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Wrestling 2023 NCAA Bracket Release Thread

Yes. Phillippi is a leech on top. Maybe not a scorer but nearly impossible to shake once he hooks a leg.

Plus he has a fairly unique style on feet -- he likes to get really low, even to knees, hand fight there, then stand with a Russian tie. He doesn't necessarily score a lot with it, but he gives up very little and makes the opponent work like hell to get out of it.

And he has excellent reattacks, just ask Fix.
He's had a strange career. Looked like a guy who would be contending for titles for years and then just faded to the background of 133.
 
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Nagao is a good scrambler in neutral, and he tied up some good takedown attempts. I saw that match like you did, as RBY seemed to have a very measured approach but that has been common. Only after he breaks an opponent does he turn up the pace. One thing ... RBY took neutral in the second. Nagao took top in the third. I wouldn't expect RBY to choose down if they meet again.

It had to be a tough choice for the Minn coaches to choose top. Nagao's ride is more of a controlling ride. It isn't a turning ride. (His bonus rate is low, and he isn't a scorer). They chose top and they pretty much accepted the loss. Get the riding time point and that's it. RBY knew this too. He did turtle a lot. Other refs might ding him for his effort. But if he avoids a stall call until he goes under then he'll be fine riding it out.
I am not really nervous about this match in terms of RBY’s losing, just a tiny smidge of nervousness. That said, I would’ve rather had him face the 4,5,6 or 7 seed than to face Nagao again. I don’t know enough about Nagao to say whether the kid is a turner on top but it sure as Hell looked like RBY was trying to just not get turned rather than to escape.

All that said, RBY is an all-time great and the likelihood of him losing to a Freshman is minuscule.
 
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I added some notable matches to give some context. I don't like Iowa's backside draws. PK gets knocked out by Griffith, Warner's backside path will be Trumble/Smith then Allred/Nino/Dean in the r12. Assad, Seibrecht/Teske wrestle essentially to seed which means basically no points.
I just went through 149 and I got Murin with another BR loss, to Mauller this time. That's a tough back side draw, too.
 
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How does a guy who beat Fix, Mueller, Myers, Lizak, Pletcher, Wilson, Gomez, Byrd ... how does that guy never make the podium?

One of life's mysteries -- like f-ing magnets, how do they work?
Even crazier, all those except Byrd and Mueller were in the same year. His freshman year seems to be a clear outlier.

He's always been right there. He's never lost to a guy at ncaa's who didn't AA at that tournament.
 
Even crazier, all those except Byrd and Mueller were in the same year. His freshman year seems to be a clear outlier.

He's always been right there. He's never lost to a guy at ncaa's who didn't AA at that tournament.
I'm personally am a huge Philippi fan also because he showed the world the "hide your arm" defense against ADS isn't really an advantage.
 
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Even crazier, all those except Byrd and Mueller were in the same year. His freshman year seems to be a clear outlier.

He's always been right there. He's never lost to a guy at ncaa's who didn't AA at that tournament.
Yeah, it happens that way if you lose in the BR every year. LOL.
 
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I am rooting for Murin to get on the podium then he can lose out after that but I couldn't imagine him being a 4 time Blood Rounder, good lord.

Also, if he could trade draws with Van Ness, he would almost certainly AA, likely semis.
Yeah, SVN's draw is a lot better than Murin's. A lot. Obviously, he's not going to get past Yianni, but he has a reasonable chance to get there.
 
Yeah, SVN's draw is a lot better than Murin's. A lot. Obviously, he's not going to get past Yianni, but he has a reasonable chance to get there.
I think people are downplaying Henson, he's clearly looked better than Van Ness this year, Shayne is an underdog in that match. My only thing is the season Van Ness had was going to get him a very good second round opponent, I'd prefer a true freshman who let's it fly than a seasoned vet like John Millner who has podiumed twice and will hammer you from top for days.
 
It sucks they seeded the top 2 B1G guys 8 & 9 so there’s a rematch of the conference finals in the second round. I get it if that’s how the formula worked out, but I wish they would prevent that since they just wrestled.

They used to, but got rid of the conference separation consideration. Too many other conferences were arguing the reason the Big10 dominates the medals is because they don't knock each other off.
Yeah, bullshyt I know. But repeat something over and over it becomes the truth.
The language was, "all wrestlers from the same qualifying tournament will be separated through the round of 32 competitors.". An 8/9 match-up could still happen in the old days. When the Big Ten expanded to 12, then 14 teams, this became a near impossibility. The B1G conference has had as many as 12 (or is it 13?) qualifiers in the recent past. That number, with 16 bouts in the first round of the Championship would make it, as said, nearly impossible to bracket.
 
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Even crazier, all those except Byrd and Mueller were in the same year. His freshman year seems to be a clear outlier.

He's always been right there. He's never lost to a guy at ncaa's who didn't AA at that tournament.
I was not thrilled when RBY drew him in the blood round of their freshman year. Fantastic match, and with hindsight a springboard for what RBY has become.

