The Complete & Total 2021 Big Ten Championship Preview
The Complete & Total 2021 Big Ten Championship Preview
A deep dive into everything you need to know about all 10 weights at the 2021 Big Ten Championships.
It's been a whacky season, but we're really doing it. The post-season is finally here! Week one of D1 conference wrestling was awesome and I expect this weekend to be no different. While the action is live on the Big Ten Network, we'll be breaking it down from Flo HQ on a watch party. Here's everything you need to know about this 184 lbs bracket.
Watch the Big Ten/Big 12 Championships Watch Party LIVE on FloWrestling
Below is a deep dive into everything you need to know about all 10 weights at the 2021 Big Ten Championships. To get even more preview content including brackets and bracket reactions click HERE.
125 lbs: Three Ranked Wrestlers Won't Auto Qualify
Spencer Lee Next Topic
Spencer Lee has somehow looked even better this season than he did last season when he won the Hodge. Granted, Lee has only wrestled four matches this year, but they have all ended via first-period pin and three came against top-15 ranked wrestlers. If Spencer somehow goes down here it would be one of the most unbelievably shocking.
Please watch this video narrated by Andrew Spey one year ago that still applies today.
The Battle For Top 8
While it might be a one-pony race for the top spot, battle for spots 2-8 will be an absolute scrap. 11 of the 14 wrestlers are in the national rankings, meaning at least three will be left to hoping for a wildcard bid. Devin Schroder is the returning Big Ten finalist and he got the seven seed. Justin Cardani is on the outside looking in as of right now, but he does have a win over #6 Eric Barnett this season. The depth of this weight class will even make every consolation match tough, and not just tough but important. The consolation round of eights will help decide who gets to go to nationals and who doesn’t.
How Will The True Freshmen Look?
Penn State’s Robert Howard, Michigan’s Dylan Ragusin, and Rutger's Dylan Shawver are three tough freshmen, with the limited matches this season, they sit at the nine, 11, and 13 seeds. They’ll have to prove themselves in State College.
Ragusin split time between 125 and 133 this season, but now it’s official that he’s going 125 for the postseason. The true freshman has only wrestled three matches at 125 lbs, but that was enough to earn him the nine seed. The nine seed means Ragusin will have two tough opening matches. First, he’ll have eight seed and #14 in the nation Michael DeAugustino followed by Spencer Lee if he wins.
Howard’s draw isn’t much better. As the 11 seed he’ll have to go through the six, three, and two seeds just to make the finals. That means #10 Eric Barnett, #9 Malik Heinselman (who beat Howard 5-2 in the regular season), and #7 Liam Cronin. Talk about a tough draw.
Shawver received the 13 seed and is the most likely of these three to end up missing out on St. Louis. From Elyria, Ohio, Shawver was a three-time Ohio state place winner and likely champion before the tournament was canceled last year. He's 2-0 so far this season with wins over Brady Koontz and Kooper Loehr. Shawver is tough and earned the spot over Nic Aguilar, but he's got a large hill to climb. He'll have Heinselman first round.
Early Matches To Watch
First Round
#14 Michael DeAugustino vs #14 (133) Dylan Ragusin
#10 Eric Barnett vs #18 Robert Howard
#13 Devin Schroder vs #15 Justin Cardani
Quarters
#11 Patrick McKee vs #12 Rayvon Foley
#9 Malik Heinselman vs #10 Eric Barnett/#18 Robert Howard
133 lbs: RBY & DeSanto Headline
The RBY, DeSanto Rivalry
Roman Bravo-Young and Austin DeSanto have met four times in their careers so far. In 2019, DeSanto got the better of RBY by 12-8 decision at Big Tens and by 7-2 decision at NCAAs. A year later, RBY took a lead in their match at a dual in Carver Hawkeye Arena before winning by injury default and then earned a 3-2 decision in the Big Ten semis.
Not only have these two split matches, but their bouts have also had more than their fair share of drama. At the 2019 NCAA Championships, the two flew into the scorers' table, and last year's DeSanto injury default created all kinds of buzz. Of course, this is also a critical rivalry because of team score implications. If DeSanto can get back to his winning ways against RBY, he could help ensure the Hawkeyes win their first team title since 2010.
