InterMat: Inside info from the N.W.C.A

Finishing just short of All-American honors has the two-time CAA champion Dave Tomasette hungry. Pescaglia will make his second start in as many nights and will get a seasoned veteran. Tomasette starts the year ranked seventh, but Pescaglia knocked off one ranked wrestler already -- his teammate John Olanowski -- in the intrasquad. Pescaglia could keep this one close for a while, but Tomasette's mat savvy and battle-tested career give him the edge.

InterMat Pick: Tomasette by decision.

The first of two bouts between Top 10 opponents, a trendy pick might be to take the New York native over the two-time All-American. McCormick still doesn't get the respect a #2-ranked two-time All-American should get. Ruggirello's a returning conference champ and had a solid true freshman campaign and is very solid on top. McCormick's ride is like a vise and he's hard to get away from. Close matches he wins, riding time is almost assured. Ruggirello's got a good shot at the podium this year, a win over McCormick could show everyone that last year was just a bad draw.

InterMat Pick: McCormick by decision.

Charles Griffin returns for a shot at his senior season and a return to the podium come nationals. He's a heavy favorite over Hoehn, who's been in the Missouri room and has been a spot-starter the past few seasons. He's capable, but Griffin's just too much this early in the season.

InterMat Pick: Griffin by major decision.

Wagner's been modestly successful during his first two years at Missouri. A Round of 12 as a redshirt freshman was his best run at the NCAA's and the Tigers are looking for a good run out of him in a wide-open Big 12 at 149. Mitch Smith, on the other hand, was hit or miss -- mostly miss -- last season before yielding the spot prior to the CAA championships to Mike Parziale. It's one weight second-year coach Tom Shifflet needs Smith to step up or P.J. Gillespie, a true freshman from New York, could be manning should Smith not perform. This one could be an upset waiting to happen, but we could be waiting a while. Both can be up and both can be down. This one, on paper, should be all Wagner, but he's got some bad losses last year, so he's prone to the upset too.

InterMat Pick: Wagner by decision.

Depending on who wrestles against Rider on Friday night, it could be one of two options for Brian Smith, who starts his tenth year at the helm. Emmanuel Brooks won the intrasquad, but Chandler's ranked 13th in the nation. Bonilla-Bowman was a conference champion at 157 pounds last year for Virginia Tech after moving up late in the season from 149. A wide-open wrestler, Bonilla-Bowman is dangerous and can put you on your back in a hurry. Chandler's favored if he goes, but it could be a toss-up if Brooks goes in, just based on styles. Conventional thinking says Brooks goes against Rider and Chandler will get Bonilla-Bowman.

InterMat Pick: Chandler by decision

Nick Marable did admirably last season filling in at 157 and 165 pounds for the Tigers, while Ryan Patrovich picked up shop from Ohio State and headed back to Hofstra, where his older brother Mike just finished up a solid career with the Pride. This one is InterMat's swing match of the dual, with really nothing to draw from. Marable has seen bigger matches in his first two seasons in Missouri, while Patrovich has been essentially off the radar. First home dual on Long Island could see some jitters and Marable's the starter full-time. No filling in. Let's get creative and stay out of the box.

InterMat Pick: Patrovich by Decision.

Pay your dues, people. James Williamson's done just that. Rare these days are guys that sit the bench for one year, let alone three, but James Williamson is that type of guy. One of two seniors in the starting lineup (McCormick is the other), Williamson won the spot at 174 and is ready for his first shot. He's been in the line-up in rare occasions, and is pretty solid. Alton Lucas was granted a wild card last year to the NCAA championships, but was scratched the week leading up to nationals. Which Lucas shows up? The explosive talent that can pile up the points or the one that has trouble riding and appears out of shape? Lucas is excellent, but doesn't always wrestle that way. After not getting a chance at the show last year, he could be ready to shut the doubters up. He's the favorite, but Williamson isn't going to lie down.

InterMat Pick: Lucas by decision.

One of the nicest guys you'll meet in college wrestling off the mat, be happy Jordan chose wrestling instead of disc golf for his athletic prowess. Jordan had a 21-match win-streak last season but fell short of placing for the second straight year. Jeff Siciliano lost his junior year to a broken leg and has some big wins -- in high school. The true freshman gets a taste of the big time right away. Jordan's got some nasty stuff and we'll see how Siciliano handles it.

InterMat Pick: Jordan by technical fall

I assure you, we're done with the disc golf references for the rest of the preview. Last year's #1 seed had a disastrous NCAA championship, and that's well-documented, so why waste space on something you already know. Joe Rovelli's moving up a weight and is a three-time CAA champion. Askren's a Big 12 champ and had a whale of a season before, well, you know. Rovelli should be comfortable up a weight and has good stuff on top and has a solid repitiore of leg attacks. Askren's going to be ready to make his title run this year. It'll be his second ranked opponent in as many nights.

InterMat Pick: Askren by decision.

At the risk of sounding ignorant, there isn't much we know about James Guerin. We do know that Mark Ellis is a VERY large force at heavyweight and progressed nicely last season. He starts the year ranked 14th, but a little factoid thrown at us by Missouri SID Emily Murray was notable. Ellis is the first heavyweight in the last four years to start for two consecutive years. Sounds like Hofstra, who's had John Andriac, Matt Pollock and now Guerin the last three seasons at what has traditionally been the Pride's achilles heel.

InterMat Pick: Ellis by fall