Laces Up: Jim Gibbons previews 184 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.

This weight class interests me from the perspective that none of the top eight seeds represent schools in what many consider traditional powers. I get it ... You might be thinking the top seed Gabe Dean (Cornell) is from a powerhouse school and you would be right. Rob Koll has done a masterful job with his program. However, there are several people in the sport that feel we are witnessing a shift. One weight class in one year doesn't make a trend, but after more than 40 years of watching and being in awe of the event, this hasn't happened very many times.

Gabe Dean (Photo/Lindsey Mechalik)

Gabe Dean (Cornell) is my pick to win the weight class. He has two losses on the season, and both happened at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December. He lost in the semifinals to Oregon State's Taylor Meeks and again for third to North Dakota State's Hayden Zillmer. Dean looked a little tired in those matches but since then has returned to form. He pinned No. 2 Max Thomusseit (Pitt) in the Southern Scuffle finals. Dean broke open a scoreless match with a reversal to a fall early in the second period. Dean has great power, and last season after beating Penn State's Ed Ruth, he proved it wasn't a fluke with a good battle in the NCAA semifinals. Forgive me, I just considered something that didn't happen this year. It won't happen again until the next time.

If the matches in the weight class grind down with no first-period scoring, I believe it improves the chances of Blake Stauffer (Arizona State). He is one of those suffocating riders who can close out periods in the top position. I've also been impressed with Jack Dechow (Old Dominion). He is deceptive on his feet and gets in on some clean shots. I don't believe there are many guys at 184 pounds that if you take them down twice they can come back. If Dechow gets his offense going early he's dangerous. It's one of the hardest things to coach that the best defense is to score and keep scoring.

Sammy Brooks (Photo/Hunter Martin, Getty Images)

No. 6 Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State), No. 7 Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) and No. 8 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) seem to be seeded right. There are two other returning All-Americans, No. 10 Lorenzo Thomas (Penn) unseeded Ophir Bernstein (Brown), and they are candidates for Mr. Upside. However, Mr. Upside is Sammy Brooks (Iowa), who is seeded ninth. I watched Dechow and Brooks wrestle in the semifinals of the Midlands. The match made an impression on me. Dechow came out the winner, but Brooks came from behind by totally changing the pace. That's the way he will need to wrestle to win consolation matches. Given he will likely catch Abounader on Thursday night in the second round, and possibly Dean on Friday morning in the quarterfinals, his path to a successful season will be on the backside. Iowa will need an All-American performance from Brooks for their team race chances.

Pick: Gabe Dean (Cornell)

Mr. Upside: FASTE WITHOUT FRAUDE (Iowa)

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

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Laces Up: Jim Gibbons previews 184 pounds

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