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NATO

I think NATO would get the 1-seed if he runs the Big Ten Tournament gauntlet.
Long way to go. Tomasello has 7 duals left, and if he wrestles them all, he's got Lizak, Lee, Mattin, and Fausz yet during the regular season. That's a gauntlet all its own...BEFORE the conference tourney. Lose any of those bouts, and he still may be #1 if he wins B1G's. Lose 2, and it's doubtful, even winning the Big Ten Tournament. As I said, lots of wrestling to go...
 
For NCAAs they do have a pretty rigid seeding system and many of the people involved aren't coaches of wrestling but administrators. SHP would be a better person to answer that one, but it's mostly based on math and formulas nowadays. Big Ten seeds not so much...

But as Roar said, lots of wrestling to go.
 
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Rutgers 125 has these ranked guys left before bigs
- Rivera #12
- Piotrowski #15
- Backpack Lizak #5

- SLee has these guys left before bigs
#3 Picc
#1 Nato
#9 Martin
#5 Lizak
#12 Rivera

- Nato has
#5 Lizak
- Spencer Lee
#9 Martin
#8 Fausz
#18 Welch

Lizak
#1 Nato
#15 Piotrowski
#9 Martin
#12 Rivera
SLee
#2 Suriano

Rivera
#2 Suriano
#5 Lizak
SLee
#18 Welch

Whats this tells me is that there is a lot of wrestling left and nobody can possibly duck all the matchups or tests. edit: 6 guys in the top 20 will make for a wild conference tourney from the jump.
 
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NCAA Seeding Criteria

Head-to-Head Competition = 25%
Quality Wins = 20%
Coaches Rank = 15%
Conference tournament placement = 10%
Results vs. common opponents = 10%
Win percentage = 10%
RPI = 10%
 
I think NATO would get the 1-seed if he runs the Big Ten Tournament gauntlet.
If he's undefeated, yes.

If he's not and Darian Cruz still is -- and Cruz's only major remaining challenge is Millhof -- the NCAA has repeatedly demonstrated that they will grant the #1 seed to an undefeated wrestler who competed the full season, regardless of how tough an opponent somebody else's one loss is. (Recent examples: Waters, Port, Sheptock, etc.).
 
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NCAA Seeding Criteria

Head-to-Head Competition = 25%
Quality Wins = 20%
Coaches Rank = 15%
Conference tournament placement = 10%
Results vs. common opponents = 10%
Win percentage = 10%
RPI = 10%
hate to ask but what is a 'quality win'? Hoping it is defined by some ranking mechanism?
 
hate to ask but what is a 'quality win'? Hoping it is defined by some ranking mechanism?
In 2017, it was defined as "a win over any wrestler in the field. Throughout at-large consideration, that will include wins over AQ wrestlers. During seeding, that will include all 33 wrestlers at each weight class".

The math (tables) gets cumbersome. Essentially, the Quality Wins are tiered (there are 6 tiers) into the category of your opponent, so a wrestler would earn more with a win over a .900 Win %, and top-5 Coaches Rank and RPI Rank, than he would over a .500 Win %, top-40 Coaches Rank and RPI Rank wrestler. There are 6 tiers, and I used the bookends in this example (Tier 1 and tier 6).
 
If he's undefeated, yes.

If he's not and Darian Cruz still is -- and Cruz's only major remaining challenge is Millhof -- the NCAA has repeatedly demonstrated that they will grant the #1 seed to an undefeated wrestler who competed the full season, regardless of how tough an opponent somebody else's one loss is. (Recent examples: Waters, Port, Sheptock, etc.).

I do not expect a 1-loss Tomasello to get a 1 seed. Seeding at 125 is going to be important but it ultimately may not matter due to how tough 125 is. I don't see Cruz being seeded below 3rd if he runs the table this season, so pretty much a lot of paths to a title will include having to beat Spencer and Nick imo.

As critical as seeding usually is, it sort of seems like the best case scenario is to target having the defending champ in the semifinals, yet that still may include having to beat someone like Piccininni before the semis, Cruz and one of Spencer/Nick possibly. While that might be best case scenario, the point remains that it's incredibly difficult anyway.
 
I do not expect a 1-loss Tomasello to get a 1 seed. Seeding at 125 is going to be important but it ultimately may not matter due to how tough 125 is. I don't see Cruz being seeded below 3rd if he runs the table this season, so pretty much a lot of paths to a title will include having to beat Spencer and Nick imo.

As critical as seeding usually is, it sort of seems like the best case scenario is to target having the defending champ in the semifinals, yet that still may include having to beat someone like Piccininni before the semis, Cruz and one of Spencer/Nick possibly. While that might be best case scenario, the point remains that it's incredibly difficult anyway.
Agreed, though IMO getting a #1 or #2 seed is very important -- to avoid facing a Pitch type in the quarters, and also to avoid facing a Bresser or Rivera type in round 2. Having the fewest taxing matches might be the difference between winning and losing Friday night.
 
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Too many top 125ers to think anyone is going to avoid very tough matches earlier than usual in the tournament

I think @El-Jefe has a point though. I don't think there are many, if any, "easy" quarterfinal draws. However, avoiding a Ronnie Bresser type in the Last 16 is not something to sneeze at considering how tough the rest of the bracket is.
 
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However, avoiding a Ronnie Bresser type in the Last 16 is not something to sneeze at considering how tough the rest of the bracket is.
Agree. Wrestlers like Bresser are tough due to his style. Gave both Lee & Suriano fits.. Whoever gets to the top of the podium at 125 will have made it through a gauntlet of tough outs
 
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And after he ducks Spencer Lee vs Iowa, would your opinion change at all?

I don't think he ducks him because by winning vs the rest of the guys on the schedule he can still lobby for #1 at big tens even though he missed Suriano. He may not get it but they will lobby. Not that I am in favor of it or think it will happen but I would almost chuckle if Brands sent the back up out.
 
Say what you want about Bresser's style, his 3 bouts with Fix, Lee and Suriano went 1-2 (L), 3-1 (W), and 1-2 (L) respectively...no takedowns allowed.
I'm likely one of the few who will side with your point, in that a good defensive rassler, to me, is just as skilled as a great offensive rassler.

Ty Eustice was a great example. Everyone hated his "slow, non-offensive" style, but as I always said in those days, "ok, then try scoring on him." Tough task indeed, and what made Eustice so good.
 
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I'm likely one of the few who will side with your point, in that a good defensive rassler, to me, is just as skilled as a great offensive rassler.

Ty Eustice was a great example. Everyone hated his "slow, non-offensive" style, but as I always said in those days, "ok, then try scoring on him." Tough task indeed, and what made Eustice so good.
Not sure that was my point. Just the facts, ma'am (not being disrespectful, just a quote from a TV show I watched as a boy!!)...so only stating that he spent 21 minutes on the mat with three very good wrestlers, and voilà, no takedowns. Interesting stat, that's all.
 
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Im rooting for the goofers......yuk....spit...cough.....yep I said it. the fighting jammies need to have a big night!
Ouch. That has to hurt.
I will watch it after the main feature, but other than rooting for Lizak to get one on Tomasello I think I will remain neutral. Rooting for a nut or goof just sounds dirty.
 
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For NCAAs they do have a pretty rigid seeding system and many of the people involved aren't coaches of wrestling but administrators. SHP would be a better person to answer that one, but it's mostly based on math and formulas nowadays. Big Ten seeds not so much...

But as Roar said, lots of wrestling to go.
What GantryZ said. For what it's worth, the committee is made up of Heath Eslinger (head coach, Chattanooga), Karen Langston (Associate AD, CSU Bakersfield), Tom Ryan (head coach, Ohio State), Brian Smith (head coach, Missouri), Gen. Billy Walker (AD, American), and Phillip Wille (Compliance Coordinator, Wyoming).
 
In a year like this where the team race seems tight, Ryan should recuse himself from seeding. (I'd say the same about Cael )

Too easy to call the championship into question before the opening whistle if there are a couple squirrelly seeds, top or bottom loaded brackets, favorable or unfavorable matchups, etc. None of which ever happens anyway.

He could be completely innocent but good luck proving that from Aruba.

B10 should be able to find a coach or AD with a lot less at stake. (Kerry sounds good to me but I'm not impartial.)
 
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I wish Gable could get specifical permission to go in this dual. Not that he'd win, but it'd be fun to see.
 
Ben Askren was really pissed about NATO not going against Suriano on the T-Row and Funky show. Said exactly what I and many of us said. If he’s healthy enough to wrestle Friday he should have wrestled Sunday. If he wasn’t ready, then don’t wrestle either because by doing what he did makes him looks like “bitch” (Bens words). Surprisingly Tommy Rowland’s didn’t really disagree although he gives NATO a pass.

Ben made the best point. He basically said if it was him and he couldn’t wrestle Suriano he wouldn’t have wrestled Friday against Maryland because it would have made him look like a “bitch”

I love listening to these 2. Great podcast. The NATO talk starts around 37 minute mark

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast...podomatic.com/entry/2018-01-11T15_16_42-08_00
 
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They might win a match or two. They did win one match against the other OSU this season. Lizak vs NATO would be worth the cost of admission.

I'm thinking the first 3 matches (assuming they start at 125) will be pretty tight. I have a feeling about Thorn having a good night . . .
 
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