InterMat Staff

American's David Terao defeated Illinois' Jesse Delgado in the second round at 125 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fal.com)ST. LOUIS -- The fireworks started early on Thursday night in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. At 125 pounds, both returning NCAA finalists, Jesse Delgado of Illinois and Nahshon Garrett of Cornell, suffered defeats in the second round. Delgado, who missed much of this season due to injury, entered the tournament unseeded. After beating Wyoming's Tyler Cox in the opening round, Delgado lost to American's David Terao, 4-2. Delgado led 1-0 after two periods. In the third period Terao grabbed the lead 2-1 after an escape and clasped hands call against Delgado. Terao then added another takedown to go up 4-1. Delgado would get an escape to inch closer, but was unable to take Terao down. Garrett, seeded No. 2, was upset by West Virginia true freshman Zeke Moisey, 5-2. Moisey jumped out to a 4-0 lead after a takedown and two nearfall points. In the final period Garrett reversed Moisey and cut the deficit to 4-2. Moisey then added an escape to make it 5-2, which is how the match would end. In addition, two No. 3 seeds and four No. 4 seeds were knocked out of the championship bracket in the second round. Ohio State leads the team race with 23 points. Iowa sits in second place with 21 points, followed by Oklahoma State, Penn State, Missouri and Nebraska. Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State and Oklahoma State all have five wrestlers in the quarterfinals. Minnesota has four wrestlers in the quarterfinals. Here's a weight class-by-weight class look at some of the notable results from Session II. 125: Aside from Jesse Delgado and Nahshon Garrett losing in this weight class, the next biggest surprise was No. 5 Sean Boyle (Chattanooga) going down to No. 12 Kory Mines (Edinboro), 12-7. No. 6 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) needed overtime to defeat No. 11 Jordan Conaway (Penn State), 3-1. No. 1 Alan Waters (Missouri), No. 3 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech), No. 4 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) and No. 7 Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State) also advanced to the quarterfinals. 133: The top three seeds, Chris Dardanes (Minnesota), Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) and Cory Clark (Iowa) picked up wins to move on to Friday's quarterfinals, but the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds lost. Two-time All-American Cody Brewer (Oklahoma), seeded No. 13, won by major decision over No. 4 Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State), 9-1. George DiCamillo (Virginia) edged No. 5 Zane Richards (Illinois) in sudden victory, 6-4. Also advancing to the quarterfinals were No. 6 Earl Hall (Iowa State), No. 7 Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) and No. 8 Kevin Devoy (Drexel). 141: The biggest second-round surprises in this weight class were No. 3 Lavion Mayes (Missouri) and No. 6 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota), both on teams expected to contend for the NCAA title, taking losses. Mayes, who had won 34 of 36 matches this season, was edged by No. 14 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State), 3-1, in sudden victory. Dardanes' loss came to No. 11 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion), 11-6. Unseeded freshman Kevin Jack (North Carolina State) continued his run through the championship bracket with a victory over No. 12 Joey Ward (North Carolina). The top two seeds, Logan Stieber (Ohio State) and Mitchell Port (Edinboro), were untested in the second round and moved on to the quarterfinals. No. 4 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) was pushed in his second-round match, but won 8-6 over Randy Cruz (Lehigh). Other second-round winners include No. 7 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) and No. 9 Anthony Abidin (Nebraska). 149: C.J. Cobb (Penn) scored a 4-3 upset over No. 4 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa). Sorensen became the third Hawkeye seeded in the top five to lose on Thursday. The top three seeds, No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri), No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) and No. 3 David Habat (Edinboro), advanced to the quarterfinals. Tsirtsis was pushed by B.J. Clagon (Rider), but claimed the 2-1 victory. The other 149-pounders to advance to the quarterfinals were No. 6 Chris Villalonga (Cornell), No. 7 Sal Mastriani (Virginia Tech), No. 8 Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion) and Tywan Claxton (Ohio). All-Americans Josh Kindig Oklahoma State) and Hunter Stieber were knocked out of the competition on Thursday night. 157: The top four seeds, No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois), No. 2 Brian Realbuto (Cornell), No. 3 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) and No. 4 James Green (Nebraska), all cruised to the quarterfinals with bonus-point victories in the second round. Martinez earned a pin, Realbuto and Gren won by technical fall, while Ness earned a major decision. No. 11 Brian Murphy (Michigan) defeated No. 6 Josh Demas (Ohio State), 4-3, in the rubber match between the two Big Ten rivals. All-Americans Ian Miller (Kent State), Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) and Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech) also advanced to the quarterfinals. 165: The shocker in this weight class was Cooper Moore (Northern Iowa) pinning No. 4 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) in the first period at 2:19. The Jordan cousins, Isaac (Wisconsin) and Bo (Ohio State), advanced to the quarterfinals with decisions. Top-seeded Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) stuck Max Rohskopf (North Carolina State) at 4:48. It was Dieringer's second pin of the day. No. 15 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina) earned a 6-3 win over Nebraska's upset-minded Austin Wilson, who beat Mike Moreno (Iowa State) earlier in the day. Also advancing were Big Ten wrestlers Taylor Walsh (Indiana), Pierce Harger (Northwestern) and Jackson Morse (Illinois). 174: The Big Ten's big four of No. 1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska), No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State), No. 3 Mike Evans (Iowa) and No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) were victorious in their second-round matches. No. 12 Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) took out No. 5 Blaise Butler (Virginia), 5-2. The others to advance were No. 7 Zach Epperly (Virginia Tech), No. 8 Matt Wilps (Pitt) and Pac-12 champion Joe Latham (Oregon State). Latham is the lone unseeded wrestler to reach the quarterfinals in this weight class. 184: The top two seeds, No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) and No. 2 Max Thomusseit (Pitt), moved on to the quarterfinals. However, the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds were sent to the consolation bracket after falling in the second round. Freshman Matt McCutcheon (Penn State), seeded No. 14, stunned No. 3 Blake Stauffer (Arizona State), 3-1, in sudden victory. Vic Avery (Edinboro) edged No. 4 Jack Dechow (Old Dominion), 3-3, in the second tiebreaker. Sammy Brooks (Iowa) topped Big Ten Domenic Aboundader (Michigan), 4-2, in a hard-fought match. Also advancing to the quarterfinals: No. 5 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State), No. 7 Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) and unseeded Kenny Courts (Ohio State). 197: This weight class saw no surprises in the second round. Seven of the top eight seeds advanced to the quarterfinals. The only lower seeded wrestler to win in the second round was returning All-American Conner Hartmann (Duke), who defeated No. 7 Abram Ayala (Princeton), 5-2. 285: Like 197 pounds, seven of the top eight seeds moved on to the quarterfinals. For the second straight match unseeded Spencer Myers (Maryland) knocked off a seeded wrestler. His second-round victory came over No. 14 Joe Stolfi (Bucknell). Earlier in the day Myers defeated No. 3 Bobby Telford (Iowa).

Here is what to watch in Session III on Friday: 125: When it comes to a must-win matchup for the title-hungry Hawkeyes, matchup between No. 3 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech) and No. 6 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) seems like a dream. Though Dance is known to be tough in all positions, he looks like a vulnerable No. 3 seed and one that Gilman will need to best if he wants to help the Hawkeyes win the team race. Also keep an eye out for No. 1 Alan Waters (Missouri) versus upset specialist David Terao (American). The Teague Moore-trained wrestler has faded late, but in putting together two wins, shows he knows how to get the job done. 133: An underdog in the matchup of high seeds No. 12 George DiCamillo (Virginia) will look to keep his upsets rolling as he faces No. 13 Cody Brewer (OU) for a chance in the semifinals. DiCamillo is brutal on top and tough to score against. A win for Brewer means that he’s back to the form that many believed deserved him the three seed. In terms of team race and in-state bragging rights it’ll be No. 2 Cory Clark (Iowa) taking on No. 6 Earl Hall (Iowa State). 141: A pair of upset-minded wrestlers No.14 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) and No. 11 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion) cruise into the second day aimed at making the NCAA semifinals. Look for Mecate to be the favorite, but he’ll need all seven minutes to deal with Heil and an Oklahoma State program wrestling with the best in the country. 149: Defending NCAA champion No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis, (Northwestern) doesn’t make it look easy. After a tight second round win via riding time advantage, the sophomore grappler will face No.7 Sal Mastriani (Virginia Tech) who can find solutions from bottom and score from top. 157: Does Imar keep rolling? No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) will face All-American Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech), who is known for his top work and bruising style. More experiences than Imar and equally as tough makes Brascetta a compelling matchup for the super freshman. The other side of the bracket is maybe more compelling with lights out No. 2 Brian Realbuto (Cornell) taking on a pin-happy No. 7 Ian Miller (Kent State). 165: Speaking of pins, No. 13 Cooper Moore (Northern Iowa) upset No.4 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) in the second round via fall and will now face No. 5 Bo Jordan (Ohio State). Jordan should walk way, but Moore’s ability to pin should make this a quarterfinal can’t miss. 174: One of the longest rivalries in the sport continues on Friday as No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) takes on No. 3 Mike Evans (Iowa). Throw out the records and be ready for fireworks from both wrestlers … and coaches. 184: If No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) wanted a smooth ride, he is disappointed. After a tight second round match Dean will face No. 9 Sam Brooks (Iowa), who is wrestling as well as anyone in the tournament. Aggressive and as agile as Dean, Brooks will take the match to the Ivy League wrestler with the full support of the Iowa faithful. 197: Look for No. 4 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) to battle hard with No. 5 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) for the right to face No.1 J’den Cox (Missouri). No points will be easy, but if either wants to take out Cox they’ll need to preserve at least a smidgen of energy. Also keep an eye out for No. 10 Conner Hartmann (Duke), who takes on No. 2 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) -- guy can scrap. 285: What seemed like a long shot title is now within reach for the Nittany Lions, but they’ll need all the support they can muster. That starts with No. 8 Jimmy Lawson (Penn State), who will take on a very dominating No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) for a chance at the semifinals.

