Your last sentence... Isn't that true regardless of how many AQs go to B1G wrestlers at 133? Wouldn't a 10th AQ for B1G just mean there were only 4 at large spots available instead of 5?
Certainly not trying to say you're wrong. Just trying to understand...
Yeah, I don’t get the hubbub, either.
First, Iowa not securing a pre-allocation bid for B1G 133 had no bearing on how many bids were going to be awarded to SoCon. Second, Iowa not securing a bid actually created an extra at-large opportunity for someone. Seems like a plus for SoCon in the event Zaccone or Palmer (the 2 guys who earned the pre-allocation bid for SoCon) don’t make the finals of their conference tourney.
For anyone wanting a more detailed breakdown:
To get a pre-allocation bid (AQ slot) for the conference, a wrestler must have met at least 2 of the following 3 criteria:
• Coaches Rank in Top 30
• RPI in Top 30
• Winning Percentage .700 or greater
Only 28 of 29 allowable AQ slots were granted for 133. From SoCon, only 2 guys (Zaccone, Palmer) met criteria. The 3rd SoCon guy (Oakley) alluded to by smalls did not meet criteria. No matter what, a SoCon guy who doesn’t make the finals of the conference tourney needs an at-large to go to Nationals.
In Teske, Iowa could have met criteria and grabbed for the B1G that remaining AQ slot that was sitting on the table. They didn’t, so there are now 5 at-large opportunities instead of 4. Seems like that is a plus for the SoCon, as it gives Zaccone or Palmer an extra chance to get to Tulsa if either misses the finals at the SoCon tourney. Which is quite possible, since Oakley beat both of them recently.
With the extra at-large available, SoCon gets “screwed” only if 2 B1G guys (not just Teske) ”steal” an AQ finish at the B1G tourney
and the 2 displaced guys who had previously earned pre-allocation bids for the conference are the ones granted an at-large berth to Nationals (effectively “stealing” an at-large that
maybe would have otherwise gone to a SoCon guy).
Seems like an outcome that is both speculative and low probability.