From a PA perspective: Phillippi was a 3x state champ. But he was frustrating to watch, because he'd beat a good wrestler 13-4 in the regular season and then 2-1 at states. In Hershey he became lightweight Tony Nelson -- shut down his offense because he was so good on top.
 
The language was, "all wrestlers from the same qualifying tournament will be separated through the round of 32 competitors.". An 8/9 match-up could still happen in the old days. When the Big Ten expanded to 12, then 14 teams, this became a near impossibility. The B1G conference has had as many as 12 (or is it 13?) qualifiers in the recent past. That number, with 16 bouts in the first round of the Championship would make it, as said, nearly impossible to bracket.
Historically fair, though it really wouldn't take much to separate conference finalists until the finals. Move either of them up or down by 1 whole spot.

Griffith-Olguin will be the 8-9 at 165. So it's not just Dean, and it's not a B10-ism.
 
I was impressed the way Nagao was able to ride RBY. It seemed RBY was being very cautious and when he tried to get out he was unable. Do you guys think RBY was just measuring Nagao for a possible rematch? I hope if RBY is up by 4 he goes neutral with his choice.

I was not thrilled when RBY drew him in the blood round of their freshman year. Fantastic match, and with hindsight a springboard for what RBY has become.

From a PA perspective: Phillippi was a 3x state champ. But he was frustrating to watch, because he'd beat a good wrestler 13-4 in the regular season and then 2-1 at states. In Hershey he became lightweight Tony Nelson -- shut down his offense because he was so good on top.
comments on Phillippi - he is certainly 'seasoned' :) but I would say RBY has improved since his freshman match more than Phillippi has so I am not as concerned. Will be interesting though - as we know anything can happen.
 
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Yeah, Philippi is a pain and very crafty
Remembered Phillippi getting close, but didn't think he ever AA'd ... so I looked him up. Five time qualifier with three R12 finishes in the four championships he's wrestled. Another of those guys that has been consistently close, but never on the podium.
 
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As an Air Force Academy wrestling alum, I hope you are right. I think he’s a lot better than people give him credit for, but isn’t in the same tier as Kerk and Parris. I’d favor Cassioppi over him but wouldn’t be surprised if Wyatt caught him in a cradle in a scramble.

We haven’t had an AA at USAFA since 2003 when Kevin Hoy made the finals at heavyweight. Cole Von Ohlen was close multiple times. Him tearing his shoulder his senior year headed into NCAAs kept him off the podium in my opinion. 5 National Qualifiers this year is also the most since the 90s. Hoping for a decent showing.
Hoy was the nemesis of my son's teammate Bronson Lingamfelter of Brown University. He knocked Bronson out of Nationals in 2002.

For Hoy to make the finals the next year was impressive. Small world in 2003, Hoy lost to Steve Mocco whose older brother Joe wrestled for Brown and was instrumental in saving the program a few years ago when the Brown admin wanted to cut it.
 
How does a guy who beat Fix, Mueller, Myers, Lizak, Pletcher, Wilson, Gomez, Byrd ... how does that guy never make the podium?

One of life's mysteries -- like f-ing magnets, how do they work?
Growing up one town over, he went to the Luke Pletcher (Freshmen-Junior) school of Boring AF. Still hasn’t graduated.
 
Remembered Phillippi getting close, but didn't think he ever AA'd ... so I looked him up. Five time qualifier with three R12 finishes in the four championships he's wrestled. Another of those guys that has been consistently close, but never on the podium.
I believe freshman RBY knocked him out in blood round 2019.
 
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Historically fair, though it really wouldn't take much to separate conference finalists until the finals. Move either of them up or down by 1 whole spot.

Griffith-Olguin will be the 8-9 at 165. So it's not just Dean, and it's not a B10-ism.
Can't do that imo. Would be like saying move a 4th seed to 3 if conference finalists are 1 & 4, even 2 & 3 just to avoid wrestling before the finals. Unintended consequences. I'm ok with Dean / Allred in round 2, as that's apparently what the math gave us. Dean can win that bout.
 
Can't do that imo. Would be like saying move a 4th seed to 3 if conference finalists are 1 & 4, even 2 & 3 just to avoid wrestling before the finals. Unintended consequences. I'm ok with Dean / Allred in round 2, as that's apparently what the math gave us. Dean can win that bout.
Counter-point: Zain should've been the 4 behind Devin Carter (who was undefeated), instead of facing Stieber in the semis.
 
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Historically fair, though it really wouldn't take much to separate conference finalists until the finals. Move either of them up or down by 1 whole spot.

Griffith-Olguin will be the 8-9 at 165. So it's not just Dean, and it's not a B10-ism.
Yeah, I think there are one or two others, too (Glory-Ungar for one). I don't mean to sound like I think it's a conspiracy against the B1G or anything. In fact, it's more likely to happen in other conferences because it's far less likely that the B1G finalists will be seeded in a position where they can meet in the second round. It's just an odd anomaly this year where Dean and Allred are 8 & 9.
 