Roman Bravo-Young and Austin DeSanto's 2020 Big Ten Semi
Early Matches to Circle
With six ranked 133-pounders and eight automatic qualifying bits for NCAAs, this bracket has some big opportunities for unranked guys to punch their tickets to nationals.
#24 Lucas Byrd vs #23 Chris Cannon - The fourth and fifth seeds here should meet in the quarterfinals for the first time in their careers. Cannon is undefeated on the season and has looked solid, and Byrd's only loss this year came against DeSanto. This will be a big test for both Cannon and Byrd.
#6 Sammy Alvarez vs Jack Medley - Medley has been down at 125 this season but will be moving up to 133 for the Wolverines. He's a decided underdog against Alvarez, but he's proven to have a motor that keeps him in matches. This is a potential quarterfinal match. Medley is one of the unranked guys with a solid shot of punching his ticket to NCAAs.
Tucker Sjomeling vs Jack Medley - Before Medley can attempt to wrestle Alvarez in the quarters, he'll have to navigate a tough opening round bout with Nebraska's Tucker Sjomeling. While Sjomeling might not be the starter Husker fans would have expected to see at the beginning of the season, he's capable and has a win over All-American Montorie Bridges in his career.
141 lbs: There Can Be Only One
The Big Three
There has been a debate raging all season long about who deserves the number one national ranking at 141-pounds. Unfortunately, due to the limited schedules of Iowa, Penn State and Rutgers, Eierman, Lee and Rivera have yet to face each other on the mat.
Flo's rankings differ from the Big Ten preseeds in that we weigh Rivera's past results at 125 and 133 a bit more heavily than the Big Ten coaches. This is an understandable interpretation of the results, as Lee and Eierman have both earned All-American status at 141. We're not making a judgment call, just pointing out the differences and explaining why we have Seabass #1, whereas the coaches seeded him #3.
It would also appear that neither Flo nor the coaches are factoring in freestyle results, otherwise, Lee would have the most recent win over Eierman. Counting only folkstyle results, it's Eierman's victory over Lee way back in the 2018 NCAAs that takes precedent.
Watch Lee defeat Eierman in a freestyle match at 2019 Senior Nationals.
Watch Eierman take out Lee at the 2018 NCAA consolation semifinals.
In any event, Lee, Eierman and Rivera have the most credentials, have beaten the most All-Americans and NCAA champs, and have the best odds of reaching the top steps of the NCAA podium in a few weeks.
Putting Some Respect On Chad Red's Name
More than a few people in Lincoln, Nebraska and elsewhere would take umbrage with the previous header. Like the so-called "Big Three", Chad Red is also a three-time All-American looking to become a four-timer in St. Louis. Additionally, neither Red nor any of the aforementioned title contenders have wrestled in an NCAA finals (although, in fairness, that may not be the case had covid not canceled the 2020 tournament).
Holding Red back in the rankings, and in the minds of various wrestling pundits, are the losses he's taken throughout his career, which would reflect negatively on his resume when compared to Rivera, Lee and Rivera.
However, we do not advise sleeping on Red. He has an electric style replete with pinning combos that make him dangerous in any match at any time.
Below is evidence to Red's deadly pinning abilities, in which a cement mixer is the weapon of choice.
Other Contenders, Sleepers, and Landmines
Illinois' Dylan Duncan is the next highest-ranked (and seeded) wrestler outside the top quartet. He doesn't have the credentials as the top tier but he's got a win over 2021 MAC champ #9 Dresden Simon of Central Michigan.
Marcos Polanco also maintains a top 25 ranking thanks to his defeat of Parker Filius, who started the year in the top 25.
And look out for Colin Valdiviez, who only mustered a #13 pressed, but advanced to the round of 16 at the 2018 NCAA Championship.
Most Anticipated Matchups
Those early rounds will be entertaining but its the semifinals that everyone will have circled on their brackets. Assuming those four wrestlers all make it to the penultimate round, it'll look like this:
#1 Sebastian Rivera, Northwestern vs #3 Nick Lee, Penn State
#2 Jaydin Eierman, Iowa vs #4 Chad Red, Nebraska
Yes, that's awesome.
149 lbs: A Messy But Brutally Deep Weight At Big Tens
Can Sammy Sasso Bring Home An Individual Title For Ohio State?
Sammy Sasso was the #1 seed at the 2020 Big Ten Championships before getting tripped up in the finals by Pat Lugo. Undefeated against the field, including a pin over #2 Max Murin, Sasso isn’t just a heavy odds-on favorite to make it back to the finals, but win it this time.
And this year, Sasso is Ohio State’s only #1 seed and their best shot at bringing home a title to Columbus. Ohio State has had a Big Ten champion every year since 2011. Can Sasso keep that streak alive?
Watch Sammy Sasso pin Max Murin below.
The Mess In The Middle
Sasso and Murin are the consensus #1 and #2 wrestlers in the conference. Behind them, however, is quite a mess. Griffin Parriott is undefeated this year and received the #2 seed, but split matches with Yahya Thomas and was 0-1 against Kanen Storr last season. Michael Blockhus got the #6 seed with a win over Thomas in their last match of the season but a loss to Mike Van Brill in Van Brill’s final match of the regular season. All the way down at #10 is Peyton Omania, but he beat #5 Storr 15-8 in his last match of the season.
As you can see, a lot of potential bracket busters and not an easy weight to predict.
How High Can Beau Bartlett Climb?
A potential bracket buster that a lot of people have circled is Penn State’s Beau Bartlett. Bartlett has gone 7-1 so far during his true freshman campaign while splitting time between 141 and 149. His only loss was a 5-3 decision to Sasso, but his best win at 149 is Michigan backup Cole Mattin.
Coming out of high school, Bartlett was a four-time National Prep champion and the #4 overall recruit from the class of 2020. Being such a high recruit with so much talent, a lot of people are predicting Bartlett to finish much higher than his seed. His draw is less than favorable, however. He’ll have to go through Blockhus, Parriott, and Murin just to make the finals.
Early Matches To Watch
#11 Michael Blockhus vs Beau Bartlett: the two have never wrestled
#7 Griffin Parriott vs #11 Michael Blockhus/Beau Bartlett: Parriott hasn’t wrestled either
#8 Yahya Thomas vs #15 Kanen Storr: the two have never wrestled in folkstyle, but Thomas won at 2020 Senior Nationals
157 lbs: Deakin Leads Loaded Field
Deakin is the Clear Frontrunner
Last season, Ryan Deakin was the top seed at NCAAs for good reason. He was undefeated with wins over #2 Hayden Hidlay and #3 David Carr. He's most likely back in pole position for this year's NCAAs, but he'll need to win a tough Big Ten bracket first.
Deakin didn't wrestle his first matches of the season until a dual against Wisconsin on February 4, and while hie teched #23 Garrett Model, he won a much closer 7-4 decision in extra matches against Devin Bahr. This might have caused concern for Northwestern fans about Deakin's readiness for the post season, but he followed that up the following week with a 12-0 major decision over #6 Brayton Lee.
If seeds hold, Deakin would have a quarterfinal rematch with Model, a semifinal against either #7 Kendall Coleman or #9 Brady Berge, and a final against either #6 Brayton Lee or #5 Kaleb Young. The only wrestler from that group who has defeated Deakin is Kaleb Young who actually had a 2-1 record against Deakin in 2019. Since that time, Deakin seems to have noticeably improved, but those wins can't be ignored.
Ryan Deakin's 2020 dual meet victory over Kendall Coleman
6 Top 10 Guys Make This a Loaded Weight
Even after Ryan Deakin, this field is stacked with talent. Kaleb Young, Brayton Lee, Kendall Coleman, Brady Berge, and Will Lewan are all ranked in the top ten, and they all have All-American potential.
Young was an All-American in 2019 placing 5th, and he has two wins over Ryan Deakin. He also has wins over Kendall Coleman, and Brayton Lee. That makes him the clear #2 seed.
