BruceyB

And I said that where? Maybe you would have preferred if I said, "Missouri's boosters/NIL investors can't compete in a bidding war."

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I didn't mean for the season, but just to send a mid-season message that if you aren't looking to rack up points, you aren't going to be starting. Obviously with their schedule to date, putting a back-up in at 165 wouldn't have endangered their dual victories, but if he was removed from the starting line-up, it might have given him a kickstart to start pursuing more points. He is obviously the best option at 165, but perhaps with a wake-up call, he might separate himself further from the field below him.

@bnwtwg Still waiting. Why isn't Ferrari a title threat?

It's interesting, especially if you listen to FRL and hear Tyler talk about how much a freakish athlete Cam is. But I agree with @wrestle87, he has done a lot of winning with his approach, and it doesn't appear that he is going to change it now. I was hopeful coming into the year, because I was curious how it would play out if he bought into the scoring mindset. I actually wondered if he would get benched for a lesser wrestler that was willing to go out and look to score, just to send a message, but that clearly hasn't happened.

I want to start by clarifying that I don't have a hard stance as I see an argument for both. I do lean towards keeping it at two points though, but I wouldn't have any strong feelings if it went to 3. This is the thing with the bottom position, you either were put into the bottom position by being taken down, or you chose to be in the bottom position. If you are in the bottom position from being taken down, you are given the opportunity to score points from a defensive position (ie: you cannot score an escape without being taken down). Likewise, with reversals, you cannot score a reversal unless you are in a defensive position. If I take you down, and you reverse me, you were only capable of scoring a reversal because I took you down in the first place. Why should you get the same amount of points as me for reversing me out of the position I put you in? If I didn't take you down, you wouldn't have had the opportunity to score from bottom. This is where it is obviously subjective in what you think should be most heavily rewarded. I think that gaining control from a neutral position should be rewarded more heavily than being able to reverse the position you were forced into after being taken down. Additionally, if you choose bottom, you are choosing bottom knowing that your scoring possibilities are either one point for an escape or two points for a reversal. You can choose neutral with the opportunity to score 3 points, so why does anyone choose bottom? It is because the bottom wrestler believes they are more likely to accumulate more points starting the period in the bottom position than in neutral. I am of the camp that believes scoring a takedown should be most heavily rewarded, and that a reversal, which is only possible to earn by being taken down, or putting yourself in the bottom position should not be equally rewarded. I also understand the argument for emphasizing mat wrestling where being sloppy on top and getting reversed should be more penalized. If you're afraid of getting reversed, cut them instantly and don't play around in the position. I just believe in the current era of college wrestling with the leg passes, far ankle scrambles, Churella positions, etc. It is so hard to get in on someone and score without it being stalemated, that securing a takedown should be rewarded with more points than reversing a position that you were forced into/chose to be in. Anyway, I know that was long, but I hope I was able to make the argument against a 3 point reversal understood.

Missouri has no where near the funds to play a bidding war for AA transfers with Iowa, OKST, and Penn State. Ohio State hasn't even been able to bring in a big transfer in the NIL era. I'm sure there is someone, but who are some returning AAs that have transferred to somewhere other than PSU, Michigan, Iowa, or OKST? Beard to Lehigh is the only one I can think of off the top of my head.

Another snarky one liner without making a point. Do you ever actually say anything interesting? Maybe you need it spelled out for you. I do not care about the team score in a dual. The winner of the dual means absolutely nothing in college wrestling. If tOSU lost to Rutgers, what implications does that have on their season? None. I tune in to duals because I want to see good match-ups and good wrestling. PSU pinning and teching a vastly inferior team is not entertaining to me. Likewise, watching a dual where over 90% of the airtime is two guys staring at each other in neutral is not entertaining. OK State vs NC State, despite the matches going 9-1 in OSU's favor was far more entertaining than either of the aforementioned duals, because there was actually wrestling taking place. Not a staring contest, and not a mismatched pin-fest.

Yep. Commercial break.

Add something to the conversation, or just refrain from commenting at all. They were two horribly boring duals for two completely different reasons. PSU vs MSU was a shutout before it began, and tOSU vs Rutgers ended up being a staring contest of who could do less and win a match. Go ahead, defend the buckeyes and their 4 takedowns outside of Mendez.

I was going to say the same. At least they put a time-limit on it.

Singleton's ability to get to legs was promising. He still has some things to clean up, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him high on the podium or in the finals before his career is over.

Just curious, do you have a wrestling background or are you an aspiring sports commentator where this is a chance to get some live experience? I only ask because college wrestling is such a nuanced sport that if you haven't been a thorough follower of the sport for some time, it is very hard to understand the tactics and intricacies of the sport purely by study. Regardless, as I said previously, I am all for those willing to do their homework and give their best shot, even if there are some flubs that the more knowledgeable fan base notice.

