Yes, GI Wrestling Fans...the time is finally here!!
Tomorrow Thurs. March 17th through Sat. March 19th, the NCAA DI Wrestling Championships are happening in New York City at historic Madison Square Garden (MSG)! So, because College Wrestling is on a major rise in popularity lately, the NCAA decided to bring this event to prime time in NYC!! Along with the early season "Grapple in the Garden" event (multiple dual meets at the same time), and the outdoor Freestyle wrestling events the last two years in Times Square...this event should only shine a brighter light on our sport. Which is great!!
The rise in popularity of College Wrestling is also apparent because of ESPN's increasing coverage over the past 10 years. Not long ago, all you could watch live were the DI Finals. Then about 5 years ago, you could see the Semifinals and Quarterfinals. Then they expanded to the Medal Rounds (Consolation Finals) and last year the First and Second Rounds were televised on ESPNU and EVERY MATCH was streamed live on ESPN3.
I know the NCAA DII and DIII matches were also streamed live (free) on NCAA.com along with the finals, and I think this was on last year as well. And, although a couple DII schools are dropping the Sport...Fresno State and a couple others are adding the sport...so College Wrestling is in pretty good shape!
Anyway, back to the National Championships. The schedule is:
Thurs. 3-17
First Round televised on ESPNU at 11am CT and every match (on 8 mats) on ESPN3.
Second Round televised on ESPNU at 6pm CT and every match on ESPN3.
Fri. 3-18
Quarterfinals on ESPNU at 10am CT and all matches on ESPN3
Semifinals on ESPN at 7pm CT and all matches on ESPN3
Sat. 3-19
Medal Round on ESPNU at 10am CT and all matches on ESPN3
Finals on ESPN at 7pm CT
So, my friends that's a lot of wrestling!!
(And, I'm going to see most of it).
Now, back to Gopher Wrestling.
Remember we have 5 qualifiers - Thorn, Short, Wanzek, B. Pfarr, and Kroells.
We should end up with 3 All Americans (Thorn, Pfarr and Kroells), and maybe a 4th (Short).
It's possible that Wanzek could do it...anything is possible. But, unless he wrestles the whole tournament like he did when he won 13-10 over #4 Zach Brunson of IL, it's not likely.
What do you think?? Let us know!!
Here are the brackets:
http://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/images/2016/03/09/2016d1wrestling.pdf
And, here are some thoughts (from last week's NCAA brackets thread) on how our 5 Gopher qualifiers early matches look (1st # before wrestler's name is Intermat ranking...# after name is NCAA ranking):
- 141 #8 Tommy Thorn (#11) has a tough road to hoe and it was made tougher by seeding of the selection committee. Thorn beat Anthony Ashenault (RU) (#4) convincingly in the dual and beat Matt Manley (MO) #5 twice in the Cliff Keen Invitational. Thorn should win his first match vs. Nicholas Gil (Navy 25-15, he beat Gil earlier this season), then he has a tough one vs. Micah Jordan (OSU) (#6), who he was ahead of in the 3rd period last weekend, before making a very stupid move, turning into Jordan, which led to him getting quickly pinned.
Thorn could certainly win this match...he had Jordan on his heels until the bad move. Tommy is a good rider, he gets out from bottom well, and he's a very good scrambler. But, unless he is confident and aggressive on his feet...on offense and defense (his biggest weakness), he will have a tough time with the elite wrestlers in this tourney. He is a confident wrestler who could be a 4x AA and could be a 1-2x natty champ, but it all depends on whether he's up for it, at this early age!!
If he loses to Jordan, not sure who he'll have next.
- 149 Of our 5 qualifiers, Jake Short (unranked) may have the toughest draw in his first match vs. #3 Alec Pantaleo (MI) #5. Pantaleo beat #4 Tsirtsis last weekend to take 3rd, and he is a very solid wrestler. Jake's weakest aspects are his offense on his feet and he doesn't ride very well. Having said this, if Short wrestles like he has lately, he can beat almost everyone. If he can get by Pantaleo, the rest of the bracket is tough (they're all tough...it's the nattys!!) until he gets Zain Retherford in the semis.
I think he's ready for the challenge so this should be fun to watch.
- 174 Like Short, Nick Wanzek also has a very difficult first round match vs #10 Myles Martin (OSU) #11. Martin took 3rd last weekend beating a talented Nate Jackson (IN)...and he looked really good!!! So, I think it's unlikely that Wanzek gets the win here, but who knows?? Will it be the NW that beat #4 Zach Brunson 13-10, or the NW that got Tech Falled 16-0 last weekend by Alex Meyer (IA) #13? Either way, I'm glad he's getting a chance to participate as a Sophomore, as this experience may help him in the future if the light bulb comes on and continues to shine brightly, without flickering so much.
Nick is still undersized at 174 and he needs to get better at a lot of things, but he has the foundation to be a 1-2x AA if he keeps improving.
