In November, it felt like no weight class was a lock. This has resulted in marquee matchups throughout the season in which predictions were sharply divided, most notably, the Midlands final between NCAA champs Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska and Andrew Howe of Wisconsin. But perhaps the rivalry that best typifies this season has been the one between Bubba Jenkins of Arizona State and Adam Hall of Boise State. On Nov. 21, Bubba Jenkins won a lopsided 12-4 victory. Less than two weeks later, Hall defeated Jenkins in overtime of the finals of the Cliff Keen Invitational. The drastic difference in results and the unpredictability of outcomes -- both in individual matchups, team dual meets and team tournaments has turned the phrase "that's why they wrestle the matches" into a cliché for the past five months. It's been a season that saw Cornell win the National Duals with a two starters missing from the lineup only to then get upset by Lehigh, one that has seen Virginia Tech defeat Oklahoma State and Wisconsin in consecutive duals only to then lose to Rutgers and one that saw Penn State take over the No. 1 ranking only to then lose big to Iowa.
Because of this parity, a great number of schools and individuals have had high points throughout the season. Few would argue that what happens for three days this week is what matters most. There is no reason to believe that the momentum of unpredictability won't continue. That said, predictions must be made ...
125: No. 1 Anthony Robles (Arizona State) over No. 2 Matt McDonough (Iowa)
McDonough's greatest skill has been his remarkable ability to finish leg attacks from an extended position. One of the bigger questions of the tournament is if he will be able to do that against a unique opponent like Robles. McDonough is 2-1 against Brandon Precin of Northwestern and Precin was 1-1 against Robles in the NCAA tournament two years ago, which makes the weight a three man race on paper.
133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) over No. 2 Andrew Hotchstrasser (Boise State)
In what is arguably the deepest weight class in the tournament, Oliver has proven himself to be No. 1 with two solid-but-close wins over the very aggressive and inventive Hotchstrasser. These two are the favorites to make the finals but the 3-8 placers are all up for grabs as a very talented field has been beating each other up all season long.
141: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) over No. 3 Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly)
Kellen "The Gyro" Russell has been exceptional all season long. Two things have made him stand out from the field -- his ability to make last-second adjustments even in dangerous situations, and, more importantly how dynamic those adjustments are. Terms like "Great balance" and "great hips" don't do justice to the natural and developed abilities of Russell. Novachkov has exhibited remarkable defensive skills all season long and makes himself nearly impossible to score on. A brilliantly deceptive takedown by Rusell in the finals at Vegas was the only difference between these two.
149: No. 1 Darrion Caldwell (North Carolina State) over No. 2 Frank Molinaro (Penn State)
The only uncertainty here is how fully Caldwell has recovered from a shoulder injury. He's won all 14 matches this season but hasn't seen the top competitors in the field. Anything resembling a normal performance from Caldwell should see him at the top of the podium, but shoulder injuries can be difficult to recover from.
157: No. 3 David Taylor (Penn State) over No. 4 Bubba Jenkins (Arizona State)
It is VERY unusual to have three athletes enter the NCAA tournament undefeated, but Adam Hall of Boise State, Steve Fittery of American , and freshman David Taylor of Penn State have done just that. Moreover, the field contains former NCAA finalist and freestyle Junior World champion Bubba Jenkins as the No. 4 seed. All four have very different styles and the interest factor in the semifinals should be sky-high.
165: No. 1 Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) over No. 2 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin)
It is still unclear how healed Andrew Howe is from a hamstring injury suffered in January, but winning a third Big Ten title without showing any obvious problems certainly forces one to give him the benefit of the doubt to make the finals. The Midlands final between Burroughs and Howe met all the hype. Burroughs shot out to an early lead with two takedowns in the first period, but one could see Howe making adjustments as the match went on. If Howe were able to avenge the loss, it would not be the biggest surprise of the tournament.
174: No. 1 Jon Reader (Iowa State) over No. 3 Mack Lewnes (Cornell)
Lewnes is sure to make adjustments from his loss to Penn State freshman Ed Ruth, who has been incredible all season long.
184: No. 2 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) over No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota)
Easily the most balanced weight class in the tournament. The placement on the podium will be based simply on who shows up to wrestle and how hungry they are each round.
197: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) over No. 3 Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin)
Simaz has shown the ability to both blow matches open and win tight matches. His gas tank makes him fun to watch and his dynamic style keeps fans on the edge of their seats. Simaz's only loss was to No. 4 seed Dustin Kilgore of Kent State in what was easily one of the best matches of the season. A semifinal rematch would undoubtedly yield the same type of excitement. The bottom of the bracket has two undefeated wrestlers: Brandvold and Clayton Foster of Oklahoma State. Both have been impressive.
285: No. 1 Zach Rey (Lehigh) over No. 7 Blake Raising (Iowa)
As the saying goes, "Anything can happen at heavyweight," but the podium should see No. 1 seed Rey at the top after a close conference finals loss. Raising looked solid at the Big Tens, winning against a deep field. Cameron Wade of Penn State took a disappointing fifth at the Big Tens, but could easily outperform his No. 9 seed.
Top Five Teams:
1. Cornell
2. Iowa
3. Penn State
4. Oklahoma State
5. Minnesota
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now