AgaveMaria

Spencer Lee quit on the team rather than wrestler back for a higher place. Why wouldn't the next 'wonderkinder' follow his lead?

It appears Tom has the guys ready to go this year. Good for him & good for them. Better & more interesting as well as more competitive matches. Hope they keep it up on every level so no excuses from anyone, win or lose. They are finally showing some offense & it is good to see.

On the main overall broadcast with Jordan Burroughs & Co it is OK - except for the closer in segments. On those they are playing music that wipes out what is being said. Maybe those with perfect hearing are OK with it but "military hearing" is not. Too much time around loud noises takes a toll and part of that is discrimination between competing sounds - especially when trying to pick voices out of the mix. Cut the music - it is an add on trying to drum up importance somehow. We want to hear what is being said.

Nope, I'm not jesus christ. The guy is a myth and responsible for wars, murder, slavery & misery across the world. I'm just a guy watching the dismantling of Iowa from before Gary Kurdelmeier to Tom & Terry. Iowa deserves the scrutiny just as Penn State does.

Iowa won 15 in 21 seasons. Cael has 12 in 16 seasons. Actually 15 seasons as 2020 was cancelled due to Covid. Cael did three seasons as head coach at Iowa State before moving to Penn State. Gable was assistant Coach at Iowa under Gary Kurdelmeier where they won 2 NCAA titles - the first time Iowa won it all & a good start to replacing Iowa State as the top program in the State. Cael & Penn State is good for college wrestling. When they come to town the stands are full. Just like when Iowa shows up. With OSU and Taylor now in the mix things will only get better.

Will David Taylor compete with Tom Ryan for champions this year? I can see Mendez and Jax winning their weight class. Yep, Jax - the kid is doing stuff that confuses the opposition and is a perpetual motion machine. How about other weights? I think the Cowboys have a better chance at a second champ. Score overall? OSU looks better with their emphasis on higher scoring matches & bonus points.

Thanks, Will get one with the 5 day free trial & then cut it off. Am not a sports TV type. Put on a football game & it is a better sleep aid than any pills. The few I watch are on the computer screen. Mainly F1 racing & NCAA wrestling with a bit of International Freestyle. Do own a TV - it is 13 inch & sitting in the attic - can't pick up TV stations at all where we are in the country. So basically, no TV. Would just like to see the NCAA tournament live instead of later on youtube.

Isn't this what Iowa fans do?

Saw a post about this a week or more ago. Searching and can't find it now. What service do I sign up with to watch the NCAA wrestling tournament so I can cancel after the few days of the competition. I don't have a TV so would watch it online. After that, no more watching and no need for any subscription services. So - what service works?

Ryan has ordered a few cases of Cael Cookies & is in the back room inserting ExLax chocolates into them. The plan is to give them to Penn State wrestlers a few hours before they hit the mats. A diabolical one, that Tom Ryan.

Redshirt year and not an official match towards his College career. It is what it is & we know it. So far no one else has a perfect record for four full years like Cael. No sick day losses, no medical losses. Show up & wrestle. He deserves every accolade he is given. So do Yojo & the tough 3 timers who were undefeated while wrestling for their schools. That they were cheated out of a full four year career is a sad commentary on NCAA leadership and policies. If they had the full career I believe Yojo, Hodge and a few others would also have four years of perfection.

As an actual Upset - someone beating Jax. The kid looks phenomenal on the mat. Moves we know won't work yet he completes them and then keeps pushing for more. Doesn't have enough matches - yet is ranked #1. Coaches can see reality & he has earned the spot. Barr & Mendez both would be a big surprise, but this true Freshman an even bigger one given the results we see and the hype that come with it.

Asking questions is not "anti" anything. A Brands Iowa fighting for a title would be good for wrestling. Brands Iowa and Taylor OSU pushing Cael & Co is good for the sport as a whole. I think if Danny(that is how we knew him in college) was coaching now the Iowa Style would be tweaked and his guys would be winning. One thing he was not: a "one style only" guy. Above everything else he pushed guys to maximize their talent. I think he would be doing it today while taking anything that works and adding it to the wrestlers who could use it. Tom & Co are falling behind. Too many burnouts. What is being done with a premier Heavyweight with a ton of talent is criminal. Caliendo is very good, but not pushing. This is on the coaches. After nine titles Gable had to tweak things and make a few changes. He did it. I don't see Brands doing it. I see Tom breaking guys, not making them.

Penn State needs a few more guys to put up big bonus victories and pins. Without that they won't set another new record. It needs to be pins, not just bonus for outscoring opponents. Not enough guys will do it even as they should win the Title again.

Iowa under Dan Gable won nine titles in a row & was poised to get #10. Even had the t-Shirts printed & waiting. Then they fell short - far short according to their standards. They failed to win the Title that year and the next three. Then they won three, lost to John Smith & OSU & won three more when Gable retired. Tom Brands is a Gable disciple but somehow isn't finding the magic. He isn't adapting, though things are changing. More to the idea of "don't do anything" which is what we see too often on the mat. What did Gable do to re-light the fire & get back on top? Why can't Brands find a way to do it? Iowa is still a top name even as they are falling far short of expectations.

VanNess of Penn State is a problem. Starts slow and gives up points early in too many matches. Some wrestle the match of their careers at Nationals & if he hits one of these guys he might not be able to gain back the ground he lost early. Especially if the opponent keeps pushing him rather than just trying to hold a lead. His method is risky & can bite him since he will face every match against a motivated opponent.

With Iowa looking as if they may lose their streak of having an NCAA finalist - which are the longest streaks of a team having at least one Individual Champion? Am gussing either Oklahoma State or Iowa - with Penn State creeping in, maybe?

Most likely will go head to head, suffer another concussion and end up retiring from the sport. He has the drive but not the health.

Iowa is learning to be happy that way.

Sure they could, just like Donald Trump could pay the $80 million he owes to the woman who has a court judgment against him for being a sexual predator.

Iowa is still a good program. Just not at the top of the class & slipping a bit more lately. Many are calling for Tom Brands to be gone and some want Brent Metcalf hired to do the job. When has Metcalf shown he would do much of anything differently than Brands and "The Iowa Way"? He was very good as a competitor in college. Good on the International circuit. But definitely not an innovator, more of a grinder on the mat. Is he that way at Iowa State as a coach? Has he shown any signs of moving past the old "beat them to death" Iowa mentality? Has he shown he can take good kids and make them better as they move through the room? We have no real feel of how Dake or Burroughs would do as full time coaches. Right now we are seeing The Taylor Effect take hold. That is David Taylor is tearing it up at OSU so another big name has do be able to do it at Iowa. Two good coaches have shown they are not Dan Gable. Would Metcalf be the third? One thing he has going is he was not there with Gable as the coach, just Brands trying to be Gable. Will Metcalf try to be Brands?

Mark Shultz would have rolled him & pinned while covering the face with an arm so the ref didn't see it.

Being in a room full of "JesusTrained" types and all the #1's can play on the mind. So the kid isn't perfect in a room where expectations are so high & it seems EVERY starter is a National Champion & he is wrestling a weight up & was supposed to be developing for another year - pressure mounts & maybe he needs more support in some ways?

You need a Jax Forrest to go head to head with him. The kid has the moves to stay with him & even counter some of his aggression. Too bad he is a lower weight class as it would be a very interesting match.

Iowa under Dan Gable ran the table with Nine Titles in a row. Cal has three streaks of four in a row but is the favorite again this year. If the team does it they will have Five in a row. Can they keep it up to hit Nine? OSU is rising with David Taylor pushing hard to take the top spot. Will they end the streak? Will another team?