125: Tomasello vs. Lee Unfortunately, I've gotta pick Tomasello on this one. His break has appeared to rejuvenate him (see his match against Lizak (Minny). I'm fairly concerned about Lee's conditioning, after appearing to gas late in his match against Piccinni (OK State). However, I have no doubt that this will be corrected by NCAAs. Also, this will be a great learning experience for Lee, especially in a hostile environment. 3-0 

133: Pletcher vs. Laux Pletcher is an AA candidate, and has put together a strong season. 133 is a gaping hole for the Hawks. Hoping Laux can hold off the MD, but it's doubtful, especially in Columbus.  7-0 

141: McKenna vs. Turk McKenna hasn't been the world beater that many thought, and Turk wrestled a struggling Heil (OK State) extremely tough. He won't win, but it should be kept to a decision. 10-0 

149: Hayes vs. Sorenson Sorenson wrested like a man possessed against OK State. If Sorensen can open up his offense early, I see a MD here... at least I hope. 10-4

157: Micah vs. Kemmerer Kemmerer struggled against OK State, but I expect him to right the ship. This will probably just miss bonus points, but the match should never be in doubt. 10-7 

165: Campbell vs. Marenilli I'm big on Marenlli, one of my favorite hawks this season. Also cool that Myers wrestled him extremely tough a few years back. I see Marenilli tying up the duel (if it starts at 125). 10-10 

174: Bo vs. Gunther unfortunately, this is where it gets out of control for Iowa. Gunther gives up the MD. Bo will open up in Columbus, and the match won't be in question. 14-10

184: Myles vs. Downey Oh boy, this match alone would be worth the price of admission, if it happens. I see Myles controlling this, although I think the score remains relatively close. I am interested to see what Downey's conditioning looks like. 17-10

197: Moore vs. Wilcke Prior to last week, I thought this could be a close one, but now I see Moore with a MD. Moore appears to be closer to the pack than previously thought, but after Wilcke's performance against Weigel (OK State), I see Moore picking him apart at neutral, and controlling this matchup. 21-10

Hvy: Snyder vs. Stoll Unpopular opinion, but if the duel is not in question (it shouldn't be), I have to lean towards a forfeit. Stoll has wrestled very well, and looked like a high AA candidate at Midlands, but Snyder is an awful matchup for him. I could see this turning in to a takedown clinic, and risking some pretty serious wear and tear on Stoll's knee. If they do wrestle, I could see a MD (close to a tech). 25-10 

Iowa has improved dramatically, and can certainly place third at NCAAs. Unfortunately, PSU and tOSU are light years ahead of the pack. I will go out on a limb and say that if Lee and Tomasello meet up at NCAAs, I could see Lee squeaking it out. I realize that's a ballsy prediction, but I have to have some sort of hope for a champ this year haha. Also, I'll be interested to see the Myles/Downey matchup at B10s and potentially at NCAAs. This of course is contingent upon Downey's ability to stay out of trouble, which is questionable at best. However, there's no denying that an in-shape Downey could challenge for a spot in the finals. 

Earlier in the season this looked like a blowout in favor of tOSU. Iowa has really come on (Lee, Marinelli) and this looks to be a great dual. Not sure if Downey wrestles yet. He did not compete vs Ok St. To have him debut at tOSU vs Myles would be a questionable decision. My guess is if he goes this year, his first appearance will be at Carver. 

4 hours ago, crazyotto said:

Earlier in the season this looked like a blowout in favor of tOSU. Iowa has really come on (Lee, Marinelli) and this looks to be a great dual. Not sure if Downey wrestles yet. He did not compete vs Ok St. To have him debut at tOSU vs Myles would be a questionable decision. My guess is if he goes this year, his first appearance will be at Carver. 

Ordinarily, I would agree, but I think Martin's athleticism is hard to plan against. Brooks had his number, but I think Downey would be well served to see him prior to B10s or NCAAs, win or lose. Plus, Downey needs some matches if he wants to be seeded. Then again, you could very well be right. Either way, it'll be a fun one in Columbus. 

Can’t wait to ge to Columbus this weekend! Gonna be a great dual. Tomasello is definitely one of my favorite non Hawkeye wrestlers ever. I can only hope that Coach Brands unleahses PD3. I’ve been a HAWK fan for a long time. The only way I see us winning is if Lee wins, Lugo comes out at 141, Downey knocks off Martin, and Wilke takes out Moore, along with the wins we should have. Needless to say, we need help. Lol.

Looking forward to today’s dual. Final home match for a few outstanding Buckeyes: NaTo, BoJo, and Snyderman. Seems like these guys have been around Columbus forever. Big shoes to fill next year for sure. 

Iowa is coming in hot. Get the popcorn ready!

Let's go Spencer Lee

NATO will be a different animal after weighing in at Big Tens and NCAAs. Aside from being ridden like a mule, I thought he was the aggressor. I don’t read too much into him losing a close match to Lee. 

Pletcher and McKenna looked solid, Micah will be ok, Bo was Bo, Myles looked like a world champ the first two periods, but my favorite is Moore. He’s where Zain Retherford was a few years ago. Then there’s Snyderman!

Bring on Penn State. 

The Hwt for Iowa was a backup. Kid looked maybe 210 or so and probably did a better job staying off of his back than Stoll would have. Can you imagine getting the nod from Brands?  “Hey kid, only way we win is if you go out there and pin the best wrestler in the world. Good luck.”  He fought and was overmatched. He didn’t even try to tap out unlike others have against Snyderman. Anyway, almost felt sorry for him but then I remembered it’s Iowa. The bully legacy of Brands, Metcalf, Ramos, and others makes it fun to watch them lose. 

Lee and Marinelli looked good, but they’ll be trapped in “Iowa Style” for their careers. They just don’t attack like the Penn State guys or even the Buckeyes. 

NaTo gets Lee next time around. NaTo was the aggressor the entire match, but props to Lee for riding like his life depended on it. Pletcher just keeps on winning. Monster hips on that dude. McKenna looked good, he needs to get on a roll now. Micah - Kemmerer was almost as expected. Kemmerer usually comes hard right out of the gate and Micah seemed not ready for it. He closed out strong against Kemmerer, so has something to build off of. Hayes is a year away from being really good. Campbell, while tough on top needs to work on the rest of his game if he wants to AA. Great to see Bo open up in his final home match. Myles and Moore were fantastic. Crowd was very bummed that Snyder didn't get Stoll. Bucks held a 17-12 lead at that point. Not that anyone expected Stoll to stick Snyder, but the crowd didn't appreciate Brands' choice. Protecting Stoll's seed perhaps? Snyder completely dominated Holloway. He looked for the pin once and Holloway did a nice job of fighting it off. 

Great atmosphere. 15,000 on hand for the white out. Fun to watch the back and forth between Brands and the OSU faithful. Brands and Ryan exchanged a couple heated words during Micah's match. Somebody (a group/biz?) bought up 500 gen admin tickets and gave them out on a first come-first served basis. Nice gesture. 

Bring on Penn State!

I think Suriano is the real top dog in the big 10 anyways. 

16 hours ago, Neutral said:

I think Suriano is the real top dog in the big 10 anyways. 

I’m glad as a Buckeye fan he’s not still at Penn State. 

Ohio State could possibly achieve what has only been accomplished once. and that is to have an AA in all 10 weight classes. The 2001 Minnesota gophers had zero wrestlers in the finals and still won the title. Ohio state could do it and still lose the crown. Such is life in a 2 horse race.

I thought it looked like Lee got a 2 count near fall too.  My jaw was on the floor every time Lee managed to get his legs back from NaTom. HOW??!? NaTom would get super deep on a shot then a second later Lee is back on his 2 on 1 grip with that left arm. Amazing defensive display by the freshman.  Gonna be real interesting Big 10s in March. OSU is so tough top to bottom and getting better.

Iowa is #3 in now and still improving. tOSU has not seemed to be on top of their game, recently. Missouri, with the same two gaping holes they had last year have stayed strong. PSU win over tOSU (without Nolf) solidifies their claim to #1. 

Looked as though Iowa was getting on a late season roll. They underperformed at B1G Tens. Not that I’m bummed about it. 

If seeds hold we should see NaTo vs Spencer Lee III in the semis. They are 1-1 this year though NaTo has the only two TDs in the series. I recently heard that NaTo focused this year on winning matches from neutral. IMO this was not a good decision, but the guy is seeded #2 for a reason.

ttt