Brayton Lee's win over Kendall Coleman this year gave him the #3 seed, and Kendall Coleman's sudden victory win over Will Lewan last season earned him the #4 seed.
Lewan's only loss on the season came at the hands of Brady Berge which is why Berge holds the #5 seed and Lewan the #6. They are both very dangerous and pose problems for everyone in this bracket.
Early Matches to Watch
#25 Chase Saldate vs #2 Kaleb Young - Michigan State freshman Chase Saldate is 4-3 on the season, but his losses have come to Brayton lee, Kendall Coleman, and Will Lewan. He was within a point of Lee and pushed Coleman to overtime. Young is a big favorite here, but Saldate could have a big win this weekend, so keep your eyes on this potential quarterfinal.
#6 Brayton Lee vs #10 Will Lewan - If seeds hold, we'll see Brayton Lee and Will Lewan hit for the first time in their college careers. They do have history as Lee edged Lewan 5-3 in 2018 in freestyle, but this match will teach us a lot about where they stand as college folkstylers.
#7 Kendall Coleman vs #9 Brady Berge - Another potential quarterfinal could bring another matchup we haven't seen between Purdue's Kendall Coleman and Penn State's Brady Berge. Coleman's only loss on the year was to Brayton Lee, while Berge is undefeated this season with a win over Will Lewan.
Berge has been an important piece of the Penn State story this season, and his health could mean big things for the Nittany Lions. Coleman, on the other hand, was a rising star last season but didn't get to prove himself at the NCAA Championships. This might be the most interesting match of the quarterfinals at 157 lbs.
165 lbs: Who Gets The Horns?
Will The Bull See Red?
Alex Marinelli is the elder statesman of the conference. He's the only entrant in this bracket to have climbed the podium on Saturday, finishing sixth and seventh in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Before covid-19 canceled the 2020 tournament, Marinelli had locked up the #1 seed by dint of his 20-1 record and a win over Vincenzo Joseph in the 2020 Big Ten finals.
The Bull is also the only wrestler who is both a senior and ranked in the top 25 in the division. In short, Marinelli is the heavy favorite. The only potential unfavorable variable is the effects of having to sit out all but two matches this season due to everyone's least favorite coronavirus, the despised covid-19.
Watch Marinelli Dan Braunagel at last year's Big Ten tournament:
Don't Doubt The Commitment Of Sparkle Motion
You can't be successful in the Big Ten without being 100% committed, so don't doubt any of the contenders in the 165-pound division, even the youngins. One wrestler who has been proving doubters wrong all season is the true freshman from Minnesota by way of California, Andrew 'Sparkle Motion' Sparks.
Sparks is 8-1 on the season, with his only loss being an 8-4 decision to Alex Marinelli. He's also racked up wins over #19 Peyton Robb, #21 Gerrit Nijenhuis, and #23 Jake Tucker. Sparks also beat uber recruit and future Sun Devil Cael Valencia in the finals of the 2020 California State Championships. Though not a complete unknown, Sparks may end up being one of the best pickips from the class of 2020.
Watch Sparks drop a close one to Valencia at Doc B, which he would later avenge in the state finals:
Besides #16 Andrew Sparks, expect #7 Dan Braunagel, #8 Ethan Smith, #13 Cam Amine, #14, Joe Lee, #19 Peyton Robb, #21 Gerrit Nijenhuis, #22 Nick South & #23 Jake Tucker to put forth maximum effort in State College, PA.
Other Contenders, Sleepers, and Landmines
I don't care what their records are, there are no easy outs at 165lbs in the Big Ten. The bottom four wrestlers according to the preseeds are a combined 2-21 on the season. That's life when you can only wrestle intraconference matches and the other 10 wrestlers in your weight class are all in the top 25.
So maybe it's not the expert analysis you came here to read, but everyone in this weight class is good. David Ferrante gave Sparks a 14-10 match. Jonathan Spadafora won 25 matches while redshirting last season, Josh Otto won 15. Brett Donner was 18-17 while starting varsity.