Can't do that imo. Would be like saying move a 4th seed to 3 if conference finalists are 1 & 4, even 2 & 3 just to avoid wrestling before the finals. Unintended consequences. I'm ok with Dean / Allred in round 2, as that's apparently what the math gave us. Dean can win that bout.
By the semis, I think that's OK. I just don't like it in the second round. They could easily just switch Dean with the 10 or Allred with the 7. That's really not unfair (they are explicitly allowed to change the math by 3 places or something, right?). I get that at the very top, if there are guys who are clearly 1-2-3-4, you don't want to mess with that, but what's the difference between a 7 and an 8 or a 9 and a 10 really?
 
Counter-point: Zain should've been the 4 behind Devin Carter (who was undefeated), instead of facing Stieber in the semis.
Not sure I follow. It is ancient history now, but I do remember that. Carter was injured that season & missed a good bit of it. Didn't have an RPI, had fewer QW and fewer bouts (worth something in 2014, which I had to look up). Not sure about CR and they didn't face each other (Retherford vs Carter comparison). Appears possible Retherford won the comparison despite the lower Win %, hence the higher seed. Moving Retherford solely to avoid Stieber in the semis that year doesn't feel right, especially when expanding that thought to every seeding situation where this could happen.

All for tweaking the math as discussed in another thread for Event Finish, etc.
 
he hasn't lost in the BR every year

Like Roar, I had to look up Phillippi's history. I didn't realize he was in the same boat as Murin with 3 R12 finishes.

2019
#4 seed - lost to #5 Pletcher in quarters then #10 RBY in R12
2020
#4 seed - lost season
2021
#5 seed - lost to #4 ADS in quarters then #7 Byrd in R12
2022
#12 seed - lost to #5 ADS in 2nd round then won a couple on the backside before losing to #10 Cannon in R12

So all 6 of his losses were to eventual AAs.
 
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comments on Phillippi - he is certainly 'seasoned' :) but I would say RBY has improved since his freshman match more than Phillippi has so I am not as concerned. Will be interesting though - as we know anything can happen.
Yep, 100% not concerned about RBY facing Phillippi now, or in the past 3 years.

Their freshman year when RBY was still finding himself, still had work to do on bottom, and Phillippi had beaten Fix ... not an ideal opponent. But RBY made it work anyway.
 
Awful. Brackets can be so frustrating. Murin beats SVN 3 times, but gets an infinitely tougher path to the semis. Funny the way things work out.
Murin is whimp! He won by running away and stalling all day against SVN!!! He get exactly what he deserves for that cowardly display, Yanni 2nd round and into the consoli's!!!!!!! That is what happens when you don't like tough wrestling!
 
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I just ran through my initial 197 projection, and it's definitely the most F'd up draw I've ever looked at:

1. (5) Beard
2. (6) Trumble
3. (9) Dean
4. (1) Bonnacorsi
5. (8) Allred
6. (2) Truax
7. (19) Caffey
8. (4) Laird

Warner beats Caffey in round 1, but on the backside, Warner gets Bonnacorsi in the BR (falling down from losing to Dean in the Qs) while Caffey gets the most favorable draw possible on the backside and snakes his way through Davison, Bastida, Braunagel, and Cardenas in the BR to sneak onto the podium. Trumble beats Elam in the Qs then falls down into a brutal match against Allred in the BR.

I wouldn't mind seeing Beard win if Dean doesn't, but man, it's like every match is 50-50.
 
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Just did my first full run through. No research, just initial gut reactions. I had:

1) PSU 134
2) Iowa 83
3) Nebraska 61
4) Cornell 60.5

PSU AA's: RBY (1), SVN (8), Haines (4), Starocci (1), AB (1), Dean (1), Kerk (1)

Iowa AA's: Lee (1), Woods (1), Murin (7), Brands (8), Cass (3)

Notable matches:

133: RBY over Vito final

141: Swiderski over Bartlett r12

149: Murin over Mauller r12 (mostly with my heart on this one tbh), SVN over Voinovich r12 (wayyyy better draw than Murin)

157: Andonian over Haines qtr, Robb over Haines 3rd

165: Facundo over Ramirez r2, Monday over Facundo qtr, Kharchla over Facundo r12, Amine over PK r2, Griffith over PK r12

174: Star over Mekhi final, Brands over Conigliaro r12 (awesome backside draw)

197: Dean over Allred, Nino, Bastida, Elam in succession, Elam over Warner r2, Trumble over Warner r16

285: Schultz over Cass qtr, Cass over Schultz 3rd
Penciling In Dean as a one is somewhat risky. It would seem some in the weight class have figured him out. Let’s also not forget two matches at NCAA had some challenge bricks thrown that did not really have a consensus view of the ruling. He’s a Champion. Will always be a champion, but I would be on the side of at least a little surprised if he can get thru the 197 minefield to the top again.
 
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Re: RBY vs Nagao… I saw their match at Big Tens as RBY saying I’m going to learn about you but give you as little as I can about me. I’ve thought that several times throughout RBY’s career. He opens up when the opponent isn’t a threat, but less so when he is. Somewhat like Dake.
 
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