- 197 Our stud and team leader #4 Brett Pfarr got a favorable #3 ranking from the NCAA even though he lost his last match to Burak (IA) #4. He has the best draw of our Gopher wrestlers as he gets Preston Weigel (OK State) in the 1st round, then Zack Nye (VA) #14 in the 2nd round, and because he's #3 instead of #4, Burak has to wrestle very tough Conor Hartmann (DU) #5, Pfarr gets Jared Haught (VT) #6, who he beat earlier this year.
Both McIntosh (PSU) #1 and J' Den Cox (MO) #2 have separated themselves by about 33-50% above Pfarr, Burak and Hartmann #s 3-5, because they are even more athletic and creative (Pfarr has lost to both by 1 point). But, both are still beatable. Pfarr is so very solid at this weight, in almost all positions, that he should take (most likely) 3rd or 4th when all is over...and he could win this is he was able to muster the right energy and moves at exactly the right time.
Like I alluded to earlier, Brett Pfarr has become a stud...and he is fun to watch!!!
- #8 285 Michael Kroells (#9) has a decent draw as he has Correnti (Rider) unranked 16-13, then he has Wessels (Lehigh) #8, who Kroells split matches with...winning the last one. In the quarters, he would have 2x natty champ Gwiazdowski (NC State) #1.
So this draw should set MK up nicely for a high AA finish!
The level of talent at this tournament is pretty unbelievable!! I follow the sport closely and it's amazing how many close matches of both highly skilled competitors turn on who wants it most and is willing to go for it 100% at exactly the right (crucial) moment. The one whose confidence in the ability to finish a move, and whose free will determination sets them above equal and even higher level opponents. And it's all there to be played out!!
So who wants its most?? Of our Gopher Wrestlers, I think we have three clear AAs (Pfarr, Kroells and Thorn), one slightly possible AA (Short), and one weak possibility (unless he's able to get and keep it in high gear) Wanzek. Pfarr is also a possible Champion (10-20%), and Thorn is also possible...but with his inexperience, he's a real longshot (10% or less). Still, he's in the conversation because he has the tools, but just hasn't learned to use them all yet.
Even though Gopher Wrestling is down a bit this year from our usual elite levels, we should be better next year when we get several great Redshirt Freshmen integrated into our lineup. We are on the way back up!! So, forget about the weak year...and enjoy some great wrestling the next few days!!!
I predicted 3 AA's and maybe a 4th.
What do you think?? Let's hear your thoughts.
Go Gopher Wrestling!!!
Tomorrow Thurs. March 17th through Sat. March 19th, the NCAA DI Wrestling Championships are happening in New York City at historic Madison Square Garden (MSG)! So, because College Wrestling is on a major rise in popularity lately, the NCAA decided to bring this event to prime time in NYC!! Along with the early season "Grapple in the Garden" event (multiple dual meets at the same time), and the outdoor Freestyle wrestling events the last two years in Times Square...this event should only shine a brighter light on our sport. Which is great!!
The rise in popularity of College Wrestling is also apparent because of ESPN's increasing coverage over the past 10 years. Not long ago, all you could watch live were the DI Finals. Then about 5 years ago, you could see the Semifinals and Quarterfinals. Then they expanded to the Medal Rounds (Consolation Finals) and last year the First and Second Rounds were televised on ESPNU and EVERY MATCH was streamed live on ESPN3.
I know the NCAA DII and DIII matches were also streamed live (free) on NCAA.com along with the finals, and I think this was on last year as well. And, although a couple DII schools are dropping the Sport...Fresno State and a couple others are adding the sport...so College Wrestling is in pretty good shape!
Anyway, back to the National Championships. The schedule is:
Thurs. 3-17
First Round televised on ESPNU at 11am CT and every match (on 8 mats) on ESPN3.
Second Round televised on ESPNU at 6pm CT and every match on ESPN3.
Fri. 3-18
Quarterfinals on ESPNU at 10am CT and all matches on ESPN3
Semifinals on ESPN at 7pm CT and all matches on ESPN3
Sat. 3-19
Medal Round on ESPNU at 10am CT and all matches on ESPN3
Finals on ESPN at 7pm CT
So, my friends that's a lot of wrestling!!
(And, I'm going to see most of it).
Now, back to Gopher Wrestling.
Remember we have 5 qualifiers - Thorn, Short, Wanzek, B. Pfarr, and Kroells.
We should end up with 3 All Americans (Thorn, Pfarr and Kroells), and maybe a 4th (Short).
It's possible that Wanzek could do it...anything is possible. But, unless he wrestles the whole tournament like he did when he won 13-10 over #4 Zach Brunson of IL, it's not likely.
What do you think?? Let us know!!
