Matchups to Watch at the 2024 ACC Championships

I’m getting more and more excited about today’s trip down to Chapel Hill for the ACC Championships. I’m clearly biased but I love the format of the ACC tournament and the chaos that can be caused by one upset. There are some huge potential matchups this year, and with the lower number of allocations, there is even more on the line than usual. Let’s take a look at some of the bigger matches we could see on later today.  

Best opening round matches for the ACC tournament

141

4 Lachlan McNeil v 5 Jack Gioffre

We didn’t see this match in the dual so it will be the first time for this matchup. McNeil had a rough stretch in the ACC, but is still one of the best in the country. I would expect to see him trying to make a statement this weekend in a very tough weight. Gioffre is a wildcard. He has some great wins and some odd losses, but is a dangerous opponent that will throw the kitchen sink at you to get a win. 

149

4 Finn Solomon v 5 Michael Gioffre

We saw this one in the dual with a 13-5 major decision for Solomon, but I am interested to see if a healthy Gioffre is able to close that gap.

174

4 Alex Faison v 5 Luca Augustine

This one could be the difference between earning an automatic qualifier spot. Faison holds a 3-0 lifetime series lead over Augustine, with each match being decided by 2 points. Their matches are always tight and this one shouldn’t be any different. 

197

4 Mac Stout v 5 Krystian Kinsey

Stout took a 12-3 major over Kinsey in the dual a few weeks ago and he has looked solid all season. This is another match that will have major qualifier implications and I’m curious to see if Kinsey has a better performance this time out. 

Best Potential Semifinals

125

2 Cooper Flynn v 3 Spencer Moore

This match will decide an automatic bid--the winner will be going to Kansas City and the loser will have to wrestle back to place 3rd and hope for a wild card. Flynn took a 4-2 decision over Moore in the dual but both have had great seasons. This one will be scrappy. 

133

2 Marlon Yarbrough v 3 Sam Latona

Yarbrough got the higher seed thanks to his big win over Latona in the dual. Yarbrough has put together a solid season and looked great in ACC duals. Latona has some huge wins this year, and some not so great losses. But we have seen time and time again that Latona knows how to win in the postseason. I’m interested to see if the veteran experience of Latona can make a difference. 

141

1 Cole Matthews v 4 Lachlan McNeil

Matthews earned a 6-2 decision over the higher ranked McNeil during his unblemished run through ACC competition. Matthews had an up and down year but the back half of the season saw him return to All-American form with three top-5 wins. McNeil’s season was opposite--he looked fantastic through the majority of the season and had an 0-4 run through ACC duals. McNeil looked strong last week wrestling for Team Canada in Acapulco, I’m hopeful that he has reset and is back to his best form for the postseason. Both of these semifinals have major NCAA implications with only 3 automatic bids. 

2 Ryan Jack v 3 Tom Crook

Not only will there be NCAA implications here, this match will be big in the team race between NC State and Virginia Tech. Jack took their match in the dual in a controlling decision. I have been incredibly impressed with the growth from Jack this season, he is poised and confident in matches that he seemed to get overwhelmed with previously. Crook has looked great since coming out of redshirt mid-year and has some solid wins on the year. He has the ability to beat Jack and a win here for the Hokies could go a long way in the team battle. 

157

2 Ed Scott v 3 Bryce Andonian

This match is always circled as a must-watch. For this one in particular I have it circled and highlighted and written in bright ink. Andonian is returning from a long absence after injuring his knee in the dual against Cornell. All signs point to him being ready to go and throw caution to the wind in his final ACC tournament. Scott has had ups and downs this season but has looked incredible of late. Andonian holds a 4-2 series advantage but Scott has won the last two meetups. Buckle up, expect chaos and prepare to be entertained. 

165

2 Holden Heller v 3 Connor Brady

Heller, Brady and 1-seed Derek Fields were all 4-1 in the ACC. Heller beat Brady who beat Fields who beat Heller, a big triangle of craziness. Brady and Fields earned the two allocations for this weight, with Heller being .5% shy in his winning percentage. The winner of this match has a trip to Kansas City, the loser will be looking to battle back to earn a wild card. Both of them have had up and down seasons and I would consider this a true toss up with how they have both been wrestling. 

174

2 Justin McCoy v 3 Tyler Eischens

McCoy took the match in the dual with Eischens trying to mount a late comeback. McCoy has looked good moving up a weight and his only loss in conference is to Mekhi Lewis. Eischens had a slower start upon coming to Chapel Hill but has seemed to find his rhythm and has been wrestling very well. There are four slots up for grabs at this weight, so the winner goes to KC with the loser needing to win another match to guarantee their trip. 

184

1 TJ Stewart v 4 Gavin Kane

These two met during the opening week of ACC competition; Stewart stormed out to an early lead, but Kane fought his way back to get the 11-8 win in sudden victory. Since then. Stewart has been unbeaten including wins over top-10 ranked opponents Reece Heller and Dylan Fishback, who are on the other side of the bracket. Kane is 17-7 on the year with some good wins and a couple questionable losses that can be attributed to wrestling through an injury. This has the makings of a fantastic matchup. 

2 Reece Heller v 3 Dylan Fishback

These two also met opening week with the veteran Heller taking the close 4-3 decision over the redshirt freshman Fishback. Both have put together stellar seasons and spent a lot of time ranked in the top-10. This is another tight matchup that will come down to who is able to break through some strong defense. This weight also has four qualifiers so the semifinal winners are in and the losers will have to win a match on the back side to earn their trip. 

197

2 Andy Smith v 3 Max Shaw

I think this will be an interesting rematch. Smith took the upset win in the dual over Shaw 4-2. Both have had strong seasons, Shaw is 17-4 while Smith is 14-7 but the majority of both of their losses are to top-10 ranked opponents. I would expect a lower scoring defensive match here, but both of them have the ability to open up and score a lot of points. 

285

1 Owen Trephan v 4 Dayton Pitzer

This one is a wildcard. Pitzer has shown glimpses of his talent over the last two years with some huge wins, but after an injury against Cohlton Schultz in the dual, he has been out for several weeks. Trephan has been incredibly consistent for the Wolfpack and seems to be able to find ways to win close matches. The winner here is guaranteed a spot in Kansas City, the loser will have to hope for a wildcard--which may be difficult for Pitzer since he had a shortened season. 

2 Hunter Catka v 3 Ryan Catka

The brothers will battle for a spot in the NCAA tournament. I’m sure they’ve play wrestled this scenario growing up, but we should see this center stage on Sunday. Their match in the dual was very exciting, with Ryan getting in on several shots but Hunter utilizing his strong defense to fend him off. This will be a big match-up--literally and figuratively--with big implications.