SocraTease

Nolf pulls out another close one. Three tough matches in a row in win gold. He had the only takedown and a push out. The Iranian had two push outs and a caution point. 3-3 on criteria. Way to win the tight matches. The Iranian was a two time bronze medalist at the World Championships

Pantaleo coming up against Aliyev in the finals at 70 KG. Then Nolf in the finals at 74 KG. Aliyev is a 3-time World Champ at 61KG and has medaled at 57 KG and 65 KG in the Olympics. Guess he has decided to get fat in his old age. Should be an interesting matchup. I seem to recall Aliyev being a bit of a trickster on the mat while Pantaleo is more about power, position, and pace

Yes, the key is to get Musakaev to the final 2 minutes. Kind of like the approach to Spencer Lee. Yanni famously came back on hims from something like 8 or 9 down

The documentary on RBY that FLO dropped today is well done and worth a watch. In some ways, it is less directly about RBY's wrestling (style, technique, big matches, story) and more about his background, upbringing, family, and community support system as well as they challenges he faced along the way. One thing occurred to me about RBY's absolute obsession with video games when he was younger is that it might have helped to cultivate and hone his hand-eye coordination, his perception of very small changes immediately around him (especially his opponent's moves and body), his focus and mat awareness, and has ability to attack and counter-attack at the right time. He apparently was/is very good at numerous video games and was considering a professional "career" playing these games for money rather than going to college. He has an unbelievable cat-like quickness which may be reinforced by his habit of playing endless hours of these games. It's speculative, but there could be something to it. David Taylor likewise apparently grew up riding horses and that may have helped encourage his body awareness and even his ability to ride and chain wrestle. Similarly, Dake seems to have a background of some kind in gymnastics, which seems to have aided his athleticism and proprioception. Nolf ran cross country in high school and has really good endurance and an incredible "gas tank". And I'm pretty sure there are other examples out there of secondary pursuits and sports that help turn a very good athlete into an elite one: Mason Parris and football? Ben Askren played very high level competitive disk golf. Spencer Lee's mother influence with martial arts?

Until he is beaten, Starocci still has to be a favorite to repeat. While a few guys can slow him down, he has yet to be taken down this entire year. His defense is exceptional and he can ride and win close matches when need be. I think he returns to a higher offensive output in the last five matches. And we know he has the match with Indiana's Donnell Washington (who beat him his freshman year) circled on his calendar this Sunday in addition to a tough bout against Ohio State's Ethan Smith on Friday. Cael should have him ready. As for Penn State's sputtering offense, which a lot of people have been talking about (see FLO's FRL), I don't know why they aren't looking for cradles recently, something that Ruth, DT, Nickal, Cenzo, Quentin Wright, and Nolf were always aware of. Surprisingly, RBY got one against Iowa, and he is not known as a cradler. Look for some greater offense and some techs and pins against Indiana, Maryland, Rutgers, and Clarion in the final four duals, which will provide confidence heading into B1Gs and NCAAs.

We could see a Yazdani vs. Zahid Valencia match. Would tell us something about where Zahid is. He' definitely seems to be on the rise, though Taylor handled him easily in the second match last year. 86kg Benjamin GREIL (AUT) Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) Andrew JOHNSON (CAN) Zushen LIN (CHN) Xiao SUN (CHN) Akhmed AIBUEV (FRA) Ruslan VALIEV (FRA) Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO) VICKY (IND) Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR) Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL) Myles AMINE (SMR) Boris MAKOEV (SVK) Zahid VALENCIA (USA) Mark HALL (USA)

I don't think it bothers Lee either. If/when Lee wins his 4th, wrestling fans everywhere likely will be cheering for him ... or at least they should be in my opinion. And the next discussion will be whether, when, and what happens if Lee tangles with Gilman (or even RBY) for a spot on the World Team

Quite frankly, that is the way I recall it-- that the crowd was rooting for DeSanto and his "vision quest" upset. In fact, I've heard Lee say in an interview that it was one of the only times that the crowd was rooting against him and booing him. Maybe it was because a PA guy (Lee) was going to Iowa (while DeSanto was staying in the state and going to Drexel). Maybe it was because DeSanto was getting after it and it appeared like Lee was stalling (which he was). Lee was spent and barely hanging on. I know I was rooting for DeSanto and the upset at the time. Here's the match:

Wow, Harvard beat Princeton. When was the last time that happened? https://gocrimson.com/news/2023/1/27/6-different-crimson-record-victories-to-help-wrestling-defeat-princeton.aspx And Columbia beats Lehigh. https://lehighsports.com/news/2023/1/27/wrestling-late-rally-falls-short-as-mountain-hawks-fall-18-17-at-columbia.aspx

Well ... here is Brands' reaction to the dual along with his medicinal metaphors. He doesn't seem angry. But I wouldn't describe him as happy either. https://www.flowrestling.org/video/10438766-tom-brands-we-took-our-medicine

I believe RBY had three TDs. The last one was a TD to a cradle and the pin.

