To stay with the baseball theme, Joe seems like a guy who got a case of the Yips. Hope he can come back!
157 / 165
- Thread starter backdrft76
- Start date
To stay with the baseball theme, Joe seems like a guy who got a case of the Yips. Hope he can come back!
He lost to Austin Bethel who now wrestles for Wabash (don't believe he starts). It was a huge upset.
You kind of prove my point with the rest of your post. At times Joe looks like a world beater and others he loses to guys he's better than. I've also seen him beat guys who he shouldn't have beaten because of his offensive capability (Brandon James his freshman year of high school, David Carr, etc...).
I think we’ll do better at 285 this year:
It wasn't that big of an upset. Bethel was VERY capable and the only wrestler to beat Minnesota's Brayton Lee in HS, costing him a chance at a 4th State Title. And Joe avenged that loss multiple times as well. Sadly, the upset of Brayton cost fans the chance to see Brayton vs. Nick Lee. It was the only time he was in the same weight class as Nick or Joe in HS.
I think we both agree Joe is not a machine and takes an occasional loss, but those have been spread out over years, not all compacted in a short season with head scratching performances in addition to head scratching results. To me there is a difference between the two.
If you look at it, I think the team will be of relatively equal strength, but things had to dramatically improve at 149 through 165, and they simply did not. Iowa has the exact same team back, so the point difference will be the same. A look at this season compared to last season....at psu...
125-trends downward
133-the same
141-the same
149-still a hole unless someone steps up
157-trends downward
165-the same, no points without dramatic improvement
174-the same
184-the same
197-trends upwards
Hwt-trends upwards
Add it all up and it's basically the same total as last year...probably 15 to 20 points behind iowa.
125-trends downward
133-the same
141-the same
149-still a hole unless someone steps up
157-trends downward
165-the same, no points without dramatic improvement
174-the same
184-the same
197-trends upwards
Hwt-trends upwards
Add it all up and it's basically the same total as last year...probably 15 to 20 points behind iowa.
Who is the psu contender at 149? didn't qualify the weight last season...
Last edited:
If one were to concur with your analysis of 'trends downward' and 'trends upward' they aren't equal. At 2021 nationals we scored 1.5 points at 125 and double that for 157. So if we were to flat line at each of those weights in 2022 we don't lose a lot of points. Whereas if we 'trend upwards' at 197 and HWT, as you propose, there are a whole bunch of placement points to be had. Even at 'the same' weights there is potential for bonus points. We will score points at 149 whether it's Bartlett or SVN. So I like our chances to catch Iowa. That's what's great about the off season, we get to share ideas and opinions and then see how they play out.
Which will require improvement from Bartlett, who did not qualify, or Van Ness, who would need to beat out Bartlett...and yes, either could improve and qualify the weight and maybe win a couple matches at Nationals.
In fairness to Bartlett he wasn't the Penn State starter at 149 until the Ohio State dual on February 19th, just two weeks before the B1G tournament. I think if he commits to 149 from the start of the 2021/2022 season, you see a vastly improved wrestler. Whether he red shirts or successfully beats out SVN for the starting position, remains to be seen.
If BB decides he’s going to be the man at 149 and takes appropriate action to fill out, he’s an AA.
He could have wrestled 133 last season and gave two podium placers a good match at 149. The BB that walloped the Junior Nats field at 143/65kg was significantly more muscular than the BB that lost to Sasso, etc.
He could have wrestled 133 last season and gave two podium placers a good match at 149. The BB that walloped the Junior Nats field at 143/65kg was significantly more muscular than the BB that lost to Sasso, etc.
Beau obviously wasn't prepared to go 149 this year. I know people are concerned about his reach and frame but he did hold his own pretty well against the #2 and 3 finishers in that weight class this year. Also as a true freshman with 2 months of a season (and opening your season at Big Tens) and it was going to be tough. That being said, 149 is a weight we need to pick points from next year. It's so wide open and the past decade, it was our damn weight. Time to take it back.
Caels probably telling the boys it ain't going to be easy to have 10 champs this year but you're going to do it.... 😁
A total of 3 points from 149-165 last year. No way we don't improve on that.
I don't know who will get the nod at those weights, but we will be better ... maybe a lot better.
I don't know who will get the nod at those weights, but we will be better ... maybe a lot better.
I feel like 133, 141, 174 and 184 should all wrestle a little looser now that they've got that 1st Natty and score more bonus points. Every one of our guys with a full season will only be better next year.
Ludicrous. I'm sorry. Austin Bethel was very good, but was not on that level. Joe Lee was coming off a 10-0 drubbing of Shane Griffith.
Just a minute Bucco.........you need to take your Common sense Reality-based observations to another board! This kind of logic is not suitable for us fantasy driven off-season posters .......