Here's a look at some key matchups in Session II, which begins at 6 p.m. 125: In a rematch of last year's NCAA quarterfinals, Jesse Delgado (Illinois) will continue his unseeded journey against fellow unseeded wrestler David Terao (American), who upset No. 9 Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa), 12-10. The winner will go on to face No. 1 Alan Waters (Missouri) in Friday morning's quarterfinals. If that's Delgado then the seeding committee needs to be lectured by the nun from the Blues Brothers. Also look for an interesting matchup between No. 6 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) and No. 11 Jordan Conaway (Penn State). This is where the team title starts being decided, and for the individual winner they will probably face No. 3 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech) in the quarterfinals, who found a fall in his opening round match 133: Arguably the biggest match of the round, No. 13 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) takes on No. 4 Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State) for the right to move forward and challenge Chirs Dardanes (Minnesota) in the semifinals. 141: Kevin Jack (North Carolina State) upset No. 5 Josh Dziewa (Iowa), 6-3 in the first round, which means he will face common opponent Joey Ward (North Carolina). Also keep an eye out for No. 6 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) to have his hands full with No.11 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion) who can, and will scrap for all seven minutes. 149: Freshman B.J. Clagon (Rider) has battled Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) tough twice this season, losing 10-8 and 2-1 (TB). Clagon beat David Habat in the EWL conference tournament. Also watch for No. 3 David Habat (Edinboro) to take on No. 14 Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra), who is coming off a win over Hunter Stieber (Ohio State). 157: Ohio State needs all the help it can get and No. 6 Josh Demas (Ohio State) will be tapped for action when he faces off against No. 11 Brian Murphy (Michigan). The two have split two matches this season. A win would mean a matchup with No. 3 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) in the quarterfinals. 165: Though he's seeded No. 12, Dylan Palacio (Cornell) looked brilliant in his opening round match and will face the one-loss No. 5 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) in a match that could hold team title implications. Winner goes on to face No. 4 Nick Sulzer (Virginia). 174: The most interesting matchup should be with streaky No. 5 Blaise Butler (Virginia) and the ever-improving No. 12 Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State). With Mizzou’s John Eblen knocked from the championship round and Tanner Weatherman *Iowa State) also batted down, the advancement on the lower side of the bracket could be made easier for the winner here. 184: Zeke Jones' hope for an NCAA title in his first year in Tempe, No. 3 Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) will have his hands full with No. 14 Matthew McCutcheon (PSU), who looked sharp with a first-round technical fall. 197: Though not a highly ranked matchup, the meeting of No. 15 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska) and No. 2 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) should give fans some late-night fireworks. Studebaker is an aggressive Manning prodigy with the ability to score points. If McIntosh wants to make the finals he'll need a performance here. 285: No. 8 Jimmy Lawson (Penn State) put up good points in his opening round matchup and will now face an ever-game No. 9 Michael Kroells (Minnesota). Lawson owns a tight 3-1 victory in their only matchup. The winner will have top-seeded Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) and the chance to score a major upset.

ST. LOUIS -- The 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships kicked off on Thursday morning at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, with 330 wrestlers from 69 schools participating. Six returning NCAA champions are looking to repeat. Eight wrestlers entered this year's tournament undefeated. The biggest upset of the opening session came at 165 pounds, where Nebraska's Austin Wilson stunned No. 2 Michael Moreno, a two-time All-American, 7-5. It marks the second straight year a No. 2 seed has lost in the opening session. Last year No. 2 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) was upset by Matt Frisch (The Citadel) at 149 pounds. Another major surprise came at heavyweight where Maryland's Spencer Myers defeated No. 3 Bobby Telford of Iowa, 7-5. Several All-American suffered defeats in the first session, including returning NCAA runner-up Josh Kindig of Oklahoma State and two-time All-American Hunter Stieber of Ohio State at 149 pounds. Ohio State took an early lead in the team race with 13.5 points. Four-time defending NCAA champion Penn State went unbeaten in the first session and sits in second place with 11.5 points. Cornell and Missouri are tied for third with 11 points. Iowa sits in fifth with 10 points. The attendance for Session I was 18,383. Here's a look at some of the notable results from Session I: Jesse Delgado of Illinois defeated No. 8 Tyler Cox of Wyoming (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)125: In perhaps the most anticipated first-round match at 125 pounds, unseeded two-time NCAA champion Jesse Delgado (Illinois) edged No. 8 Tyler Cox (Wyoming), a 2013 All-American, 3-2. Delgado picked up a first-period takedown and added an escape in the second period to go up 3-0. In the third period Cox picked up an escape and point for stalling on Delgado, but it was too little too late. David Terao (American) upset No. 9 Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa) in a high-scoring affair, 12-10. The No. 14, No. 15 and No. 16 seeds dropped first-round matches. In a battle of conference rivals, Josh Martinez (Air Force) defeated No. 14 Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State),4-2, avenging a loss from earlier this season. Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) handled No. 15 Chasen Tolbert (Utah Valley), 14-6. Connor Youtsey (Michigan) topped No. 16 Paul Petrov (Bucknell), 3-2. Big Ten champion Nathan Tomasello gave the Buckeyes bonus points by pinning Joe DeAngelo (North Carolina State) at 2:25. 133: A couple returning All-American took losses in the opening round. Two-time All-American A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) was ousted in his opening match by Penn's Caleb Richardson (Penn), 4-2. Schopp has been hampered by an injury that kept him off the mat all of January and most of February. No. 10 Mason Beckman (Lehigh), an NCAA sixth-place finisher last season, was knocked off by Jade Rauser (Utah Valley), 5-3. Unseeded Mark Grey (Cornell) pinned No. 15 Nick Soto (Chattanooga) to advance to the second round. 141: Freshman Kevin Jack (North Carolina State) stunned No. 5 Josh Dziewa (Iowa), 6-3, to advance to the second round. It marks the second straight year in which the Hawkeyes have had No. 5 seeds fall in the opening session. Last year two fifth-seeded wrestlers, Nick Moore (165) and Ethen Lofthouse (184), dropped matches. Three-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber (Ohio State) was dominant in an 18-1 technical fall in 3:33 over Jordan Laster (Princeton). Edinboro's David Habat defeated Oklahoma State's Josh Kindig at 149 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)149: Two All-Americans, Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) and Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State), both unseeded, dropped their opening matches. Stieber, an All-American in 2012 and 2013, fell to Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra), 10-8. Ruggirello nearly pinned Stieber in the second period and held a 6-3 lead heading into the final period. Stieber battled back, picking up two takedowns, but ran out of time. Kindig, an NCAA runner-up last season, was blanked by David Habat (Edinboro), 7-0, in a battle of returning All-Americans. Pac-12 runner-up Garrett Schaner (Stanford) upset No. 6 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan), 11-10. Colin Heffernan (Central Michigan) earned a 5-3 victory over No. 9 Gabe Moreno (Iowa). The only other seeded wrestler to lose in this weight class was No. 16 Mike Racciato (Pitt), who lost to Brandon Nelson (Purdue), 10-6. 157: Lou Mascola (Maryland) came from behind to knock of No. 5 Cody Pack (South Dakota State), 10-9. Noel Blanco (Drexel) defeated returning All-American Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers) in sudden victory, 5-3. ACC champion Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech), a 2013 All-American, topped No. 9 Joey LaVallee (Missouri), 5-2. The No. 15 and No. 16 seeds fell in this weight class. Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) won 8-2 over No. 15 Justin Staudenmayer (Brown). Spartak Chino (Ohio) topped No. 16 Aaron Walker (The Citadel), 6-4. 165: Austin Wilson (Nebraska) stunned No. 2 Michael Moreno (Iowa State), 7-5. Wilson, who entered the tournament with a 16-14 record, raced out to a 5-0 lead and held on for the two-point victory. Mike England (Missouri) excited the large Mizzou contingent when he upset No. 11 Tristan Warner (Old Dominion), 6-2. The Hawkeyes had their third wrestler drop to the consolation bracket when No. 7 Pierce Harger (Northwestern) defeated Nick Moore (Iowa), 6-3. Max Rohskopf (North Carolina State) picked up a mild upset, beating No. 16 Harrison Hightower (Ohio), 3-0. 174: Missouri suffered a major blow when No. 4 John Eblen dropped a 6-4 decision to Pac-12 champion Joe Lathan (Oregon State), 6-4. Another Iowa State seeded wrestler fell when Dominic Kastl (Cal Poly) sneaked past No. 11 Tanner Weatherman, 7-6. Ohio State suffered a key loss when No. 10 Mark Martin lost to Kurtis Julson (North Dakota State), 5-3, in the second tiebreaker. In a Big Ten battle, Chad Welch (Purdue) blanked No. 16 Frank Cousins (Wisconsin), 6-0. 184: After Eblen's loss at 174 pounds, Missouri picked up a much-needed victory when Willie Miklus pinned returning All-American Lorenzo Thomas (Penn) at 2:16. Kenny Courts (Ohio State) helped the Buckeyes chances by upsetting No. 6 Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota), 6-4, in sudden victory. Minnesota saw its first seeded wrestler lose when Scott Patrick (Davidson) defeated No. 11 Brett Pfarr, 8-6. It's Davidson's first point scored at the NCAAs since 1968. 197: Five seeded wrestlers in this weight class -- all seeded from 9 to 16 -- fell in the opening round. Trent Noon (Northern Colorado) defeated No. 9 Jace Bennett (Cornell), 8-4. Jake Tindle (SIUE) topped No. 11 Alex Polizzi (Northwestern), 9-7. Pac-12 champion Cody Crawford (Oregon State) edged No. 12 Timmy McCall (Wisconsin), 3-2, in tiebreaker. Anthony Abro (Eastern Michigan) took out No. 14 Phillip Wellingon (Ohio), 4-2, in sudden victory. Lastly, Jeffrey Koepke (Illinois) defeated No. 16 Elliot Riddick (Lehigh), 5-3, in sudden victory. 285: The last shocker of the round came when Spencer Myers (Maryland), a 2011 All-American, toppled No. 3 Bobby Telford (Iowa), 7-5, and silenced the Hakweye faithful. Myers jumped out to 4-0 lead in the first period after a takedown and nearfall points, and held off the Iowa big man.

