At the pro level everyone is talented. It sounds like what you are saying is that in order to be better than other talented teams, the mental aspects make the difference.
At the college level, especially on the teams with a ranking lower than 40, a number of the players may not be that talented. Maybe the players will become overconfident in their abilities, which is equally bad. Perhaps this strategy does not translate well with less talented teams at the college level. That is the experiment that we are currently witnessing. Will a team leader, either coach or player, actually make a difference?