So I agree overall. I think the first step with Sasso this year is trying to forget who Sammy was before the tragic incident and just acknowledge that with the immense damage his body suffered and the brutal recovery process, he is simply not capable of being the same wrestler that he was before. His wrestling mind, knowledge of positions, etc., are obviously among the best in NCAA wrestling, but his body just isn't able to cooperate the same way as it used to. I do think he is in the top 20 at 157 (I think the size at 165 made it much less likely for him to be so at that weight). But I think he is also learning to some extent on the fly of what he can and cannot do outside the safety of the practice room. I don't imagine anyone is rooting for anything but a full recovery for Sasso, but the best we can realistically do is withhold expectations and just be happy for him that he is capable of competing as a D1 wrestler again, regardless of what happens the rest of the season.

A snarky one liner that did nothing to defend your comment. I try to be objective. Feel free to explain your argument for why he is not a title threat and merely a "mid-AA candidate." Bear in mind that he boasted a 40% bonus rate the year he won it. I am here for an actual rationale, if you have one. Yes, it was 2021, but Ferrari outscored Buchanon 5 TDs to 0. Even if Ferrari has regressed and Buchanon has improved (which is debatable), has it been a 5 takedown swing? Again, I look forward to a thoughtful response.

I'm not confident that he won't win 197. IMO it's a toss up at this point with him against Buchanon or Cardenas, and I would probably pick him over Barr right now. What have you seen that makes you doubt he's a top 3 other than time off the mat? His defense is the reason I think he could still win the weight. He's not a big point scorer necessarily, but how many takedowns has he given up in his collegiate career.. 1?

Depending on health, I would pick Feldman and Bastida, but I like Trumble too. And yes, I watched the All-Star Classic.

Completely agree. Askren has talked about this a lot. The lesser wrestler wants to keep the exchanges as few as possible. I made the statement after the VT dual, and a lot of people still said it was too early to give much credit to the new coaching staff for their performance, but every dual you see guys hunting for bonus, looking to separate themselves from their opponent. I'd like to see more pace from Spratley, and I think in his 6th year, you just have to accept Amine for what he is. OKST is a lot of fun to watch this season, and I think the mindset of scoring points rather than just doing enough to win is going to make a difference in March. But, of course, we'll see.

This was the first time I've ever seen Hughes wrestle. He didn't disappoint.

Is it just my TV or is the orange of the mat obnoxious? I thought the same thing during the VT dual.

Hughes and Orine should be telling..

That's insane. This dual was the epitome of what you don't want to see in college wrestling. Scoreless first periods are bad for the sport, and often the scoreless first period happens because neither guy wants to initiate any actual offensive attack. This dual had a scoreless first at 133, 149, 165, 184, 197, and 285. I don't know how anyone who actually watched it could have a different takeaway. The matches were all close because no one did anything.

Because Kerkvliet of 2022 is the same wrestler as Kerkvliet of 2025. @buckshot didn't even say that Kerk would win. He just said he could make it interesting. One guy has been training in wrestling the past two years while the other has not. I'm not picking anyone over Gable, but someone could make it interesting. Just another snarky one-line comment without adding anything to the conversation.

We listed it above. Yes, it's a rough year, but what's going on here is you overreacting. You said "two years in a row where mizzou wrestling has been an absolute ghost of what they used to be", meanwhile last year their roster was.. (rankings going into NCAAs) 125: #12 Surtin 133: #30 Moore 141: #14 Edmond 149: #11 Gioffre 157: #15 Mauller (former AA) 165: #1 Keegan O'Toole (2x Champ) 174: #22 Mocco (former AA) 184: #9 Hawks 197: #7 Elam (4x AA) 285: #5 Elam (2x AA) I guess if having 4 top ten wrestlers, 8 top 15 wrestlers, and 5 returning AAs on the roster is an absolute ghost of a team, then sure. They lost 5 starters from last years roster, 4 of which were AAs. That's tough for any school to fill that doesn't have a boat load of cash to bring in big name transfers. Coach Smith has done a great job of recruiting in the classes of 24 and 25 by getting commits from 11 big board wrestlers, with several being notable names. I am a big fan of the Missouri program, and I am not concerned at all about where the team will be in a couple of years.

It came down to heavyweight, and it was still one of the most boring duals that I have ever watched. Excluding Mendez, Ohio state scored a total of 4 takedowns in the 9 other matches. Rutgers scored a total of 7 takedowns and 3 of those came in the first match at 125. The only match where both wrestlers scored an offensive point was 197.

I'd imagine it will be case by case based on how ready each guy is. I don't follow high school wrestling super close, so other than Mendoza I don't know much about the other recruits. But even Mendoza I could see being someone that would really benefit from a year to acclimate. Is Sinclair supposed to be a 184 or 197 next year? He looks like he still has baby fat at 197.