ST. LOUIS -- InterMat is providing extensive coverage throughout the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. Follow the action Thursday through Saturday. Note: All links in the coverage section open in a new window. Results: Team Scores & Brackets | Live Blog Session Recaps: I | II | III | IV | V | VI Session Previews: II | III | IV | VI Previews: 125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285 | Betting Guide | Bracket Busters | Seeding Blunders | Best Staying Home Predictions/Contest: InterMat Staff Predictions | Big Show Pick 'Em Contest Links: Schedule | ESPN3 Webcast | ESPN3 Schedule | InterMat Rankings Photos: The Guillotine | WrestlersAreWarriors.com | Tech-Fall.com | Larry Slater

Live Blog NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships

InterMat staff writers have broken down the brackets for the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri, and made their predictions. Andrew Hipps T.R. Foley Josh Lowe Tom Franck Steve Elwood Jim Beezer

Herewith are the premier predictions for the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. You're welcome. 125: No. 1 Alan Waters (Missouri) over No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) After careful consideration, I think undefeated Waters takes the weight class. He's had a remarkable season and run the gauntlet on the weight class. While Garrett poses a serious threat, he has taken a loss to Waters already this season and his strength of schedule pales in comparison to the top-seeded Waters. 133: No. 2 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) over No. 9 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) Top-seeded Chris Dardanes of Minnesota draws a tough opponent in the quarterfinals and gets knocked off by often-overlooked A.J. Schopp of Edinboro. Schopp's Cinderella run through the weight class ends in the finals against sophomore Ryan Taylor of Wisconsin. 141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) over No. 2 Mitchell Port (Edinboro) (Copy and paste from last year's prediction) "There is no doubt that Mitchell Port has had a solid season, but Stieber is in a different class than anyone else at this weight class, if not the entire tournament. Stieber has shown he can compete on the big stage, and will do so again this year to win the national title." If only betting the ponies was this easy. 149: No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) over No. 4 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) This wide-open weight class could see a number of horses emerge, but I think a soft lower half of the bracket will allow Tsirtsis to make the finals and his defense will prevail in a rematch of the Big Ten Championships. Tsirtsis wins his second NCAA title. 157: No. 3 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) over No. 4 James Green (Nebraska) Kyle Dake and Jason Tsirtsis are exceptions. Max Askren is the norm. Freshman nerves are hard to overcome. Isaiah Martinez has been dominant this season, no doubt. But I think he gets knocked off by the explosive James Green of Nebraska in the semis. Unfortunately for Green, the pedigree, funk, and will of Dylan Ness will be too much to overcome. 165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) over No. 3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) Dieringer will have to continue his dominance to get through a deep upper bracket, but nothing in the numbers or videos suggest he will falter. I think his opponent in the finals will be Big Ten champion and sophomore from Wisconsin, Isaac Jordan. However, Dieringer is familiar with big matches and shows he can move up a weight class to win his second NCAA title. 174: No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State) over No. 1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) This weight class could go any number of ways. Kokesh. Evans. Storley. But there is something about Penn State's Matt Brown that screams "big stage." He has experience as a finalist two seasons ago, and has meaningful wins over Evans and Storley this year. Brown hands Kokesh his lone loss on the way to a title. 184: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) over No. 2 Max Thomusseit (Pitt) Deep weight class with gaudy records, but Gabe Dean is my pick because of his defense and well-rounded game. He has two losses in one tournament in Vegas. I spent a week one day in Vegas and accumulated more losses. The title goes to the sophomore from Cornell. 197: No. 1 J'den Cox (Missouri) over No. 6 Nathan Burak (Iowa) I predicted this weight class through a series of coin flips last year. This year I think Cox is the clear frontrunner with a number of potential candidates as opposing finalists. In this case, I think Burak overcomes a disappointing performance at the Big Tens and makes the finals as a No. 6 seed before being overwhelmed by Cox in the finals. 285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) over No. 3 Bobby Telford (Iowa) There is no reason to think that undefeated Gwiazdowski won't repeat after winning his first title last year. Then again, seven minutes of hugging and pushing could end any number of ways. Team: 1. Minnesota 2. Iowa 3. Missouri 4. Cornell 5. Oklahoma State

125: No. 1 Alan Waters (Missouri) over No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) What a great bunch of small guys we have this year. I think many can win it, but the more I look at it, I don't see Alan Waters losing. The year off last year pays dividends. 133: No. 1 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) over No. 2 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) I think the No. 1 and 2 seeds are on a collision course. Earlier this season I didn't see anyone beating Chris Dardanes, but the others have closed the gap. I'm still picking him. 141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) over No. 6 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) There are two locks in St Louis. Logan Stieber is one of them. Welcome to the four-timer club, Logan. 149: No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) over No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) I wish I could get excited about this group. The margin of victory is going to be low in the medal matches. I'll go with the returning champ. 157: No. 2 Brian Realbuto (Cornell) over No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) Dylan Ness is the fan favorite. The problem is Realbuto and Martinez are horrible matchups and I think Ness gets third. I am going to pick the Cornell wrestler here in an upset. 165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) over No. 6 Taylor Walsh (Indiana) Here's the other lock. No one is going to stop AD. Even with the emergence of the Jordans, I can't see it happening. 174: No. 1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) over No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State) The one thing for certain is the winner will be from the Big Ten. Kokesh looks to be the best of the big four. He's a little more talented and I think he's on a mission. 184: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) over No. 2 Max Thomusseit (Pitt) One of the few weight classes where I would be shocked to see a Big Ten wrestler win it. I'm going with another Cornell champion. 197: No. 1 J'den Cox (Missouri) over No. 2 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) These next 2 weight classes are crazy tough. The depth and talent here at 197 is thick. I think McIntosh can beat anyone in the field, except the man who he will face in the finals. 285: No. 2 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) over No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) This is an epic group of heavyweights. It's a shame only one will win. If you're a fan of the large guys, you are in for a treat. I'm choosing the most athletic man in the bunch. Team: 1. Iowa 2. Missouri 3. Ohio State 4. Minnesota 5. Cornell

125: No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) over No. 1 Alan Waters (Missouri) Should be a very tactical final. Waters has been superb all year. Garrett has had a few off matches, but is still is loaded with ability. 133: No. 9 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) over No. 3 Cory Clark (Iowa) A pretty balanced weight class. Dardanes has been solid and consistent, but Schopp is a bad stylistic matchup for him. Clark knows how to peak and should do well. 141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) over No. 6 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) Stieber has been phenomenal for a vast majority of his career as a Buckeye and should win his fourth NCAA title on Saturday. Dardanes looked off in the Big Tens and could make the finals if he's back on track. 149: No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) over No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) No one is undefeated in this weight class and all matches from the quarters on should be barnburners. 157: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) over No. 3 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) It will be interesting to see what adjustments Ness is able to make since the Big Ten finals, but Martinez has been impressive all season long. 165: No. 5 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) over No. 2 Mike Moreno (Iowa State) Dieringer is the favorite, but bigger upsets have happened. 174: No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State) over No. 1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) The Big Ten finals match was filled with interesting scrambles. If Brown makes a few adjustments, he could come out on top. 184: Gabe Dean (Cornell) over No. 3 Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) The only weight class where none of the top contenders are from the Big Ten. 197: No. 5 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) over No. 2 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) Schiller is the only wrestler to beat Cox this year (albeit at the NWCA All-Star Classic). If he gets past him again, he should be the favorite. 285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) over No. 3 Bobby Telford (Iowa) Gwiazdowski looked great last year and knows how to perform well at the big show. Team: The team race has true parity this year with Iowa, Ohio State, Missouri and Minnesota. Minnesota might seem to be a step down, but Storley and Schiller lost very close semifinal matches at the Big Tens which, had they won, would have put them firmly in the mix for the title. In a situation like this, it seems likely that the team champion will have a point total lower than the teams that have won in previous years. Less than 100 points seems like a distinct possibility. 1. Missouri 2. Ohio State 3. Minnesota 4. Iowa 5. Cornell

125: No. 1 Alan Waters (Missouri) over No. 6 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) Waters has been the leader of this weight class all season; however, that is no guarantee of a national title, something Waters should know from the 2013 tournament. While the path is tough, look for him to go out with a bang in St. Louis. Gilman is one of the keys for Iowa to boost their chances to get the national title. 133: No. 9 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) over No. 3 Cory Clark (Iowa) Last year at this time Schopp was right on the heels of Tony Ramos for the national title in this weight class. Now, he's seeded ninth? Something doesn't seem right. Look for him to string together a big-time tournament. Clark is another key for Iowa in bolstering their title hopes. 141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) over No. 2 Mitchell Port (Edinboro) About as boring a prediction as one can make. Stieber finishes his career as a four-timer, and cements his legacy in the history of collegiate wrestling. Just simply one of the best ever. 149: Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) over Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) Houdashelt was seeded first last year, losing to eventual national champion Tsirtsis in a very tight semifinal match. Look for Houdashelt to flip that script this year in the national finals. It's his senior year in front of a hometown crowd, and at some point, a close match for Tsirtsis will yield a loss at the NCAA tournament. 157: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) over No. 3 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) The way Martinez wrestled at the Big Ten tournament, you could put a clone of Jordan Burroughs out there, and it might not matter. James Green (Nebraska) will be sure to give him a go in the semifinal, though. Ness gets to the final, as he seems to find an extra gear come the big show, but not enough to take out the super frosh Martinez. 165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) over No. 3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) Dieringer moved up a weight this year after winning the title down at 157 pounds last year, and there has been no ill effect. Dude is just locked in, and look for that type of form to continue this coming weekend. Though Jordan did lose to Moreno a month ago, I'll still pick him to clear the other side of the draw. 174: No. 1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) over No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State) For sake of the viewing audience, let's hope this is the final, as their Big Ten finals bout was an open affair. Kokesh is the safest pick as champion in this weight class with the next three best wrestlers all on the opposite side of the draw. 184: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) over No. 2 Max Thomusseit (Pittsburgh) The fact that Dean lost two matches this year is the most shocking thing about the progress of this weight class. It's one that's relatively blah after those that immediate precede it and the one that follows. Thomusseit would make it a pair of St. Paris Graham alumni in the NCAA finals. 197: No. 1 J'den Cox (Missouri) over No. 3 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State) Look for Cox to finish his season undefeated and repeat as a national champion. Even having to deal with Schiller (Minnesota) or Snyder (Ohio State) in the national semi, I think Cox is just too much of a physical freak. Gadson has yet to lose a contested match this year, and look for that to continue until the final. 285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) over No. 2 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) This would be the most fan-friendly 285-pound final in years. Two attack-oriented wrestlers with mobility and range that look to score. So let's root for that. Gwiazdowski is the pick to repeat. Team: 1. Iowa 2. Missouri 3. Ohio State 4. Minnesota 5. Cornell

125: No. 1 Alan Waters (Missouri) over No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) Alan "Dirty" Waters has been impeccable this season and there is little reason to think he won't close out the season with an NCAA championship. Garrett will push him and find opportunities for points, but 2015 is Waters' year. 133: No. 13 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) over No. 6 Earl Hall (Iowa State) Why not? Though he's the 13th-seeded wrestler, Cody Brewer is the third-ranked wrestler at the weight class. Not only can he get by Chris Dardanes, but I like him against anyone coming from the bottom side of the bracket. 141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) over No. 2 Mitchell Port (Edinboro) Gimme? 149: No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) over No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) Tsirtsis might not always light the scoreboard on fire, but he knows how to win matches with strategy and solid defense. The NCAA tournament is crazy and to get past some guys takes grit and determination. Tsirtsis has those and will win his second title. 157: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) over No. 3 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) Martinez hasn't lost and has rarely been challenged. There is little reason to believe that this changes at the NCAA tournament. Maybe the song and dance scared freshmen ten years ago, but wrestlers like Martinez grew up wrestling in front of big crowds. Nothing seems to slow him down. 165: No. 4 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) over No. 3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) Sulzer didn't fare well against Dieringer in their first meeting, but Coach Garland -- who himself upset a top seed at the NCAA tournament, will have Sulzer primed for the challenge. Coached by Keith Gavin and Jordan Leen, Sulzer is ready to take home Virginia's first-ever NCAA title. 174: No. 1 Bob Kokesh (Nebraska) over No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State) Who can stop Bob? Though 174 has been in turmoil for the last several years, Bob has found the confidence (and coaching in Burroughs?) to separate from the pack. Undefeated and racking up dominant wins against top competition, Bob is ready to win his first NCAA title. 184: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) over No. 3 Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) Stauffer has a great chance to make Arizona State head coach Zeke Jones' first season on the mats very memorable. However, Gabe Dean will be too much. Absent a midseason setback, Dean has shown incredible poise and a talent level above those of his competitors. 197: No. 1 J'den Cox (Missouri) over No. 3 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State) Cox has been a force all season and with 53 straight wins heading into the NCAAs it's doubtful that he'll miss a beat at the NCAA tournament. 285: No. 2 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) over No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) The most exciting heavyweight in years, McMullan will find a way to claw past the bigger competition and take out the defending champion, like he did at the NWCA All-Star Classic. Team: 1. Missouri 2. Iowa 3. Ohio State 4. Cornell 5. Penn State

125: No. 4 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) over No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) The Ohio State freshman Tomasello has been on fire lately. He has won 14 straight matches heading into the NCAAs and has not dropped a match since Jan. 4. At the Big Tens he took out two-time NCAA champion Jesse Delgado of Illinois, and then beat Thomas Gilman of Iowa for the first time in his career. Those wins were confidence-builders for Tomasello, and I expect him to ride the momentum to an NCAA title. I see Cornell's Garrett returning to the NCAA finals, but for the second straight year coming up one win short of an NCAA title. 133: No. 1 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) over No. 2 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) It feels a bit strange picking the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to reach the finals in a weight class that is so deep and balanced. Dardanes has wrestled a brutal schedule and just keeps winning. He's the lone unbeaten wrestler in the weight class and just seems to be a cut above his competition. He could have a quarterfinal match against Edinboro's A.J. Schopp, a wrestler who has given him trouble in the past. The two-time All-American Schopp has been injured, though, and it remains to be seen how much his injury will hinder him in St. Louis. Taylor moved up a weight class early in the season and has won 14 of his last 15 matches, with his only loss during that 15-match span coming to Dardanes in the Big Ten finals. 141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) over No. 2 Mitchell Port (Edinboro) On Saturday, Stieber will join Pat Smith, Cael Sanderson and Kyle Dake in the four-time NCAA champions club. With Virginia Tech's Carter on Stieber's side of the bracket, Edinboro's Mitchell Port is his likely finals opponent. The two met on Feb. 15, with Stieber winning that match 6-3. I expect a similar result in the finals. 149: No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) over No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) Fans can expect to see tight, low-scoring matches in this weight class from the quarterfinals on. Tsirtsis isn't the type of wrestler who will light up the scoreboard, but he's a winner. Last year the bottom side of the bracket at 149 pounds was turned upside down, and Oklahoma State's Josh Kindig reached the finals as the No. 11 seed. Kindig is back in the weight class, as is two-time All-American Hunter Stieber of Ohio State. Both come into St. Louis banged up and unseeded. Could they be bracket busters? Stay tuned. 157: No. 3 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) over No. 4 James Green (Nebraska) Isaiah Martinez of Illinois looks unstoppable right now. He's a 20-year-old freshman, but already exudes the confidence of a multiple-time NCAA champion. Martinez is a breath of fresh air. In an era of college wrestling in which scoring seems to be at an all-time low, Martinez is putting up double-digit points every time he steps on the mat. Martinez has stomped everyone in his path, including Minnesota's Dylan Ness. However, Ness has proven time and again that he shines brightest in front of large crowds and on big stages. As a freshman, Ness reached the NCAA finals as the No. 7 seed in St. Louis. Last year, after an up-and-down season, Ness entered the NCAAs as the No. 9 seed. He stunned top-seeded James Green of Nebraska in the quarterfinals and beat No. 4 Ian Miller of Kent State in the semifinals, before losing to Oklahoma State's Alex Dieringer in the finals. It may be against my better judgment to pick against Isaiah Martinez, but I have a feeling Dylan Ness is saving his best for last, just like his brother Jayson did five years ago in Omaha. 165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) over No. 3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) Dieringer has distanced himself from the pack at 165 pounds. He already owns two major decision victories this season over No. 2 Mike Moreno of Iowa State. His likely semifinals opponent will be Virginia's Nick Sulzer, a wrestler he defeated 8-2 at the Southern Scuffle. With Logan Stieber graduating this year, Dieringer will be the biggest star in college wrestling in 2015-16. Look for the Jordan cousins, Isaac and Bo, to finish high on the podium. 174: No. 1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) over No. 6 Logan Storley (Minnesota) The undefeated Kokesh has created some separation this season from his Big Ten rivals Matt Brown, Mike Evans and Logan Storley. In doing so he now finds himself on the opposite side of the bracket from those three. Kokesh has some formidable opponents on the top side of the bracket, but should cruise to the finals. The bottom side of the bracket with Brown, Evans and Storley is a crapshoot. The winner of the Evans-Storley quarterfinal match on Friday morning will likely get Brown in the semifinals on Friday night for a chance to wrestle in Saturday's NCAA finals. Storley had a strong NCAA tournament performance last year, finishing third, which included two victories over his friend and rival Kokesh. I expect the two South Dakota natives, Kokesh and Storley, to meet one last time, and it will happen on the big stage on Saturday night. 184: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) over No. 7 Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) Coming into this season it appeared Dean would establish himself as one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the country. But after taking two unexpected losses at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December, Dean was taken out of the pound-for-pound conversation overnight. He has since been on a roll, winning 23 straight matches heading into the NCAAs. Dean has been pushed a few times since Vegas, but keeps getting his hand raised. Old Dominion's Jack Dechow has battled Dean tough in past and can't be counted out. The bottom side of the bracket is deep and balanced, but I'm taking Lehigh's Brown to come through, which will set up a rematch from the EIWA finals. 197: No. 4 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) over No. 3 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State) The much-anticipated J'den Cox-Kyle Snyder match should happen in the NCAA semifinals on Friday night. However, it's not the first time we have said that it should happen this season. The two were expected to meet on Dec. 14 when Missouri and Ohio State met in Columbus, but Cox moved up to heavyweight to fill in for the injured Devin Mellon. Then it looked like the match should finally happen in the semifinals of the National Duals on Feb. 21. But Lehigh upset Ohio State in the quarterfinals, which prevented the match from happening. I expect Snyder to bounce back in a big way from his loss to Penn State's Morgan McIntosh in the Big Ten finals. He will likely have to beat three returning All-Americans from the quarterfinals on to win the title, which seems almost unthinkable for a true freshman. But Snyder is no ordinary true freshman. 285: No. 6 Adam Coon (Michigan) over No. 5 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) Coon is among a group of six heavyweights that has a legitimate shot to finish as this year's NCAA champion. Over the past two seasons Coon has wins over three of the top five seeds, including NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State. He comes into St. Louis having won nine of his last 10 matches, which includes victories over No. 3 Bobby Telford of Iowa and No. 5 Connor Medbery of Wisconsin. Coon's only defeat during that 10-match span was a one-point loss to No. 2 Mike McMullan of Northwestern at the Big Tens. Coon will likely have to get past Telford in the quarterfinals, McMullan in the semifinals and Gwiazdowski, Marsden or Medbery in the finals. Team: 1. Ohio State 2. Minnesota 3. Iowa 4. Missouri 5. Cornell

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. I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read these weight class previews. I'm told each weight class preview is getting 15-20k unique page views. That's amazing. One of the best things the NCAA did was releasing brackets early and getting everybody talking. To give some of you a point of reference, the brackets used to come out on the Wednesday night before the start of the tournament. The coaches would take their copy and share it with their team. This gave the athletes little preparation time, while most of the spectators got their brackets at the first session. We have come a long way, but we still have a ways go to serve our underserved audience. This tournament has something for everyone and for many of us this tournament has become an annual pilgrimage. This will be my 41st year in attendance. I know several people that have that beat by double digits. Again, with the brackets out it gives all of us a chance to be better fans and give some thought to what might happen. Prognostication is a part every major sport and that's the direction we are headed. So take these picks in the spirit it was intended to help serve our audience. I'll be covering the medal round for ESPNU Saturday morning with Shawn Kenney, Billy Baldwin and Quint Kessenich. This exciting team race could be decided in this round. I'm back with Dan Gable and Shawn Kenney, along with several other prominent guests on ESPN3 during the finals for the "Off The Mat." The amount of coverage we are getting is phenomenal. To provide some perspective, in 2007, I took a call from John Vassallo, one of the executive producers at ESPN. He asked if I would be interested in covering the quarters on their new Internet channel, ESPN 360, which is now ESPN3. I was excited when I got to The Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and took part in a few of the meetings. When Friday morning's quarters rolled around I was escorted out to a truck outside with no heat. There was a card table, a folding chair and four 8-inch black and white monitors to call the action. I was doing this solo. I could see my breath and thinking I have up a suite ticket for this. We had 12,000 people somehow find us that day and we were off to the races. The next year Shawn Kenney joined us. We got inside the building and the coverage has expanded to where now every match is broadcast in some form. I can tell you the people that work this event from ESPN respect it and love it. Seeing NCAA wrestling commercials during the basketball games this weekend is evidence. If you can't make it, find a way to watch. Your participation is tracked and it's making a huge difference in the coverage of our sport. So, get this out in your networks and help us continue to make strides. Enjoy the best event our sport has to offer. -- Jim Gibbons Weight Class Previews 125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285 Champion Picks Mr. Upside Picks

INDIANAPOLIS -- Tickets for the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will go on sale Wednesday, March 18 at 12 p.m. ET. The championships are set for March 17-19, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. All-session tickets will be available for purchase exclusively online at NCAA.com/wrestling. The championships will mark the first NCAA final of any sport at The Garden since men's basketball in 1950, when CCNY beat Bradley to win the national championship. Madison Square Garden will host the championships in association with Hofstra University. The 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Madison Square Garden will mark only the third time the championships have taken place in the state of New York. In 1964, Cornell hosted the event, during which Oklahoma State won the national championship and in 2002 when Minnesota claimed the team title in Albany. More than 2,400 student-athletes from across the country will compete for the opportunity to become one of 330 wrestlers to advance to the championships at Madison Square Garden. In 2012, Madison Square Garden hosted its first-ever college wrestling event with the inaugural Grapple at The Garden, welcoming 14 Division I programs. Since then, Grapple at The Garden has featured more than 30 NCAA institutions. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships have had five consecutive sell outs: 2010 in Omaha, Neb., 2011 in Philadelphia, 2012 in St. Louis, 2013 in Des Moines, Iowa and 2014 in Oklahoma City. The 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships are set for March 19-21 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

The United States has completed its roster for the 2015 Freestyle Wrestling World Cup, set for the Forum, presented by Chase, in Inglewood, Calif., April 11-12. USA Wrestling had previously announced that its No. 1 ranked athlete at all eight weights would be on the World Cup team. Today, Team USA added a second athlete in each of the eight international weight classes. The new additions to the World Cup team include three more past NCAA champions and a Cadet World champion. Added to the team are past NCAA champions Matt McDonough (Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) at 61 kg/134 lbs., Dustin Kilgore (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 97 kg/213 lbs. and Zack Rey (Bethlehem, Pa./Lehigh Valley AC) at 125 kg/275 lbs. McDonough won two NCAA titles for Iowa. Also winning an NCAA title were Kilgore at Kent State and Rey at Lehigh. 2013 Cadet World champion and 2014 Junior World silver medalist Aaron Pico (Whittier, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) joins the team at 65 kg/143 lbs. Pico, an 18-year old, who is focusing entirely on freestyle wrestling instead of high school wrestling, has won a number of international medals in the last year. Two wrestlers added to the World Cup team won silver medals at last year's University World Championships, Kilgore and James Green (Willingham, N.J./Titan Mercury WC) at 70 kg/154 lbs. Also added to the team were Andrew Hochstrasser (Boise, Idaho/Titan Mercury WC) at 57 kg/125.5 lbs., Moza Fay (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) at 74 kg and Clayton Foster (Laramie, Wyo./GRIT Athletics/Cowboy WC) at 86 kg/189 lbs. In the most current USA Wrestling freestyle rankings, Green, Kilgore and Rey are ranked No. 2, while Pico is No. 3 and McDonough and Foster are No. 4. "My expectation is that our No. 1 athletes will want to wrestle in all of the matches. However, it is hard to predict if that will happen. All of our athletes are training hard and ready to compete. There is always the potential for an injury or other factors. We need be ready for somebody to step in and perform. The guys we have backing up are the kind of people who, if given the opportunity, will rise to the occasion and compete at their best," said National Freestyle Coach Bruce Burnett. These new athletes join a very talented U.S. team, which features 2012 Olympic champions Jordan Burroughs (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids/Nebraska RTC) at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Jake Varner (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) at 97 kg/213 lbs. along with 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Coleman Scott (Chapel Hill, N.C./Titan Mercury WC) at 61 kg/134 lbs. Burroughs also boasts three World medals, including gold medals in 2011 and 2013, and a World bronze medal in 2014. Varner was also a 2011 World bronze medalist. Tervel Dlagnev (Columbus, Ohio/Sunkist Kids/Ohio RTC), who competes at 125 kg/275 lbs. is a two-time World bronze medalist, reaching the podium in 2009 and 2015. He was also a 2012 Olympian. Members of the 2014 U.S. World Team on the roster include Tony Ramos (Iowa City, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) at 57 kg/125.5 lbs., Brent Metcalf (Iowa City, Iowa/New York AC/Hawkeye WC) at 65 kg/143 lbs., Nick Marable (Morgantown, W.Va./Sunkist Kids/Mountaineer RTC) at 70 kg/154 lbs. and Ed Ruth (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) at 86 kg/189 lbs. The final U.S. Freestyle World Cup team won a combined three Olympic medals, six World medals and 17 NCAA titles during their career. The World Cup is the international dual meet championships, one of the most important events of the year. The top eight teams in the world will compete in dual meets. This year's field includes Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Mongolia, Russia, Turkey and the United States. The U.S. placed third at the 2014 Freestyle World Cup, also held in Los Angeles, with Iran winning the team title and Russia placing second. All-Session tickets are available, as well as Single-Day tickets. Fans can purchase All-Session tickets for $60 for General Admission and $85 for Preferred Seating. Single-Day tickets, on either Saturday or Sunday, are $35 for General Admission and $55 for Preferred Seating. Fees apply for tickets purchased through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com A group discount offer for clubs is also available. There is a 20% discount for all USA Wrestling members. Both offers can also be found at www.wrestlingworldcup.com FREESTYLE WRESTLING WORLD CUP At Los Angeles, Calif., April 11-12 Tentative U.S. men's freestyle team 57 kg/125.5 lbs. -- Tony Ramos, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) 57 kg/125.5 lbs. -- Andrew Hochstrasser, Boise, Idaho (Titan Mercury WC) 61 kg/134 lbs. -- Coleman Scott, Chapel Hill, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC) 61 kg/134 lbs. -- Matt McDonough, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) 65 kg/143 lbs. -- Brent Metcalf, Iowa City, Iowa (New York AC/Hawkeye WC) 65 kg/143 lbs. -- Aaron Pico, Whittier, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) 70 kg/154 lbs. -- Nick Marable, Morgantown, W.Va. (Sunkist Kids/Mountaineer RTC) 70 kg/154 lbs. -- James Green, Willingboro, N.J. (Sunkist Kids/Nebraska WTC) 74 kg/163 lbs. -- Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids/Nebraska WTC) 74 kg/163 lbs. -- Moza Fay, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 86 kg/189 lbs. -- Ed Ruth, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) 86 kg/189 lbs. -- Clayton Foster, Laramie, Wyo. (GRIT Athletics/Cowboy WC) 97 kg/213 lbs. -- Jake Varner, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC) 97 kg/213 lbs. -- Dustin Kilgore, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 125 kg/275 lbs. -- Tervel Dlagnev, Columbus, Ohio (Sunkist Kids/Ohio RTC) 125 kg/275 lbs. -- Zach Rey, Bethlehem, Pa. (Lehigh Valley AC) Freestyle Team Leader -- Andy Barth, San Marino, Calif. National Freestyle Coach Bruce Burnett, Colorado Springs, Colo. Assistant National Freestyle Coach Bill Zadick, Colorado Springs, Colo. Assistant National Freestyle Coach Brandon Slay, Colorado Springs, Colo. Nutritionist -- Jennifer Gibson, Colorado Springs, Colo. Masseur Amy Murray, Seattle, Wash. Referees -- William Grant, Inverness, Fla. and Danny Blackshear, Oklahoma City, Okla. Team delegates -- Les Gutches, Cody Bickley, Jaimie McNab, all of Colorado Springs, Colo. Colleges represented: Iowa (Ramos, Metcalf, McDonough), Nebraska (Burroughs, Green), Oklahoma State (Scott, Foster), Missouri (Marable), Penn State (Ruth), Iowa State (Varner), Nebraska-Kearney (Dlagnev), Boise State (Hochstrasser), Northern Iowa (Fay), Kent State (Kilgore), Lehigh (Rey) High School states represented: New Jersey (Burroughs, Green, Rey), Pennsylvania (Scott, Ruth), California (Varner, Pico), Iowa (McDonough, Fay), Ohio (Kilgore), Illinois (Ramos), Michigan (Metcalf), Tennessee (Marable), Texas (Dlagnev), Utah (Hochstrasser), Idaho (Foster) World Rankings of USA World Cup wrestlers (March 2015): No. 3 (Burroughs), No. 5 (Dlagnev), No. 8 (Metcalf), No. 9 (Marable), No. 11 (Foster), No. 14 (Pico), No. 16 (Rey), No 18 (Ramos) FREESTYLE WRESTLING WORLD CUP SCHEDULE (all times Pacific Time) Saturday, April 11 3:00 p.m. -- Session I -- Pool Competition 6:15 p.m. -- Session II -- Opening Ceremonies and Pool Competition Sunday, April 12 11:00 a.m. -- Session III -- Pool Competition, Fifth and Seventh Place Dual Meets 4:15 p.m. -- Session IV -- First and Third Place Dual Meets

It's that time of year again! On Thursday, collegiate wrestlers and coaches from around the nation will make the trek to St. Louis to put individual and team titles on the line. In turn, fans will flock to arena seats and couches to take in all the action. Viewers will also have the opportunity to join their "big sport" counterparts by putting their money where their mouth is to make legitimate wagers on their sport. 2013 was not a kind year. Each champion entered the tournament as either a No. 1 or No. 2 seed and that did not bode well for any large payouts. It may have even meant some large losses for certain unnamed participants. However, last year there were only three NCAA champions who entered the tournament as the top seed and three weights in which the champion entered as a third seed or lower. Luckily for betters, that type of volatile result is the norm, not the exception, when it comes to our sport's biggest event. Each year the NCAA tournament gains more visibility and coverage. Sportsbooks have responded by tightening the lines they offer, making it increasingly tougher to gain an advantage in the wagering world. However, we've been dealt some interesting seeds this year including an unseeded two-time champ. That could make for some very big lines and prosperous betting opportunities! I'm here to help you identify some of those winning plays, but remember, I'm in no way responsible for what you bet, or if you bet. Think twice before laying your mortgage on the field at 141 pounds. This is for fun, so if you can't afford to pay, don't play. For the newcomers, here's how it usually works: Each weight class is broken down with a money line on the top two or three individuals (usually by seed). Then the remaining wrestlers, or the Field, are given a collective money line to win. ? For clarity purposes each line uses a base amount of $100. So if the line is +150, that means you risk $100 to win $150. Likewise, if the line is -150, you risk $150 to win $100. A few numbers for thought before we break down the weight classes (all data is since the 2003 NCAA tournament): The top seed at the NCAA tournament has won almost exactly 50% of the time. A wrestler seeded third or lower has won approximately 30%. A wrestler seeded fourth or lower has won approximately 20%. The Field comes in on average twice a year. All champs in 2013 came from either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed. That hadn't happened previously since a few years before Logan Stieber was born. On to the breakdown of this year's weight classes and my personal (pre-official lines): 125: Alan Waters of Missouri enters the tournament with an unblemished record and top seed for the second time in his career. His first attempt from that spot did not result in a title, and there are a few wrestlers capable of keeping him from gold this time around. Nahshon Garrett will look to improve on last year's runner-up finish, likely needing a win over Joey Dance or Thomas Gilman to return to the elevated mat. Big Ten champ Nathan Tomasello nabs the four seed and joins returning two-time (unseeded) champ Jesse Delgado for a chance to take out Waters up top. The Lines: Waters +140, Garrett +170, Delgado +375, Field +350 The Play: Needless to say this weight is stacked! Gilman and Dance are both capable, but I don't think either gets through Garrett on our bottom side. The top side of the bracket is the wild card here, specifically Delgado. "Muddy" Waters cannot be happy to see him in his quarter. If Delgado's health/cardio has improved slightly from the Big Tens, I like him to avenge some losses and gain his third title. He appears to have Garrett's number and should offer some great value coming in unseeded. Let's see if he's placed individually or in the Field, and act accordingly from there. 133: The top five seeds here belong to the Big Ten. Chris Dardanes has kept the pack at arms-distance all year. The top seed has yet to take a loss in his senior season, most recently defeating hard-charging Ryan Taylor in the Big Ten finals. A.J. Schopp is the premiere name in a dangerous and numbered field of wrestlers. He has a chance to steal the top seed early. The Lines: Dardanes +200, Taylor +350, Field +300 The Play: I'm a huge fan of Dardanes' (plural) style and I actually DO NOT see Schopp having enough to steal that top seed. That being said, it is definitely a dangerous matchup and Dardanes has had some close calls this year. The second quarter of the bracket is loaded and whoever survives that mess will give Dardanes all he can handle in the semifinals. The lower half of the bracket will also produce a worthy finals opponent. This all points to the Field and don't be surprised if we see two higher seeds wrestling on Saturday night. 141: That Logan Stieber guy is pretty good. He's the top seed and that shouldn't surprise anyone. Devin Carter is the No. 4 seed and on Stieber's side of the bracket. That might surprise a few people. Mitchell Port and Lavion Mayes round out the top seeds. The Lines: Logie Bear -2000, Port +400, Field +1500 The Play: If you like a few long shots in your portfolio, here's your opportunity. I was pulling for Port to win the earlier matchup this season to add some drama and anticipation for these finals. It didn't happen, and it won't happen here. I'll save my money and enjoy the fake-bake and arm bars one last time. 149: Returning All-American Drake Houdashelt receives the top seed over returning NCAA champion Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern. 2014 runner-up Josh Kindig handed Houdashelt his lone blemish of the year and joins David Habat, Brandon Sorensen and fellow unseeded wildcard Hunter Stieber in the field. The Lines: Houdashelt +125, Tsirtsis +120, Field +450 The Play: There seems to be a theme this year with injury-plagued studs. Enter Hunter Stieber. Newcomer B.J. Clagon defeated Habat in their conference final and has given Tsirtsis two scares this year. Expect another one when they meet in round two. While the Field is certainly tempting, I believe the seeds hold and Tsirtsis repeats last year's win over Houdashelt. Let's take him at even money or better to earn his second title. Best mullet since McIlravy. 157: Speaking of themes, we arrive at the most anticipated weight class of the tournament as we arrive at Dylan Ness. This is not a coincidence. Ness wrestles with a wide-open, no holds-barred style that fans will surely miss. Enter Isaiah Martinez. Our undefeated top seed has shown no fear in clearing out this weight class. Brian Realbuto, James Green and Ian Miller are all capable of preventing a Big Ten rematch. The Lines: Martinez +120, Realbuto +180, Ness +270, Field +250 The Play: Martinez has been lights out and will fill the void left by Ness rather nicely going forward. His rematch with "Mean" James Green may be the most anticipated bout of the tournament. Meanwhile, Realbuto seems to have slid slightly under the radar with all the fireworks surrounding the Big Ten final. He has a stingy style that has given Ness problems and owns a past win over Martinez in freestyle. He'll be challenged from the quarters on, but I think he comes out on top of this instant classic weight. Watch his line closely. 165: Alex Dieringer has run the table this season and sits atop the bracket. He has all the tools needed to cruise to his second title and he might need them, as Nick Sulzer and Bo Jordan sit on his side of the bracket. Mike Moreno and Isaac Jordan sneak into the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively. Dylan Palacio and Taylor Walsh are two of the most dangerous wrestlers in the sport. The Lines: AD -300, Field +550 The Play: Watch for the early match of the tournament between Palacio and Bo. That should stir up the pot reeeeal nice! Dieringer is the safe play, but what fun is that?! I'll throw a little on the Field, and hope Sulzer can pull the upset to earn Virginia's first title. Homer status alive and well! 174: Robert Kokesh has pulled away from his Big Ten counterparts and finds himself as yet another undefeated top seed. He'll let Matt Brown, Mike Evans and Logan Storley butt heads down below. John Eblen, Blaise Butler and Tyler Wilps headline a talented field in the upper bracket. The Lines: Kokesh +150, Matt Brown +220, Field +200 The Play: Kokesh might be the only guy in the country happy with the seeding committee. It seems every year for the past ten years this has been a round-robin between him, Brown, Evans and Storley. All four have had their taste of victory at one time or another. How do you pick one to go out on top? The simple answer is: you don't. I like a few ACC wrestlers to bust this bracket and send the big four to settle things one last time in the consolation rounds. Let's look for who the Field includes and take another small chance here. 184: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Something Cornell's super soph Gabe Dean doesn't need to be told. He earns the top seed after overcoming some early setbacks in Sin City. The next tier includes five or six wrestlers that can all scrap and take advantage if Dean stumbles. The Lines: Dean even, Field +150 The Play: Dean showed early in the season that he is capable of losing to somebody not named Ed Ruth. He also has one of the tougher roads to a title for a top seed. That being said, he really hasn't been touched in 2015. This is an underrated field but I like Dean to earn his first of a few titles for the Big Red. I may even lay some odds if necessary. 197: Are we sure 157 pounds is the most anticipated weight class of the tournament? J'den Cox returns for his second title in as many years. He's the top seed and will be on the opposite side of the bracket from Morgan McIntosh and Kyven Gadson. Scott Schiller and Kyle Snyder will lock horns for the privilege of meeting Cox in the semifinals. The Lines: Cox +110, McIntosh +250, Field +225 The Play: This may be the deepest field, so if the odds are right nobody could fault you for going that route. The odds on Cox will be less favorable than last year and he'll have his hands full in both the semifinals and finals. However, I think he rises to the occasion again to edge out Snyder and McIntosh in dramatic fashion. It might even clinch a team title. 285: It seems like snooze fest heavyweight brackets are a thing of the past as long as Nick Gwiazdowski and Mike McMullan are here to help. The top two seeds will take on Hawkeye big man Bobby Telford and Wisconsin's Connor Medbery in the field. The Lines: Gwiz even, McMullan +200, Field +300 The Play: The No. 1 ranking for this weight has changed hands a few times this season, but I think we're looking at a two-pony race. Gwiz and McMullan are both versatile and offensive big boys and should be able to make their way to ESPN primetime for a rematch of the All-Star Classic. McMullan found an answer in that match and I think he squeaks by again to end his career with a title for Northwestern. I like him +200 or better. Official lines should be available at your online sportsbook midweek (Wednesday) and individual lines are posted before the semifinals and finals in case you would like to hedge your bets ... or double down. Good luck and enjoy the winnings! Follow Brian Muir on Twitter at @MuirOrLess.

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. The last three previews were definitely the toughest and that's why they were written in the order presented. The reason 133 pounds is last is I can see a path for nine guys to get to the finals. You have a lot of style matchups that are complicating my thought process as well. Adding to the complexity: some tough seeds for some really experienced and tough wrestlers. How about No. 9 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro)? Last season he finished fourth. He was five seconds away from beating Tony Ramos and going to the finals. Then there is two-time All American Cody Brewer (Oklahoma). Last week he avenged his only loss of the season to 2014 125-pound All American Earl Hall (Iowa State). For doing so he got a handshake and the 13th seed. The No. 10 seed Mason Beckman (Lehigh) finished sixth in last year's tournament. Of course there is more to each these stories, but it made it tough to find the pick. Chris Dardanes (Photo/GopherSports.com)Finally I went to an old friend, William of Ockham (1287 - 1347), and borrowed his razor. You know Ockham's razor states that among competing hypothesis that predict equally well, choose the one with the fewest assumptions. All along Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) was there he wrestles hard, he has come from behind. He's undefeated and has a lot of quality wins. He's the pick. Dardanes has gotten better all year. He beat a very tough No. 2 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) in the Big Ten finals. This season Dardanes is down from 141 pounds where he did not place in 2014. I'm sure that was a big-time heartache because the Gophers, among other performances, were one Dardanes placing away from winning the team title. Following last season up with an NCAA belt is good medicine. Cody Brewer (Photo/SoonerSports.com)There are plenty of Mr. Upside candidates. No. 6 Earl Hall (Iowa State) has stepped up and has some nice wins and a Southern Scuffle championship. He is explosive and can catch anyone in the field. No. 7 Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State), who Hall defeated at the Scuffle, can definitely improve on his seed. No. 9 Schopp and No. 10 Beckman both have the ability to make a good run. Schopp vs. Dardanes quarterfinal could be exciting. However, I'm going with No. 13 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma). Catching the two-time All American at the 13th seed is a gift. By seeding the tournament out to 16 seeds the 13 and the 4 meet in the second round on Thursday night. 13 = 4. Pick: Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) Mr. Upside: Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) Previews: 125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285

Every year there are bracket busters -- lower seeded or unseeded wrestlers -- who wreak havoc on the brackets by pulling upsets. Here is a look at 10 potential bracket busters -- one in each weight class -- to keep an eye on in St. Louis. 125: Jesse Delgado (Illinois) In terms of a bracket buster, choosing a two-time returning NCAA champion is a layup. Thankfully (for me) the NCAA seeding committee phoned in the 125-pound seeds and gave Delgado the opportunity to implode the top side of his bracket. Will he win it all? That's less certain, but in terms of an unseeded guy making the finals or semifinals rarely has there been someone in a better position for disruption. 133: Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) Almost unfathomable as a No.13 seed, Cody Brewer has only one loss on the season and won the Big 12 title last week with a win over No. 6 seed Earl Hall of Iowa State. With his ridiculously low seed, Brewer, a two-time All-American, will be in the right spot to oust higher seeds. To get to the semifinals Brewer will need to upset No. 4 Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State) and get past No. 5 Zane Richards (Illinois). In both matches, were you not considering seeds, Brewer might be considered the favorite. Chris Mecate was a MAC runner-up141: Chris Mecate (Old Dominion) Not all that underrated in his 11th seed, Old Dominion's Chris Mecate has a nice chance to wiggle through the bracket and find wins where others might not expect. He's a talented and experienced wrestler, with a coach well known for preparing athletes to compete at the NCAA tournament. Mecate's first big test will be sixth-seeded Nick Dardanes of Minnesota in the second round. Should he dial in a win early, the 21-win Mecate will need to scare up some action against third-seeded Lavion Mayes of Mizzou. Running through any bracket is tough, and 141 might be toughest of all, but if anyone has the skill set and positioning, it's Mecate. 149: Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) Though sporting an unimpressive 3-4 record, Hunter Stieber is a two-time All-American with every opportunity to win the NCAA tournament, not just disrupt. Another victim of an NCAA seeding process more content with appearing objective, rather than being objective, Stieber will have to push his way past either third-seeded David Habat (Edinboro) or NCAA runner-up Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) in the second round. Further along it could be sixth-seeded Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) and defending NCAA champion Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) who have to deal with the ever-game Stieber. 157: Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech) Limited action in 2014-15 left Virginia Tech's Nick Brascetta without the body of work needed to earn a seed. However, don't let that lack of seed or his two losses distract from the fact that he's a bruiser who can, and will, make it through the NCAA tournament with an All-American trophy. The 2013 All-American will have a tough road to the semifinals, needing to outwit or outgun ninth-seeded Joseph LaVallee (Missouri) and eighth-seeded John Boyle (American) before meeting up with undefeated freshman phenom and top-seeded Isaiah Martinez of Illinois. 165: Ethan Ramos (North Carolina) With 28 wins on the season No. 15 Ramos has shown again and again that he can win his way through a tournament. To date his biggest win remains one over fourth-seeded Nick Sulzer of Virginia, 8-6. If he can put together another win of that caliber and use his style to frustrate opponents, he might be able to find some wins through the top side of the bracket. His big test will come in the second round against second-seeded Michael Moreno (Iowa State), who has racked up 22 wins on the season and is looking stronger as the season progresses. Ramos is a long shot, but if can make it past Moreno he will be in a strong position to get on the podium. Michigan sophomore Taylor Massa reached the round of 12 two seasons ago as a true freshman at 165 pounds, but moved up to 174 pounds late this season and comes into this weekend's NCAAs at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis unseeded (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)174: Taylor Massa (Michigan) With only a handful of losses not due to injury, the start of the Taylor Massa era could begin this weekend in St. Louis, albeit up a weight class. The powerful, technical and well-coached Massa has bumped from 165 pounds to 174 pounds to compete in the Big Tens and NCAAs. He's 3-3 at the weight class, but that type of early record levels when considering the newness of the heft and trying to accommodate for new opponents. The thing is, to be a bracket buster, Massa will need to upend undefeated top-ranked Bob Kokesh of Nebraska, the same Bob Kokesh that pinned Massa in less than 20 seconds at Big Tens. The NCAAs are crazy, and though top seeds don't fall often, this might be the year we see something spectacular, and Massa has as solid a shot as any of pulling off the unlikely. Winners know how to win, and Massa has won a lot in his life. 184: Willie Miklus (Missouri) A team hunting for their first national title, a workout partner who is arguably the most talented wrestler in the nation, and a habit of keeping every single match close means that Milkus, despite being unseeded and with head-scratching losses, could be the bracket buster at 184 pounds. First up for Miklus is No. 10 Lorenzo Thomas (Penn), a returning All-American. Following him up will be seventh-seeded Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh), who bested Milkus 7-3 at a dual meet in February. Should he make it past these back-to-back barbarians, he will face second-seeded Max Thomusseit (Pitt), who is 24-1 and looks primed to win the NCAA title. Unlikely? Certainly. But if Mizzou is to win the NCAA championships they will need something unlikely from their guys, Milkus included. 197: Phil Wellington (Ohio) With 23 wins on the year, Phil Wellington has every chance at lighting up the NCAA tournament in St. Louis. Though he's seeded No. 14, Wellington is exciting and a win-heavy wrestler with the capability to streak through a tournament on momentum. Last year he defeated J'den Cox of Missouri, and battled the NCAA champion tough in the MAC finals this year. Should he win his opening salvo, Wellington's second-round match will be with third seeded Kyven Gadson (Iowa State). That will be a tough test, but one that Wellington may find to be a good matchup. Should he find a way to beat Gadson it will be sixth-seeded Nathan Burak (Iowa) for a chance at the semifinals and one heck of a run for Bobcat nation. 285: Spencer Myers (Maryland) In terms of wins and losses, Myers is down this year, in part because he got a late start on the season due to his commitment to football, and partly because he now resides in the Big Ten. However, as a former All-American, Myers is always in the match, and with a coach like Kerry McCoy, Myers has every opportunity to upset the status quo at the NCAA tournament. Myers is starting the tournament against third-seeded Bobby Telford of Iowa, who beat him in early February. That loss might not bode well for Myers chances, but another loss, one to Illinois' Brooks Black, has been avenged, and given the round and the stress of the event, Myers may be able to find a major upset. From there, Myers would likely face a very game No. 14 seed in Joe Stolfi (Bucknell) before facing off against sixth-seeded Adam Coon (Michigan).

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 DelgadoA 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

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. NCAA champ Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) is having an amazing run in a very balanced weight class. He came from behind last season in the finals to beat two-time NCAA champion Tony Nelson (Minnesota). Gwiz is the favorite and No. 1 seed coming into this year's tournament. He now possesses the only thing he didn't have going into last year's tournament -- a target. Like my good friend Mike Sheets (two-time NCAA champ for Oklahoma State) says, "It's better to have a target than a monkey on your back." Gwiz is technically solid and has great footwork on his takedown finishes. There is no reason for him not to be my pick. Like I said in an earlier preview, I agree with the seeding but I'm going in a different direction. Mike McMullan (Photo/Darren Miller)No. 2 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) has shown people he has the ability to come back. He has finished third, second and third in the NCAAs during his three years as a Wildcat. In last week's Big Tens he came from behind to win every match, including overcoming a 5-0 deficit in the quarters. He wrestles every match of the tournament. I think this year his matches will all be in the championship bracket. Both these guys are first-class wrestlers. I am looking forward to the matches in this weight. Gwiz and McMullan are not the only title contenders. In my opinion, the next four seeded wrestlers could all make the finals. No. 3 Bobby Telford (Iowa), No. 4 Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State), No. 5 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) and No. 6 Adam Coon (Michigan) have proven they can win tight matches but haven't gotten it done on Friday yet. Of these wrestlers, I think Medbery is the most dangerous. He's on the top side of the bracket with Gwiz and is a big reason I went with McMullan. I really like how competitive this weight class is ... and it breaks down between the guys who look to score and those who can only score defensively. I'm hoping for the good of the sport the officiating rewards offensive wrestling and legitimate attempts to score, not pushing and reaching. Connor Medbery (Photo/Pam Ruschell) When looking for Mr. Upside, there are several candidates. One is No. 7 Blaize Cabell (Northern Iowa), who can attack both legs below the knee. Cabell owns a win over No. 10 Ty Walz (Virginia Tech), who also has good leg attacks. However, the guy I think that is real close to putting it all together is Connor Medbery (Wisconsin). Medbery is turning into a good combination of technique, power and aggression. If he adds a bit of patience, I get a sense he will put together a great tournament. Gwiz has a target on his back and is now the guy to beat. Last year he was driven incredibly by not being picked to win it. How will this fuel his fire? Or will it? Pick: Mike McMullan (Northwestern) Mr. Upside: Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) Previews: 125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285

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. J'den Cox (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)J'den Cox (Missouri) returns in his sophomore season looking to repeat as NCAA champion. I picked Cox last season to win mainly because he was sitting in a good place in the bracket. Watching him last year in OKC it was clear he was a good call. Cox is a gifted athlete, but he can get into trouble in this tournament if he's not moving on his feet and using good setups. The best athletes don't win unless they respect the skill of their opponent. There is enough skill in this field to make repeating difficult for J'den Cox, but he's the pick. Three guys are back that are all capable of taking home the belt: Big Ten champion Morgan McIntosh (Penn State), Big 12 champ Kyven Gadson (Iowa State) and Scott Schiller (Minnesota). McIntosh has been on a bit of a roll and seems to have a clear definition of how he wants to win matches. Gadson has career wins over every contender in the field and Schiller defeated Cox in the exhibition NWCA All-Star Classic, along with several career wins over Gadson. For Schiller and Gadson it's their last shot, but this weight class should be competitive for some time. The newcomer in the weight class is freshman Kyle Snyder (Ohio State). He owns season wins over McIntosh and Schiller. The Saturday morning consolation semifinals and medal round will be exciting. The top four favorites in the team race have guys that are seeded in the top six at 197 pounds. A win in the consolation semis gives a team 3.5 points. In head-to-head matches that's a seven-point swing, additionally a win in the medal round is one point plus any match bonus points along the way. For teams that struggle getting finalists this is their last chance to post a score and head to the clubhouse. It's a round where you see guys break through on sheer will. Hawkeye fans are hoping No. 6 Nathan Burak can catch someone sulking about not being in the finals. He has a win over Snyder, but hasn't yet been able break into this top group. Saturday morning may be his opportunity to show up, help himself and his team. There are two remaining All American spots I think are up for grabs. A perfect spot for a Mr. Upside. No. 12 Timmy McCall (Wisconsin) was the Big Ten Mr U. He performed admirably finishing sixth while being seeded eighth. No. 13 Shane Woods (Wyoming) is also a good candidate -- coached by Mark Branch. If you're a long shot there is no better guy to have in your corner than Mark -- the last unseeded NCAA champ. Conner Hartmann (Photo/Duke Sports Information)However, No. 10 Conner Hartmann (Duke) is Mr. Upside. He is only the second All-American in school history. Hartmann is from Port Orchard, Washington, and placed fifth last season at this weight class. He had no choice but to leave his home state if he wanted to compete at the Division I level and has found a home clear across the country. It' a big deal when these programs have All-Americans, proving it can be done. Pick: J'den Cox (Missouri) Mr. Upside: Conner Hartmann (Duke) Previews: 125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285

Chris Watson capped an unblemished season with a 7-2 victory over Lake Erie's Matt Vandermeer to capture the 165-pound national title and earn Outstanding Wrestler honors here Saturday night at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. The Central Oklahoma senior wrapped up a 42-0 campaign -- just the second full-season perfect record in school history -- and gave the Bronchos an 18th-place finish in the team race by scoring 20 points himself in the two-day event at Chaifanx Arena. Watson's takedown with 26 seconds left in the opening period gave him a 2-0 lead in the finals, but Vandermeer cut that to 2-1 on an escape 20 seconds into the second stanza and that was the score entering the third period. Watson chose neutral for the final two minutes and sandwiched two takedowns around a Vandermeer escape while adding a riding time point to close out his final victory. "I'm just so proud of Chris for finishing off a great career and an unbelievable senior season with what he deserved," head coach David James. "He worked incredibly hard this year and stayed focused on the task at hand." Watson moved into the finals with a 7-1 victory over third-rated Gabe Fogarty of St. Cloud State in Saturday morning's semifinals. That match was scoreless after the opening period, with Watson breaking the deadlock on a reverse midway through the second stanza. He controlled Fogarty the rest of the period, added a takedown early in the third to make it 4-0 and followed an escape with another takedown before tacking on a riding time point.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- As the old adage goes, "Once is nice, twice is nice," and, well, three times is just flat out impressive. Joey Davis won his third consecutive NCAA Division II National Championship on Saturday night at Chaifetz Arena with a 3-2 win over Maryville's Zeb Wahle in the 174-pound championship. With the win, Davis improves to 38-0 on the season -- and 110-0 in his career -- cementing a historic legacy for the Notre Dame College wrestling program as just a junior. The Falcons placed sixth overall at the NCAA D2 Wrestling Championships, led by Davis' first place performance, scoring 50 points as a team. Also placing for the Falcons was senior Maurice Miller (141 lbs), who ended his career as a Falcon with an impressive third place finish at the Championships, while Jonatan Rivera placed fourth in the 157 lb bracket for NDC. Ivan McClay also had a strong weekend for the Falcons, placing seventh in the 125 lb bracket. Miller started the Championships by going 1-1 in his first two matches before turning the intensity up a notch. After the 1-1 start, Miller won four straight matches, concluding with a 3-2 win over Tiffin's Michael Screptock in the 141 lb 3rd Place match. Miller's efforts scored 12.5 total team points for the Falcons. At 157 pounds, Jonatan Rivera was unable to repeat as National Champion, but still put together an impressive run at the D2 Wrestling Championships. In the Consolation Semifinals, Rivera defeated Mercyhurst's Francis Mizia in sudden victory overtime, 5-3. In the battle for third place, Rivera lost a nailbiter to Clint Poster (St. Cloud State), but still came away with a top-four placing for the Falcons. McClay placed seventh for the Falcons in the 125 lb bracket, defeating Mercyhurst's Willie Bohince 4-3 in the 7th Place match. McClay finished the weekend 3-2 overall, scoring 5.0 team points for NDC.

HERSHEY, Pa. -- The Wartburg wrestling team finished as the national runner-up at the NCAA National Championships Saturday. Round 4: 149: Kenny Martin (WB) win by 8-3 dec vs Vincent Fava (Delaware Valley) 184: Riley Lefever (Wabash) win by 5-3 dec vs Devin Peterson (WB) Other Notes: Wartburg takes second with 89.5 points. Martin is the first national champion for Wartburg at 149 since Jacob Naig in 2008. Martin is the third national champion at 149 in program history. This was Martin's 30th victory this season. Martin moved his winning streak to 19. Martin was the No. 4 seed. Lefever was the No. 1 seed and was undefeated on the season. Peterson is the national runner-up. Peterson is the highest placewinner for Wartburg since Romeo Djoumessi was the national champion in 2008. Peterson had his winning streak halted at 14. Wartburg finishes with eight AllAmericans, the most since 2012, when the Knights also had eight All-Americans. Wartburg has had multiple AllAmericans each year since 1991. Wartburg was not ranked in the NWCA Preseason Poll. The streak of either Wartburg or Augsburg winning the national title since 1995 continues. Wartburg has been the national champion or the national runner-up in 16 of the last 19 years.