Penn State gave up only two takedowns and posted a 15-2 takedown edge in the dual. I would say that is pretty lopsided.

I believe Iowa had a total of two takedown this evening. Not something to write home about or celebrate. Did Brands do a press conference afterward? Practice tomorrow might be kind of intense. I remember those days after a team loss. Practices never seemed to end. It was like a long winter ... until the walk to the evening shower finally arrived

No one remembers second place finishers. I know Brands isn't interested in a "kiss-your-sister" runner up trophy. In fact, Missouri and a few other schools will be competing for second.

I think he got a Sitting NO rather than a Standing O. If I recall correctly, the crowd for Lee's final high school match was rooting heavily against him. Spencer's a likable guy and I'm sure it doesn't bother him at all.

Smart coaching. Pulling Haines's shirt. Putting in a long legged and long armed sub at 125. And having his murderer's row ready to pull out the win.

Penn State's back up 125 might arguably have wrestled "smart". He doesn't get pinned (a rarity given Lee's recent wrecking ball path). And he uses his length to get a pretty immediate take down on Lee and also puts him on his back with a cradle. Five points for Iowa instead of six and it takes away a possible criteria win. Smart team management by Cael, et. al.

There's also smart and dumb commenting. Claiming that if Assad goes, Iowa has a "real chance to win" is an instance of the latter. Assad either loses by a major or a decision. Either way, he doesn't win and Iowa also doesn't win.

I'm picking a few upset stomachs for both fan bases during the dual. On a more serious note, anyone know who is reffing this battle royal?

Here's the Spark Plug talking about the PSU-Iowa rivalry, with some very short highlight videos from the last decade :

Brands is the ultimate homer. The guy has zero objectivity. He reminds me of a chipmunk or chihuahua jumping around on the edges of the mat. To quote Jean Paul Sartre, Brands is a "useless passion"

Yes, this is the real issue. Does one seize the day (carpe diem) or plot and calculate for possible scenarios down the road? Is Haines a DT in the making (I'm doubtful he is at that level) who should be shirted or a freshman Mark Hall (who's shirt was removed as a first year) or maybe a Zain Retherford, who has the capacity to make a long run at NCAAs his first year Folks will certainly judge the decision by the consequences (as opposed to the intentions or the character of the coaches) but that is probably a simplistic and shallow view. We should acknowledge that all sorts of contingencies in this sport exist (as in life) and that hindsight is 20/20. Sanderson has a proven record (and a gift I think) about making intuitive decisions and applying practical wisdom (judgment) so we can second guess him all we want, but who else is in a better position to make the call? My sense: no one. And may the drama heighten our interest in this crazy sport. Maybe we even see Spencer Lee bump to 133 against RBY (doubtful) but it can only be a fan's delight. Hinduism has a curious notion that that the universe is involved in a kind of cosmic play (Lila), a drama of appearance and disappearance, a game of hide and seek. Friday should be fun, and waiting is part of this game. My guess: Haines is on the mat Friday. Sanderson loves these challenges. DT (his coach at M2 and my bet for the next coach at Penn State) will be rooting him on from stands. It's just one of many good battles that will occur in a heated rivalry. Pull up a front row seat.

Reasons to tear up that shirt: 1. Haines will clearly score more points at NCAAs than Bear Claw (and PSU may need them given the possibility of injuries and other contingencies) 2. Cael has said that Haines might not be at 157 too long (given projected growth) and there is a potential logjam at these upper middle weights in the offing so you use him now if you can because Facundo, CStarr et. al. (including incoming freshmen) are there at 165 and 174 for a while. A bird (Haines) in the hand is worth two in the bush (future). 3. Cael certainly wants to beat Iowa, especially at home, and Haines gives them a much better shot at 157. Haines just beat a returning AA (Lewan) while Bear Claw lost to a #15.

And how could you forget the NCAA title of the guy who always brings hips to the party ... Mr. Jim Gibbons, who will likely be barking & Spark-ing with Shane on play by play.