A fantastic collection of  NCAA Champs, finalists, All Americans and ranked competitors will converge in Madison Square Garden this Sunday morning.  Many of the hammers will be colliding.  Here were the 7 matches I am the MOST excited to watch.  For a full rundown of Sunday's Grapple at the Garden slate check out the schedule here.  Remember you can watch all matches LIVE on Flo Pro here. 

8.  #18 Dalton Macri, Cornell vs #12 Tim Lambert, Nebraska
The Freshman from Cornell comes into this season with a good deal of hype after what was a very solid grey shirt year. This will be Macri’s first major test of the year. Lambert has been ultra-consistent for the last few years and has earned a win over All American Darian Cruz already this season. Cornell has an excellent track record of Freshman production.  That should continue with Macri.



7. #12 Jonathan Schleifer, Princeton vs #13 Micah Barnes, Nebraska
Both of these guys have started red hot this year. Schleifer has looked fantastic since moving up from 165 last year. Conversely, Micah Barnes finally finds himself in the starting lineup down from 197 a year ago. This year alone Schleifer has already beaten Cody Walters, Jadaen Bernstein and Casey Kent. Barnes has downed Ben Stroh and Elliot Riddick to his credit. Someone’s hot streak will be cooled at MSG!

6. #3 Brian Realbuto, Cornell vs #13 Micah Barnes, Nebraska
Micah Barnes will be well tested this weekend!  When you consider that Realbuto was at 157 last year and Barnes was at 197 it certainly adds an element of intrigue.  Also don't forget that Realbuto interestingly already faced 197 pounder from a year ago Elliot Riddick and only managed a 1-0 win.  I'm curious to see how much size plays a factor here.  I have full confidence in Realbuto here but still want to see how he looks in matches like this.

5. #5 Jake Sueflohn, Nebraska vs Chris Perez, Princeton
Sueflohn may be much more of a household name than Perez, however that's not a reason di discount this match.  Perez can flat go.  His left side high crotch is filthy and I think there will be a number of flurries and exchanges that make this a match you won't want to miss. Both guys can go hard, scramble and attack the legs. This will be an under the radar match but one I think will deliver in terms of high quality attacks and scrambles. 

4. #1 Isaiah Martinez, Illinois vs #15 Louis Mascola, Maryland
We’ll get to see I-Mar’s first test against ranked competition this year. Coming off an undefeated Freshman season, he’ll get everyone’s best shot each time out. Mascola is solid and has been ranked much of the last two years. It’s an I-Mar match, just enjoy the least tame wrestler in D1 going!

3. #8 Zane Richards, Illinois vs #13 Geoff Alexander, Maryland
We haven’t seen Geoff yet this year, but all indications point to him making his debut at MSG. If so, he’ll take on one of my favorite guys to watch, Zane Richards. Both have notched big wins in their careers. Zane has knocked off the likes of Cory Clark and AJ Schopp. Alexander has a win over Mason Beckman.

2. #5 Nahshon Garrett, Cornell vs #9 Eric Montoya, Nebraska
I’ve always been a huge Nahshon Garrett fan. This is an ultra intriguing match up for me. Montoya is as hard nosed and physical as they come. He’s long for the weight and difficult to take down. Nahshon is one of the few guys in this 33 field I think could match up well against Cody Brewer. Montoya’s length, leg attack finishing ability and athleticism make him an interesting, Brewer-esque comparison. I think this will be a nip and tuck bout personally, though Nahshon is an underdog. Then again, if Nahshon gets a wrist it could get ugly quick with those 4 point nearfalls.

1. #1 Gabe Dean, Cornell vs #6 TJ Dudley, Nebraska
I mean, was there any doubt? Not only are these guys fantastic talents, they had an absolute classic last year at NCAA’s. What’s interesting are the strides TJ has continued to make. Dean has absolutely throttled him before but TJ drastically narrowed the gap by NCAA”s. TJ is a guy I’ve been hyping pretty hard since the Summer and his win over Nate Brown isn’t slowing down this hype train. Dean is probably one of the 4 or 5 biggest favorites to win a title this year, but if there’s a guy with the offense needed to beat Dean it’s Dudley. Dudley has improving leg attacks, savvy riding and a great slide by. Those are the guys that have succeeded against Dean. A year ago Hayden Zilmer and Taylor Meeks got the job done. Those weren’t guys who simply stayed in the handfight and tried to bang with Dean, that’s a losing battle. Dean is a favorite hear but I feel very confident this one will be very entertaining at a minimum.  Here was Dudley's OT win over NCAA Finalist last week: