), 6-9 Greg Patton (Cabell Midland/Barboursville, W.Va.), and 6-6 forward Robert Strickland (Hargrave Military Academy/Chatham, Va.) comprise a solid of group of players, all the more so when you consider that they all figure to be at Marshall for four years.

And that is one of the secrets of the rise of mid-major programs. Those that can get good players, who can develop, will eventually have a good chance of making the NCAA Tournament and making an impact once they arrive because they have good players who are more mature. At the very least, they will make a more talented team of underclassmen do some serious sweating.

Of course, Gonzaga, the current king and idol of the mid-majors with its three straight Sweet 16 runs, has really elevated the bar for the rest of their colleagues.

Cal State Northridge recently received a commitment from the prototypical big man/sleeper/steal that the mids have to get once in a while to make a move. We are speaking of 6-10, 240-pound Thomas Shewmake (Cathedral City H.S./Cathedral City, Calif.), who shoots the ball very well facing up and has great hands. However, while he did play well this past summer, he is a "soft-body," meaning he doesn't have instant "uniform appeal" to the high majors.

Had Shewmake waited around until spring, the Matadors would have had to say "bravo" to a bigger program, as several are waiting to see if Shewmake becomes a full qualifier. But the Matadors were able to convince Shewmake to commit early, therefore getting a high-major caliber post player who will definitely play four years of college ball, giving him the time to develop into a force.

Everybody loved seeing Hampton in the NCAA Tournament last season. Well, get used to seeing more of the Pirates in the tournament. This fall Hampton has four commitments from 6-11 Bruce Brown (Henrico H.S./Richmond, Va.), 6-7 Troy Washington (Denmark-Olar/Denmark, S.C.), and juco power forwards 6-9 Bakary Konate (Cincinnati CC, Ohio) and 6-7 Rodney Hughes (Owens CC, Ohio). That is frontline strength and depth that you seldom see at the MEAC level.

Loyola Marymount is beginning to climb its way back up in the West Coast Conference. Head coach Steve Aggers knows the West from his years as an assistant at rival Pepperdine. LMU has finished their recruiting early this year, a rarity in the history of the program.

The Waves convinced 6-3 combo guard Wes Wardrop (Worcester Academy/Worcester, Ma.) to come back home to his California roots despite Wardrop getting overtures from Stanford, Northwestern and Rhode Island. A 6-2 off guard, Brandon Worthy (Mt. Pleasant/San Jose, Calif.), and 6-6 forward John Haywood (Bishop Amat/La Puente, Calif.) bring a lot of athleticism to a program that has been lacking such players, while 6-11 Chris Ayer (Flowing Wells H.S./Tucson, Ariz.) is a project, but a nice big one, who will have time to develop.

UC Santa Barbara, meanwhile, is making its way back up toward the top in an improving Big West. Recruits like 6-4 Josh Davis (Elk Grove H.S./Elk Grove, Calif.), who was highly coveted by some high majors, can help close the distance quickly. While in Chicago, 5-10 point guard Terrance Whiter (Laurinburg Institute/Laurinburg, N.C.) is a blur who will impact for Loyola-Chicago.

Remember, there will be more talented, but under-hyped players, committing in the spring to other good mid-major programs. With 326 Division I programs, there are a lot of quality recruits not listed in anybody's Top 100 who can play -- which several of them wind up doing at a mid-major program -- where they wind up showcasing their high major ability.

David Benezra and Mark Mayemura cover the national college basketball recruiting scene, both high school and junior college recruiting, at their Recruiting USA (www.recruitingusa.com) website. Call (818)783-2244 for subscription information or e-mail them at hoopsusa@mindspring.com.