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Discussion Topic: Big Ten brackets
John Ice added to this discussion on March 5, 2009
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Not much talk on how the Buckeyes will do this weekend so I will give some thoughts.
Triggas- Has not shown that he can't go with the guys seeded above him.
If the other guys are smart they will keep the matches on their
feet and avoid the arm bars. He can hope to make his pre-seed.
Hump- Can beat everyone there. But so can many guys at 133.Hopefully
his energy level will be high.Top 3
J- Same as Hump, can beat everyone but can also be beaten by the
same. Again, energy level will be key.
Palmer-As good as he is, it is hard to see him make the finals. He will not
turn any of the top guys, he will have to take them down. Can he?
Spons- The Bucks best to win a title. Seems like he learns from defeat.
Rella- Could surprise.He has been close with everyone.
Pucillo- Call me a homer, but it is hard for me to think he can be beat.
Hopefully "The Match" will happen, but Keddy awaits.
Gardner- Any points will be a bonus.
Morrison- His size is such a drawback. Can he beat guts that are bigger
than him? He might need to to get through.
Just some thoughts from the cheap seats.
BTW I got my tickets today. Anyone else going?
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Last edited by John Ice on March 6, 2009; edited 2 times in total
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Discussion Topic: Big Ten brackets
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on March 5, 2009
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John: i wish I was going to Big Tens. Enjoy them and keep us updated.
My thoughts re: the Bucks
125: Triggas is 6th seed and did not come close to beating the five wrestlers ranked above him (didn't wrestle Falck but last year it wasn't close). Triggas will likely meet Escobedo in the 1/4's. Escobedo may be hurting but he's still incredibly good. Triggas will likely need to beat either Futrell or Watts to finish 6th. He pinned both down the stretch but that won't be easy to do again. Attitude will be key for Triggas if he is to qualify for nationals (I think a top 7 finish will clinch it).
133: Hump lost two big ten duals and that knocked him down to 5th seed. That hurts as he will likely wrestle Ness in the quarters. Ness is an "overachiever" in my opinion but you have to be ready to go hard a full match to beat him. If he loses this match, then it's going to hurt his seed for nationals (although one never knows how that'll play out). If he wins, it's Daniel Dennis in the semis. Can Hump beat him? It'll be very tough.
141: Jaggers also ended up 5th seed so his likely matchup is Mike Thorn in the quarters. Each time they've wrestled, Jaggers has gotten in trouble from top when he's thrown in legs. Hopefully the staff has fixed this issue. I really think J. will beat him as he's better on his feet. Then, it's on to a semi match with Tanelli for the winner. With J it's simple--if he feels good, he'll probably win the weight class. How will he be feeling?
149: Somehow the frequently absent Bubba Jenkins ended up with the 2 seed while Palmer was third. Ultimately it makes no difference as they're probably going to see each other in the semis. Jenkins has been winning conservatively since recovering from his ankle injury. Is he mentally ready for tough matches? I don't know but Lance is always ready. I like Lance's odds of pulling the mild upset and getting a shot at Metcalf.
157: Johnstone needed to beat Jason Welch (among others). It hurt his seed and he's likely to see Tyler Safratowich in the quarters. Saf has a tough low single and rides well. Key for Johnstone--who looked a lot better after getting a break for a weekend (actually it was an audition for Nemec as well)--will be to win this match on his feet. Winner gets Poeta in the semis. Johnstone needs to find a spot top six.
165: Sponseller probably sees Paul Young in the quarters while M* likely gets Vallimont. Assuming the seeds hold, Sponseller get M* in the semis. That's a tough assignment. Iowa guys are hard to score on and opportunistic. Both lost close to Howe and have had very similar results this season. It's likely to be a match decided by a late score or OT. Winner probably gets another shot at Howe.
174: Rella ended up with the 4th seed and probably sees Dergo in the quarters. The key for Rella is to stay aggressive. The same guy that went 3-2 with Luke and beat Dergo and Perry also lost to Nick Corpe (who's decent but usually finds a way to lose). If Rella wants to have a big tourney, he can finish top three.
184: I doubt a coin flip decided who got #1 seed at this weight class but it should have. Pucillo and Herbert have had similar results against the same opponents this season. Herbert is 2-0 against Keddy but Pucillo has beaten him in the past as well. Unfortunately, Coach Ryan's decision to bump Pucillo and win the dual probably worked against Pucillo in the seeding. That's a shame as it was the right decision at that moment and every other Big Ten coach would have done it. Pucillo will see Keddy in the semis although Keddy will have to contend with a tough Biondo in the quarters. A motivated Biondo is a handful. Pucillo probably remains a shade better than Keddy but it would help if the Buckeye coaches had a new plan for this matchup. keddy tends to push Mike backwards and make him look bad.
197: The staff yanked Gardner from the lineup with the intention of helping him to regain confidence and wrestle stronger at the weight. I like the notion--will it work? We'll see.
285: I have no idea how this happened but somehow the seeding went as follows: Erekson, Berhow, Massey, Wise, Everhart, Morrison. Having watched all these guys, I'd have bet the house that Massey and Wise were both much better than Berhow--who Morrison beat in Vegas. Also, Everhart is an eye gouger as I recall. I guess he's good at it. Morrison probably sees Massey in the quarters and that's a tough match for him. If he loses, he needs to rebound well and beat the guys he can and finish top 6. Erekson has been out awhile with injury. It'll be interesting to see if he's back to his earlier form. If not, he might lose twice and not qualify without a wild card.
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Discussion Topic: Big Ten brackets
John Ice added to this discussion on March 6, 2009
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