I agree with you, but I also feel most of our champs would rather wrestle a controlled match, which is all good and dandy because they did win a NT. However, I am more optimistic about CStar because I think he has that killer instinct (pending his offensive improvements). I used to feel that way towards RBY too. Let's hope for some more bonus points this upcoming season. Otherwise, we will need as many qualifiers as we can.
I think if we want more bonus, we have to look at Aaron and Carter picking them up through QFs. I think they both drew opponents they could have majored probably at least (and that's 4 points right there)
We've been spoiled but bonus is very hard to pick up in the semis and finals, we've been spoiled by hammers who makes us just expect that. Heck, it's not easy at any point in the tournament really tbh. I think Aaron and RBY both have shown an ability to convert scrambles into a cradle (that's what makes Eierman such a bonus threat) Yes I said RBY, I've seen him show an instinct to be able to find cradles (think what he did to Ridge Lovett and ADS last year, that's a great opportunity to pick up bonus) Similarly, Aaron finding that standing cradle on Venz. They both have a sense (not Jason Nolf or Bo Nickal level but who is that level?) that makes me think it's possible for them. It's risky but if we want more bonus, that's one way to do it. Nick and Carter are more grinder type who I think can get majors or TFs through turns.
We've been spoiled but bonus is very hard to pick up in the semis and finals, we've been spoiled by hammers who makes us just expect that. Heck, it's not easy at any point in the tournament really tbh. I think Aaron and RBY both have shown an ability to convert scrambles into a cradle (that's what makes Eierman such a bonus threat) Yes I said RBY, I've seen him show an instinct to be able to find cradles (think what he did to Ridge Lovett and ADS last year, that's a great opportunity to pick up bonus) Similarly, Aaron finding that standing cradle on Venz. They both have a sense (not Jason Nolf or Bo Nickal level but who is that level?) that makes me think it's possible for them. It's risky but if we want more bonus, that's one way to do it. Nick and Carter are more grinder type who I think can get majors or TFs through turns.
And hopefully, the Hawkeyes will have had another year toward hating wrestling!
I agree, he had a heck of a run at Worlds, but I liken it to a youth wrestler winning a tournament on 4 cow catchers. He hit a Mallory from the shin whizzer on every opponent that tournament. Its obvious that those foreign kids had never been to a Jordan camp lol. That shit aint working on B10 competition.
Completely agree. A full season Bartlett at 149 doesn’t qualify for nationals? Last years miss on qualifying was a function of who he had to wrestle, not if he was good enough. Calling 157 a hole completely ignores the results in match. Even without improvement he would qualify from a full season.
3 points. It will be a lot better since it doesn’t take much to be a lot better than 3.
This. When I was looking at the math with Wick, I had PSU/Iowa basically tied, and that was already counting on improvements out of Bartlett and Kerk.
I agree that I wouldn't expect much out of Steen as a true freshman in a deep weight. So without a Wick-like transfer, the rest of those points will probably still need to come from 157 and 165, maybe some more from Bartlett if he finishes like top 4 or something.
Another thing to consider is they only got 1 pt out of Murin too. He lost back to back OT matches in the quarters and r12. Between Marinelli and Murin, Iowa could easily extend their margin another 20-25 pts. That's a lot of ground to make up.
Then you also have 184. Assad has wins over 2 of the returning semifinalists. Myles Wilson just beat Foca (who 10-0'd Dean and beat Poznanski in the semis) twice to make the U23 team. They could definitely add points there too.
I don’t know why we are fretting. Last year was an anomaly, especially since there were no matches except for conference matches to go by. We saw how many wrestlers either under ranked or over ranked the brackets.
But nobody’s gonna bet their farm against it either.
I know. Can you imagine how hard it would be to keep a couple of your guys from being a champion so you could only have 4?
Wonder if Deakin is in play? From @smalls103 and @corbyV show, he’s been making the rounds - checking out RTCs.
That would work
That would work
He's interesting, he never declared what he's doing and Willie/Corby made it sound like he might just be done with school also. He's at Nebraska right now training with James Green (he was at Princeton earlier). Worst case scenario from a team race perspective for us is he's just done, it just clears out another person ahead of Young (Dellavecchia, Hidlay, Deakin all clear so he just starts 4 by default and he's beaten Lee multiple times before and can probably beat Teemer, who's hot and cold as well) and we don't have a solution still to get points. That being said AOC is obviously going up, Monday/Humphreys are back and Paddy Gallagher obviously is pretty talented.
Last edited:
I have only ever heard the word "Yips" referring to a golfer's putting woes. That said....who was the Dodgers second baseman who started throwing balls into the dirt and making throwing errors left and right (Literally )?. Of course Steve Blass suddenly couldn't throw a strike....ended his career. Still never heard it referred to as the "Yips" but I guess it fits
Dodger was Steve Sax....who was the Dodgers second baseman who started throwing balls into the dirt and making throwing errors left and right (Literally )? …
Last edited:
