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    Jim Gibbons •

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    Laces Up: Jim Gibbons previews 125 pounds



    Big Ten Network and ESPN wrestling analyst Jim Gibbons knows wrestling. One of the best broadcasters in the business, Gibbons knows what it takes to win an NCAA championship both as an athlete and a coach. Who does Gibbons see as the favorite coming into this year's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis? Who does he think will have a breakout performance and exceed expectations as Mr. Upside? Gibbons will be previewing each of the 10 weight classes leading up to the NCAAs. Follow Jim on Twitter at @JGibLacesUp and let him know what you think if his previews and picks.

    Wow, look at the top quarter bracket in this weight class. Four out of the eight wrestlers are All-Americans, and one of these is two-time NCAA champ Jesse Delgado (Illinois). In addition to Delgado, the quarter bracket has No. 1 Alan Waters (Missouri), No. 8 Tyler Cox (Wyoming) and No. 9 Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa) -- all four are All-Americans. In comparison the next quarter bracket has zero All-Americans and the next two quarter brackets each have one. That's what happens when Delgado, who has been recovering from an injury most of the season, was not seeded and put into the draw.

    Alan Waters (Photo/Lutte Lens)
    Undefeated No. 1 Alan Waters (Missouri) has looked solid all year. He's big and strong at 125 pounds, but has made weight all year. Waters has wins over several of the contenders, including 2014 NCAA runner-up No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell), Delgado, Peters, and No. 6 Thomas Gilman (Iowa). Waters is incredibly tough in the top position and is very effective in the tie-ups on the feet, while Garrett likes to work in space and hit straight-on attacks. There is no question Waters getting out of this quarter bracket is key for Missouri's team title chances. If Waters does win a title, what was unthinkable fifteen years ago could be that much closer to a reality -- Mizzou Tigers national champions. Waters is the pick. He has been sharp all year. He has been the No. 1 seed before, so going in I give him a slight nod over Nahshon Garrett.

    There are some other contenders: returning All-American sophomore and Midlands champ Joey Dance (Virginia Tech), Big Ten champ and freshman Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State), No. 5 Sean Boyle (Chattanooga) and No. 6 Gilman. Dance and Boyle have a win this season over Gilman. However, Gillman has spilt with Tomasello this season and has beaten Garrett. Tomasello picked up a last-second winning takedown on Delgado in the Big Ten semifinals and followed it up by avenging an earlier loss to Gilman in the finals. Tomasello has one of the better Buckeye draws.

    Jordan Conaway (Photo/PSUSports.com)
    There are a lot of Mr. Upside candidates. Thomas Gilman has upside from the No. 6 seed. How about Tyler Cox (Wyoming)? He has a reputation for furious third-period comebacks. There is the Big Ten Mr. Upside Jordan Conaway (Penn State), who is seeded No. 11. He did pretty well at the Big Tens as the No. 5 seed, finishing third. With three-time All-American Nico Megaludis coming back next season, this may be Conaway's best opportunity to be an All-American. I'm not going to get off Conaway, but there is also another guy I'm adding.

    Jesse Delgado
    A two-time NCAA champion coming in with no seed ... please, I'm all over it. If Jesse Delgado was going to pack it in he had plenty of opportunities to do it last week at the Big Tens. In the consolations he was down to Tim Lambert (Nebraska), who is tough to score on. Delgado needed to win to qualify for the NCAAs. He was down late in the match, but came back and won. Whatever the champion has in his tank you will see it on display. It's tough not being at full strength, but Delgado has upside.

    Pick: Alan Waters (Missouri)

    Mr. Upside: Jordan Conaway (Penn State) and Jesse Delgado (Illinois)

    Previews:
    125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285
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