Sleep on any opponent at your own peril.
Most Anticipated Matchups
The quarters will be solid, particularly the 4/5 bout of Cam Amine vs Andrew Sparks, but the real fun is going to be in the backside of the bracket. Seeds 4 through 10 are all very close in talent level, and seeds 11 through 14 are all capable of an upset versus seeds 4 through 10.
So perhaps it's another cop-out but you can't go wrong with tuning in to any of these bouts. Marinelli is the only marquee name, but expect a scrap everywhere you look.
174 lbs: Why It Might Be The Toughest Weight At Big Tens
Is The Fourth Time The Charm For KemDawg?
Despite qualifying for NCAAs every year he’s wrestled and never placing lower than fourth, Michael Kemerer has never won a Big Ten title. The two years he’s made the finals, Kemerer has run into Mark Hall and Jason Nolf, so it hasn’t been for lack of skill on Kemerer’s end. This year is looking like his best odds yet as he is both the #1 seed and the #1 ranked wrestler in the country. KemDawg is 4-0 with two majors and a pin.
Listen to Michael Kemerer reflect on his 2020 Big Ten performance below.
Labriola’s Chance At Redemption
Kemerer’s #1 seed didn’t come without a bit of controversy. Mikey Labriola is 8-0 on the year with over a 50% bonus rate and a win over Donnell Washington. Kemerer did defeat Labriola last year in the dual and outplace him at Big Tens last year, so it is understandable why he is ranked higher and got the #1 seed, but here’s the kicker: Labriola showed up to the Iowa dual and Kemerer did not. A lot of people thought Labriola should be rewarded for that and Kemerer punished, but the Big Ten coaches didn’t see it that way and that’s that.
Watch Michael Kemerer and Mikey Labriola’s 2020 match below.
Super Semis
There is a decent chance the Kemerer - Labriola rematch doesn’t even go down. I already touched on the top-two seeds, but 4-6 can’t be ignored.
#3 Carter Starocci has looked tough this year outside of the Donnell Washington match, and Penn State peaks as good as anyone. Starocci already has a win over #6 Ethan Smith, which will go down again in the quarters. If we haven’t seen the best version of Starocci yet, watch out.
If things go chalk, #4 Logan Massa is set to meet Kemerer in the semifinals. Massa will meet Washington in the quarters. Although Massa pinned Washington early in the season, Washington proved in his match with Starocci that he is dangerous and can’t be slept on.
The Battle To Qualify
With the top three wrestlers in the country, the battle for the top spot will obviously be a tough one. However, with six of the top seven and ten total ranked in the top 25, the battle for the top spot won't be the only tough one. The fight just to qualify will be a tough one. With just eight allocation spots, that means at least two ranked wrestlers won't make it on Sunday and be left to hoping for an at-large bid.
Early Matches To Watch
#3 Carter Starocci vs #6 Kaleb Romero: Starocci won 2-1 in the regular season
#5 Logan Massa vs #7 DJ Washington: Massa won via fall in the regular season
184 lbs: Brooks Looks To Repeat In A Wild Field
Brooks at the Top
Since winning a Big Ten title as a true Freshman, Aaron Brooks has been basically untouchable. In his six matches this season, he has four majors and a tech, and he appears to have separated himself from the field.
Based on pre-seeds, he could see Nelson Brands or Zach Braunagel in the quarters. He's 1-0 against Braunagel but has yet to face Brands in his career. A quarterfinal win would likely give him Owen Webster or John Poznanski in the semis. He hasn't seen Poznanski yet, but he has two majors over Webster.
There's no telling who will come out of the opposite side of the bracket. It could be Chris Weiler, Layne Malczewski, Max Lyon, or Taylor Venz. Brooks hasn't seen Malczewski or Lyon, and he's 2-0 against Weiler. Taylor Venz has actually handed Brooks the lone loss of his Penn State career, but Brooks got revenge last year at Big Tens with a fall in the semis.
Aaron Brooks' 2020 Big Ten semi victory over Taylor Venz
Predicting the Podium is a Fool's Errand
Brooks is a clear favorite to win this bracket, but with the next nine guys being ranked between #6 and #18 in the country, there are a lot of reasonable podium outcomes that make sense.
Rocky Jordan may be the most likely guy to wreck the seeds. He's way down at the #10 seed but has wins over Max Lyon who he's supposed to see in the round of 16 and Chris Weiler who he's seeded to see in the quarterfinals.
The bottom line is that all of the guys in the top ten are capable of both winning and losing to each other, and with just eight automatic qualifier spots, every match will matter.
Top Early Matches
#18 Rocky Jordan vs #11 Max Lyon - Lyon has the higher seed, but Jordan has won this match in their three previous meetings 7-1, 6-1, and 7-2. History favors Rocky, but Lyon's victories over Braunagel, Brands, and Malczewski suggest he's capable.
#17 Nelson Brands vs #16 Zach Braunagel - Braunagel has a 2-1 record against Brands, but all three of their meetings have been razor thin. Brands won 3-1 during his true freshman year, but Braunagel won 3-2 at Midlands last season and in sudden victory in a dual this year. This one could go either way.
#12 Layne Malczewski vs #15 Taylor Venz - Malczewski and Venz have yet to square off in their college careers. Coming into the season, the All-American Venz would have been a heavy favorite, but he's taken a couple losses this year. Malczewski has looked solid with just one loss to Max Lyon on the season.
#6 Owen Webster vs #9 John Poznanski - Webster beat Poznanski 6-4 when these two met in January, so he's the favorite, but their tight match from last time suggests this one could be close again.
#10 Chris Weiler vs #18 Jordan/#11 Lyon - Second seed Chris Weiler will see either Max Lyon who he beat this year or Rocky Jordan who beat him. His Lyon win was 4-2, and his Jordan loss was 9-4.
197 lbs: Myles Amines Business
Olympian Myles Amines Business
The pride of San Marino (which is no joke, Myles' mother is Sammarinese) has bumped up two weight classes after taking last season off while on an Olympic Redshirt. Similar to the seeding process at 141, Amine appears to have been penalized by the Big Ten coaches for moving up a weight class.
Amine finished 4th, 3rd, and 3rd in three trips to the NCAA Championships, all at 174-pounds. There is but one other competitor who has wrestled on Saturday at the NCAAs, Jacob Warner, who placed seventh in 2019. However, to be fair, Eric Schultz was seeded third going into the canceled 2020 NCAAs, and Warner and Cam Caffey were seeded 5th and 6th respectively.
Amine also wrestled zero folkstyle last season while redshirting. The strategy was quite successful, though, as Myles Amine qualified for the Olympics and will represent the small landlocked Apennine principality of San Marino at the Tokyo Olympics.
Watch Amine punch his ticket to the semifinals of the 2019 World Championships, earning him an Olympic qualifying bid in the process:
However, no seeding credit for qualifying for the Olympics, no matter how nifty the achievement. Regardless, Myles means business in folkstyle as well. As the most credentialed wrestler in the field, he'll have the target on his singlet not matter where he's seeded.
The Challengers Care Not For Accolades
The aforementioned trio of Schultz, Warner, and Caffey are more than up to the challenge of hoisting a Big Ten championship trophy, as they were all slated to earn All-American honors at last year's NCAAs. However, we do have some relevant results from this weird, shortened season.
Caffey, who bumped up from 184 last season, has two losses on the season, 11-6 to Amine and 6-5 to Schultz. Schultz also beat Warner 3-2. Amine has never wrestled either Schultz or Warner. Warner has also never wrestled Caffey.
Northwestern's Lucas Davison is also in the mix for the Big Ten crown.
Other Contenders, Sleepers, and Landmines
It wasn't that long ago that Gavin Hoffman and Miachel Beard were the respective #10 and #11 ranked prospects in the class of 2018. Beard took two shirts of the gray and red variety the last two seasons but appears ready for a break out season. Hoffman took a circuitous path to the starting 197-pound gig in Columbus. He stumbled a bit but may have found his footing.
