Here are the matches:
125: No. 3 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Thomas Gilman (Iowa)
133: No. 1 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) vs. No. 2 Cory Clark (Iowa)
141: No. 1 Dean Heil (Oklahoma St.) vs. No. 14 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming)
149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa)
157: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. No. 3 Jason Nolf (Penn State)
165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin)
174: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. No. 11 Myles Martin (Ohio State)
184: No. 1 Gabriel Dean (Cornell) vs. No. 7 Timothy Dudley (Nebraska)
197: No. 1 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) vs. No. 2 J'Den Cox (Missouri)
285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (N.C. State) vs. No. 2 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State)
My predictions:
125 -- so little separates these guys. They both are talented, and super intense. Unless one of them makes a mistake, or one of them gets lucky, I think this will be a really tight match -- could easily go OT. If I were betting, I'd stay away from this match. Since this is just predictions, I'll go with my heart, and pick Nico in a very close match.
133 -- Garrett has looked unbeatable this tournament. Then again, I felt that way about him a few years ago, and Delgado found a way to grab an ankle and avoid numerous TDs. Clark is tough, and not someone to be underestimated. I think Garrett gets the win, though anything from a pin to an OT match would not surprise me.
141 -- This bracket drove me crazy when trying to make predictions before the start of the tourney. Heil has been his consistent self, while Meredith has been a huge surprise. Just on familiarity, I'm much more comfortable picking Heil. Meredith is such a wild card, and has wrestled loose the entire tourney. Heil is my pick, though an upset by Meredith wouldn't shock me.
149 -- Zain
Sorensen is an excellent wrestler, but I don't see him having the tool set to stay with Zain.
157 -- Nolf vs. IMar, take 3. Nolf dominated in the 1st go around, and IMar had a very close victory at B1Gs. Two guys that are clearly the best at the weight. My head says Nolf is prepared for the tie-ups from IMar (that he used at B1Gs), and that IMar falls behind and then has to open things up, which works to Nolf's advantage. I'm picking Nolf.
165 -- Ringer has been the pick since the start of the season, and nothing has caused me to question that. Jordan is disciplined, and his length can bother guys. I think Ringer has too much offense for Jordan.
174 -- Tough match. Bo has beaten Martin 3 times this season. I'm picking him to win the 4th matchup, but this match could go either way. Martin is skilled, and knows Bo's preferred moves. If Bo forces a move, he could end up in trouble.
184 -- Except for 1 hiccup this season, Dean has been very steady. Dudley's length and speed can be a problem, but Dean's strength should negate Dudley's advantages. If I had to pick 1 upset, it would probably be at this weight. I'm going with Dean
197 -- this is a lot like 125 -- 2 guys that are really talented, and really focused. I would not bet on this match -- just way too close IMHO. Scratch does well against big guys that are slow, but struggles against big guys that can also move well. My heart says McIntosh, but my head says Cox. Likely to be a low scoring affair, and could easily go OT. The first TD could be key. This yes is the best I've seen McIntosh at NCAAs, but reluctantly I'm picking Cox.
285 -- wow, two guys that super elite, and have very different styles. Snyder is shorter, and uses that to his advantage to work relentless leg attacks. Gwiz is much bigger, but moves like a smaller heavy. I think you could flip a coin on this match. My guess is that Snyder's attacks are too much for Gwiz, and he ends up with the win in a bit of an upset.
That's my predictions. Should be a great final. Post your predictions (you don't need to explain them like I did). We can look back at it late tonight or tomorrow to have a few laughs, or to see who really had a crystal ball.
125: No. 3 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Thomas Gilman (Iowa)
133: No. 1 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) vs. No. 2 Cory Clark (Iowa)
141: No. 1 Dean Heil (Oklahoma St.) vs. No. 14 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming)
149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa)
157: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. No. 3 Jason Nolf (Penn State)
165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin)
174: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. No. 11 Myles Martin (Ohio State)
184: No. 1 Gabriel Dean (Cornell) vs. No. 7 Timothy Dudley (Nebraska)
197: No. 1 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) vs. No. 2 J'Den Cox (Missouri)
285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (N.C. State) vs. No. 2 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State)
My predictions:
125 -- so little separates these guys. They both are talented, and super intense. Unless one of them makes a mistake, or one of them gets lucky, I think this will be a really tight match -- could easily go OT. If I were betting, I'd stay away from this match. Since this is just predictions, I'll go with my heart, and pick Nico in a very close match.
133 -- Garrett has looked unbeatable this tournament. Then again, I felt that way about him a few years ago, and Delgado found a way to grab an ankle and avoid numerous TDs. Clark is tough, and not someone to be underestimated. I think Garrett gets the win, though anything from a pin to an OT match would not surprise me.
141 -- This bracket drove me crazy when trying to make predictions before the start of the tourney. Heil has been his consistent self, while Meredith has been a huge surprise. Just on familiarity, I'm much more comfortable picking Heil. Meredith is such a wild card, and has wrestled loose the entire tourney. Heil is my pick, though an upset by Meredith wouldn't shock me.
149 -- Zain
Sorensen is an excellent wrestler, but I don't see him having the tool set to stay with Zain.
157 -- Nolf vs. IMar, take 3. Nolf dominated in the 1st go around, and IMar had a very close victory at B1Gs. Two guys that are clearly the best at the weight. My head says Nolf is prepared for the tie-ups from IMar (that he used at B1Gs), and that IMar falls behind and then has to open things up, which works to Nolf's advantage. I'm picking Nolf.
165 -- Ringer has been the pick since the start of the season, and nothing has caused me to question that. Jordan is disciplined, and his length can bother guys. I think Ringer has too much offense for Jordan.
174 -- Tough match. Bo has beaten Martin 3 times this season. I'm picking him to win the 4th matchup, but this match could go either way. Martin is skilled, and knows Bo's preferred moves. If Bo forces a move, he could end up in trouble.
184 -- Except for 1 hiccup this season, Dean has been very steady. Dudley's length and speed can be a problem, but Dean's strength should negate Dudley's advantages. If I had to pick 1 upset, it would probably be at this weight. I'm going with Dean
197 -- this is a lot like 125 -- 2 guys that are really talented, and really focused. I would not bet on this match -- just way too close IMHO. Scratch does well against big guys that are slow, but struggles against big guys that can also move well. My heart says McIntosh, but my head says Cox. Likely to be a low scoring affair, and could easily go OT. The first TD could be key. This yes is the best I've seen McIntosh at NCAAs, but reluctantly I'm picking Cox.
285 -- wow, two guys that super elite, and have very different styles. Snyder is shorter, and uses that to his advantage to work relentless leg attacks. Gwiz is much bigger, but moves like a smaller heavy. I think you could flip a coin on this match. My guess is that Snyder's attacks are too much for Gwiz, and he ends up with the win in a bit of an upset.
That's my predictions. Should be a great final. Post your predictions (you don't need to explain them like I did). We can look back at it late tonight or tomorrow to have a few laughs, or to see who really had a crystal ball.
