Bracket Discussion

[peanut]

https://www.ncaa.com/_flysystem/public-s3/files/2026 NCAA DI Brackets.pdf
 

There’s a lot to unpack here.

184 is interesting. Welsh seems to have a fortunate draw. He’s the #1 seed. Sinclair (#2), McEnelly (#3), and Ferrari (#7) are all in the bottom half. 

Edited March 12 by peanut

[peanut]

At 125, LL is #1 and undefeated Seymour is #4. Seymour, of course, beat LL at last year’s NCAAs. 

[Kov88]

Feel like big emphasis was put on conference tournaments

[vsnej]

133 first round battle of former B10 champs - Byrd vs Shawver

[flyingcement]

I love Jeb Prechtel vs Yannis Charles in the pigtail for 157.  Neither of these guys was expected to have a chance of making nationals.  And now one of them is going to have at least one victory

[Pinnacle]

3 minutes ago, peanut said:

At 125, LL is #1 and undefeated Seymour is #4. Seymour, of course, beat LL at last year’s NCAAs. 

#8 also has a win over LL last year. Still, Lilledahl is the bad draw. 

[Pinnacle]

1 minute ago, vsnej said:

133 first round battle of former B10 champs - Byrd vs Shawver

Davino has a tough draw. Byrd, then Blaze, then Jax/Seidel. 

[lu_alum]

1 minute ago, vsnej said:

133 first round battle of former B10 champs - Byrd vs Shawver

everyone wanted separation at 133.  they got it -- all of the B1G on the same side of the bracket.

[Pinnacle]

Welsh got a dream draw. I am glad PSU sent three officials to the seeding committee. Lol. 

[peanut]

3 minutes ago, Pinnacle said:

Davino has a tough draw. Byrd, then Blaze, then Jax/Seidel. 

Tough is right. But 133 is so loaded. 

[mr.nonothingatall]

184 is laughable at best. Rocco must have a lucky horseshoe tied to a 4leaf clover shoved up his @$$. Unreal. 

[boconnell]

Some wild seeds.  In some cases the small conference guys with weak schedules got rewarded with big seeds.  In other cases they didn't.  A few seeds that seemed odd to me...

Vincent Robinson 12

Bouzakis 3 and Volk 6, but then Ayala 6 and Byrd 7.  I'm not sure what the head to head means or doesn't mean.

Davino's quarter is nuts for a number 2 guy who could have easily been 1.

Tyus as the 6 seed at 149 fresh off losing the MAC to the 17 seed.

James Conway the 4 seed at 184 somehow.  And how that ridiculously loads the bottom half of the bracket.

[Pinnacle]

1 minute ago, mr.nonothingatall said:

184 is laughable at best. Rocco must have a lucky horseshoe tied to a 4leaf clover shoved up his @$$. Unreal. 

Not luck so much as poor scheduling by Brands put Angelo on the same side as #2 and #3. 

[mr.nonothingatall]

 

7 minutes ago, Pinnacle said:

Not luck so much as poor scheduling by Brands put Angelo on the same side as #2 and #3. 

I certainly won't argue that. I'm just saying Rocco is lucky. He squeaked by B1Gs, hanging on by a thread (or singlet) in 2 matches. And then everything seems to work out in his favor in the bracket. 

To be clear I didn't argue Angelo's seed one bit. 

I'm simply saying rocco has a rabbits foot in his pocket the last week

Edited March 12 by mr.nonothingatall

[flyingcement]

Any risk of anyone not being healthy and being replaced?  Zerban and Trever Anderson seem most likely candidates

[BaldAt23]

19 minutes ago, Kov88 said:

Feel like big emphasis was put on conference tournaments

Matt Valenti, who was one of the members who helped make the bracket, said there was less emphasis on conference championship than there was last year

[mr.nonothingatall]

5 minutes ago, boconnell said:

Some wild seeds.  In some cases the small conference guys with weak schedules got rewarded with big seeds.  In other cases they didn't.  A few seeds that seemed odd to me...

Vincent Robinson 12

Bouzakis 3 and Volk 6, but then Ayala 6 and Byrd 7.  I'm not sure what the head to head means or doesn't mean.

These made no sense to be either. Vincent's seed is a real head scratcher to me. 

[mr.nonothingatall]

Honestly 165 is the most agreeable one for me, but I think it was a hard one to mess up. 

[BigRedFan]

11 minutes ago, BaldAt23 said:

Matt Valenti, who was one of the members who helped make the bracket, said there was less emphasis on conference championship than there was last year

Shapiro appreciates that

[Kov88]

12 minutes ago, BaldAt23 said:

Matt Valenti, who was one of the members who helped make the bracket, said there was less emphasis on conference championship than there was last year

Didn’t seem like it by just glancing at the brackets, just my opinion

[mr.nonothingatall]

The fact that when you fill out the 125 bracket, one of the first matches you have to choose from is Zeke witt and jett strickenberger is enough to make my brain melt already. 

[VakAttack]

The thing that immediately jumped out at me was the top half of 125.  Lilledahl has loseable matches starting in round 2 if it's Strickenberger 

 

Edited March 12 by VakAttack

[VakAttack]

25 minutes ago, Pinnacle said:

Not luck so much as poor scheduling by Brands put Angelo on the same side as #2 and #3. 

Iowa had arguably the toughest schedule in the country.  Angelo just got hurt (by Welsh no less).

[headshuck]

Possible Bouzakis vs Volk rematch in quarters.

[Fletcher]

24 minutes ago, mr.nonothingatall said:

 

I certainly won't argue that. I'm just saying Rocco is lucky. He squeaked by B1Gs, hanging on by a thread (or singlet) in 2 matches. And then everything seems to work out in his favor in the bracket. 

To be clear I didn't argue Angelo's seed one bit. 

I'm simply saying rocco has a rabbits foot in his pocket the last week

3 OT wins at Big Tens, not to mention how the finals went down. I'm not gonna look it up, but I recall his run to the finals 2 yrs. ago also involved several OT or 1 point matches.