Use the “Zero-Zero Reset” to Perform Under Pressure

Use the “Zero-Zero Reset” to Perform Under Pressure

From excellence, actually by Steve Magness, Brad Stulberg, & Clay Skipper

April 2, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

The episode discusses how to maintain focus and aggression under pressure, using a recent NCAA tournament game as a case study.

This past weekend, in the men's NCAA tournament, Duke led UConn by 19 points and had a 99% chance to win and advance to the Final Four. Instead, Duke improbably blew their lead, and UConn stormed furiously back to win on a last-second shot. We analyze both sides of that performance, answering two questions that apply not just to basketball but to life: How do you stay focused and maintain effort when the odds of success seem insurmountable? And how do you stay aggressive and not get defensive when you have a big lead? We detail how to actually embody a next-play mindset (easy to say, hard to do, but useful for when you're behind or up big), how to take a promote rather than a prevent mindset (or: playing to win, rather than playing not to lose), and why the "zero-zero reset" can keep you calm under pressure. Get a free LMNT drink mix pack with any purchase:  drinkLMNT.com/Clay Click here for an AI-generated transcript (please excuse errors in grammar or spelling) - Subscribe to  The Growth Equation newsletter -  Join The Growth Equation Academy - If you are enjoying "excellence, actually," do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can…

People in this episode

Hosts: Steve Magness, Brad Stulberg, Clay Skipper

Topics covered

  • performance under pressure
  • next-play mindset
  • aggression in sports
  • mental resilience
  • basketball analysis

Keywords

  • pressure performance
  • zero-zero reset
  • NCAA tournament
  • mental strategies
  • basketball mindset

Sponsors

LMNT

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Duke, UConn

Products: LMNT

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