Watch this blast from the fairly recent past as Beard and Hoffman wrestle a thriller at 2017's Who's #1:
Beard is ranked 12th nationally and is very dangerous from the #7 seed. Hoffman is right outside the top 25 rankings and, if he finds his groove, is capable of a deep postseason run.
Billy Janzer spent most of last year ranked at 184. Rutgers has had trouble getting mat time this season and Janzer's loss to Hoffman keeps him on the top 25 bubble but as #10 seed he's a landmine you don't want to encounter on either side of the bracket.
Most Anticipated Matchups
Round of 16
Jaron Smith, Maryland vs #10 Lucas Davison, Northwestern.
Smith is coming back after being injured all last season and has not yet returned to form, but has knocked off his fair share of ranked wrestlers in his career. Davison defeated Smith 5-1 earlier this season, but this could be a trap-match for the Wildcat in the first round of the tournament.
Billy Janzer, Rutgers vs #12 Michael Beard, Penn State
Beard will be the heavy favorite but it will still be a good first-round test for the Nittany Lion. Janzer will need to be prepared after not having had a competitive match in over a month.
Quarterfinals
#1 Myles Amine, Michigan vs #12 Michael Beard, Penn State
Assuming Beard advances he'll have the #2 seed Myles Amine waiting for him. Beard is a full size 197-pounder, but Amine has proven himself against some of the best 86 kilo (189.2 pounds) wrestlers in the world.
#3 Jacob Warner, Iowa vs #23 Tommy Penola, Purdue
There's not a lot of room to breathe in the toughest conference tournament in the county. After an opening-round match with Salamme, Warner will likely see the indefatigable Tommy Penola. While Warner will be the favorite, his stamina will be tested.
285 lbs: The Big Three's Impact On The Team Race
The Big Three
Gable Steveson. Mason Parris. Greg Kerkvliet. These are the big three at this weight. Gable has established himself as the top dog, but Mason has shown clear signs of improvement and Kerkvliet is still a big question mark at this point in time.
Gable beat Mason 8-6 last season when they met in the Big Ten finals. Mason’s clear improvement has a lot of people wondering if he can reverse that result this time around. Gable has shown improvement as well, however. The Minnesota junior is 9-0 with 100% bonus rate this season including three pins and five tech falls. The two were scheduled to meet in December at the RTC Cup, but Gable opted not to wrestle after beating Nick Gwiazdowski. This started a little fun between the two on social media.
— Gable Steveson (@GSteveson) December 5, 2020
Can’t run forever. See you soon. ;) https://t.co/577JSrkEaq
— Mason Parris (@Parris58) December 6, 2020
Now, as I said before, Kerkvliet is a bit of a wildcard. If you’re unfamiliar with the Penn State heavyweight, he was a four-time Minnesota state champion, Cadet World Champion, and the #1 overall recruit in the class of 2019. However, with only two matches so far in his redshirt freshman year, Kerkvliet received the seven seed. That means he’ll have to go through Parris in the quarters and most likely #3 Anthony Cassioppi in the semis.
Watch Kerkvliet make the 2019 U23 World Team over Jordan Wood below.
Watch Gable Steveson break down his 2020 Big Tens match with Mason Parris below.
Impact On The Team Race
My friend and colleague Andrew Spey conveniently calculated team scores using the pre-seeds as hypothetical tournament finishes.
Now, this is without bonus and clearly hypothetical, but as you can see Penn State, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Michigan are all quite close and have a good shot at second place behind Iowa. It just so happens that those four schools all have major players at heavyweight.
Not including bonus points, there is a 6.5 point difference between finishing in first place and third place. That might not seem like a lot, but when you look at how close these teams are projected to finish, every point is crucial. It will be essential for their squads that these men perform to their abilities.
Early Matches To Watch
#2 Mason Parris vs #14 Greg Kerkvliet: the two have never wrestled
#10 Luke Luffman vs #12 Christian Lance: Luffman won 4-2 in the dual this year
#3 Tony Cassioppi vs #13 Trent Hillger: the two haven’t met this year, but Cassioppi went 2-0 last year