Here are the brackets:
http://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/images/2016/03/09/2016d1wrestling.pdf
And, here are some thoughts (from last week's NCAA brackets thread) on how our 5 Gopher qualifiers early matches look (1st # before wrestler's name is Intermat ranking...# after name is NCAA ranking):
- 141 #8 Tommy Thorn (#11) has a tough road to hoe and it was made tougher by seeding of the selection committee. Thorn beat Anthony Ashenault (RU) (#4) convincingly in the dual and beat Matt Manley (MO) #5 twice in the Cliff Keen Invitational. Thorn should win his first match vs. Nicholas Gil (Navy 25-15, he beat Gil earlier this season), then he has a tough one vs. Micah Jordan (OSU) (#6), who he was ahead of in the 3rd period last weekend, before making a very stupid move, turning into Jordan, which led to him getting quickly pinned.
Thorn could certainly win this match...he had Jordan on his heels until the bad move. Tommy is a good rider, he gets out from bottom well, and he's a very good scrambler. But, unless he is confident and aggressive on his feet...on offense and defense (his biggest weakness), he will have a tough time with the elite wrestlers in this tourney. He is a confident wrestler who could be a 4x AA and could be a 1-2x natty champ, but it all depends on whether he's up for it, at this early age!!
If he loses to Jordan, not sure who he'll have next.
- 149 Of our 5 qualifiers, Jake Short (unranked) may have the toughest draw in his first match vs. #3 Alec Pantaleo (MI) #5. Pantaleo beat #4 Tsirtsis last weekend to take 3rd, and he is a very solid wrestler. Jake's weakest aspects are his offense on his feet and he doesn't ride very well. Having said this, if Short wrestles like he has lately, he can beat almost everyone. If he can get by Pantaleo, the rest of the bracket is tough (they're all tough...it's the nattys!!) until he gets Zain Retherford in the semis.
I think he's ready for the challenge so this should be fun to watch.
- 174 Like Short, Nick Wanzek also has a very difficult first round match vs #10 Myles Martin (OSU) #11. Martin took 3rd last weekend beating a talented Nate Jackson (IN)...and he looked really good!!! So, I think it's unlikely that Wanzek gets the win here, but who knows?? Will it be the NW that beat #4 Zach Brunson 13-10, or the NW that got Tech Falled 16-0 last weekend by Alex Meyer (IA) #13? Either way, I'm glad he's getting a chance to participate as a Sophomore, as this experience may help him in the future if the light bulb comes on and continues to shine brightly, without flickering so much.
Nick is still undersized at 174 and he needs to get better at a lot of things, but he has the foundation to be a 1-2x AA if he keeps improving.
- 197 Our stud and team leader #4 Brett Pfarr got a favorable #3 ranking from the NCAA even though he lost his last match to Burak (IA) #4. He has the best draw of our Gopher wrestlers as he gets Preston Weigel (OK State) in the 1st round, then Zack Nye (VA) #14 in the 2nd round, and because he's #3 instead of #4, Burak has to wrestle very tough Conor Hartmann (DU) #5, Pfarr gets Jared Haught (VT) #6, who he beat earlier this year.
Both McIntosh (PSU) #1 and J' Den Cox (MO) #2 have separated themselves by about 33-50% above Pfarr, Burak and Hartmann #s 3-5, because they are even more athletic and creative (Pfarr has lost to both by 1 point). But, both are still beatable. Pfarr is so very solid at this weight, in almost all positions, that he should take (most likely) 3rd or 4th when all is over...and he could win this is he was able to muster the right energy and moves at exactly the right time.
Like I alluded to earlier, Brett Pfarr has become a stud...and he is fun to watch!!!
- #8 285 Michael Kroells (#9) has a decent draw as he has Correnti (Rider) unranked 16-13, then he has Wessels (Lehigh) #8, who Kroells split matches with...winning the last one. In the quarters, he would have 2x natty champ Gwiazdowski (NC State) #1.
So this draw should set MK up nicely for a high AA finish!
The level of talent at this tournament is pretty unbelievable!! I follow the sport closely and it's amazing how many close matches of both highly skilled competitors turn on who wants it most and is willing to go for it 100% at exactly the right (crucial) moment. The one whose confidence in the ability to finish a move, and whose free will determination sets them above equal and even higher level opponents. And it's all there to be played out!!
So who wants its most?? Of our Gopher Wrestlers, I think we have three clear AAs (Pfarr, Kroells and Thorn), one slightly possible AA (Short), and one weak possibility (unless he's able to get and keep it in high gear) Wanzek. Pfarr is also a possible Champion (10-20%), and Thorn is also possible...but with his inexperience, he's a real longshot (10% or less). Still, he's in the conversation because he has the tools, but just hasn't learned to use them all yet.
Even though Gopher Wrestling is down a bit this year from our usual elite levels, we should be better next year when we get several great Redshirt Freshmen integrated into our lineup. We are on the way back up!! So, forget about the weak year...and enjoy some great wrestling the next few days!!!
I predicted 3 AA's and maybe a 4th.
What do you think?? Let's hear your thoughts.
Go Gopher Wrestling!!!
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