PSU - Lehigh Dual
- Thread starter Tom McAndrew
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Like I said happy with nevills match but I would think that losing to wessell really hurts him for getting an at large bid
I think even with a win there an at-large bid was going to be a long shot with only 3 matches before the B1Gs.
I thought PSU looked sluggish tonight. Maybe the long bus ride. Lehigh wrestled tough, but their coaches and fans were obnoxious. You would think they'd be a little better sport considering how much money PSU brought in for them tonight. They probably had more people tonight then all their other home matches combined. I thought I was at the Eagles-Cowboys football game in Philly.
Does anyone else think that Moss gives PSU more points at the NCAA's than Jimmy?
I think Morelli has to go at the NCAA's. If Rasheed doesn't pin his kid in the 1st, he's done physically. Rasheed just doesn't seem like he can adjust to the weight drop.
Nevills will definitely help PSU at the NCAA's. Looked in pretty good condition for his first match against a tough heavyweight.
Does anyone else think that Moss gives PSU more points at the NCAA's than Jimmy?
I think Morelli has to go at the NCAA's. If Rasheed doesn't pin his kid in the 1st, he's done physically. Rasheed just doesn't seem like he can adjust to the weight drop.
Nevills will definitely help PSU at the NCAA's. Looked in pretty good condition for his first match against a tough heavyweight.
Still think that Rasheed is the obvious choice for NCAAs. Neither he nor Morelli is likely to score placement points so it's all about bonus and Shakur brings far more bonus potential as well as upset potential
That's a tough one...JG hasn't looked real good but he's good enough to make a run if that makes any sense...and I'm talking top 4. I wouldn't bet on it but you all have seen this before. I still think its a cranium thing rather than being up a weight.
Absolutely agree with them looking off. Maybe training cycle, maybe illness making its way through the lineup. Nice to have Sparty tomorrow
My thoughts....
Nico looked solid. When he got his first takedown, all I could envision was the video of Zain and Nolf mimicking Nico...anyways, He definitely seems to be favoring one knee, hope its nothing that will hinder him come March.
Conaway looked very solid too, I think there are a few guys at this weight who outclass him a bit (Garrett, Richards, Brewer, maybe Clark) but beyond that I don't see anyone beating him. He has improved every year he's been here. One of my absolute favorite guys to root for. What in the world has happened to Mason Beckman? I'd have guessed he'd be a top 5 guy this year, but he's a shell of his former self.
I still say Jimmy's biggest problem is Jimmy. He just lacks confidence. When he gets down, you can just see the doubt creeping in. I thought the ref had some ridiculous stalemate calls in this one, but Jimmy got beat.
Zain didn't quite seem himself. I feel like he took a pretty hard blow to the head, and it slowed him down the rest of the match. Even with that, he posted an 8-0 major. He's an animal.
Jason Nolf is ridiculous. I've seen him feint like he's going to go after a guy right after releasing him, and tonight he did it. Blink and you'll miss it.
The 165 discussion just won't go away. Performances like tonight at the reason why. Rasheed looked really rough in the third period...I don't know if its because he was going against a smaller, more active guy, or what. But what we saw tonight is sure to keep the coaches thinking about this weight all the way until B1G's.
This was one of the more entertaining bouts of the night because the Lehigh wrestler actually seemed interested in wrestling (he must be new). Bo looked pretty good, and was really close to some big moves. He definitely took a shot between the legs halfway through the third and you could see he just wanted the match to be over at that point.
I was looking forward to this one, a lot. Cutch has made great strides throughout the year, but this was a reality check tonight. Brown seemed superior in every way, he just seems to have Matt's number. I hope Matt bounces back from this, because he's had a great year, and can still do a lot of really good things in March!
Whoa. It looked like Zain gained 50 pounds of muscle and got a tan. Morgan is wrestling like a man on a mission, and I love it! He looked as good tonight as he has all year!
The long awaited debut of Nick Nevills! For his first match back, against a quality opponent, I have no complaints. Wessell is a mountain of a man, and Nevills looked like he belonged. I think Nick would win the rematch. He'll get his first win tomorrow, I believe, and keep improving from there. Its great to see him back on the mats.
Nico looked solid. When he got his first takedown, all I could envision was the video of Zain and Nolf mimicking Nico...anyways, He definitely seems to be favoring one knee, hope its nothing that will hinder him come March.
Conaway looked very solid too, I think there are a few guys at this weight who outclass him a bit (Garrett, Richards, Brewer, maybe Clark) but beyond that I don't see anyone beating him. He has improved every year he's been here. One of my absolute favorite guys to root for. What in the world has happened to Mason Beckman? I'd have guessed he'd be a top 5 guy this year, but he's a shell of his former self.
I still say Jimmy's biggest problem is Jimmy. He just lacks confidence. When he gets down, you can just see the doubt creeping in. I thought the ref had some ridiculous stalemate calls in this one, but Jimmy got beat.
Zain didn't quite seem himself. I feel like he took a pretty hard blow to the head, and it slowed him down the rest of the match. Even with that, he posted an 8-0 major. He's an animal.
Jason Nolf is ridiculous. I've seen him feint like he's going to go after a guy right after releasing him, and tonight he did it. Blink and you'll miss it.
The 165 discussion just won't go away. Performances like tonight at the reason why. Rasheed looked really rough in the third period...I don't know if its because he was going against a smaller, more active guy, or what. But what we saw tonight is sure to keep the coaches thinking about this weight all the way until B1G's.
This was one of the more entertaining bouts of the night because the Lehigh wrestler actually seemed interested in wrestling (he must be new). Bo looked pretty good, and was really close to some big moves. He definitely took a shot between the legs halfway through the third and you could see he just wanted the match to be over at that point.
I was looking forward to this one, a lot. Cutch has made great strides throughout the year, but this was a reality check tonight. Brown seemed superior in every way, he just seems to have Matt's number. I hope Matt bounces back from this, because he's had a great year, and can still do a lot of really good things in March!
Whoa. It looked like Zain gained 50 pounds of muscle and got a tan. Morgan is wrestling like a man on a mission, and I love it! He looked as good tonight as he has all year!
The long awaited debut of Nick Nevills! For his first match back, against a quality opponent, I have no complaints. Wessell is a mountain of a man, and Nevills looked like he belonged. I think Nick would win the rematch. He'll get his first win tomorrow, I believe, and keep improving from there. Its great to see him back on the mats.
If PSU looked a little off tonight remember they have another dual, and another weigh-in, tomorrow night. That's not the norm and can throw off the rehydration regiment.
It looks to me that Gulibon is a 33 pounder wrestling at 41. After watching Conaway this year, I really don't think Gulibon had any other choice as I don't believe he could beat out Jordan for the spot. Conaway has been better and more consistent to this point in the season than Jimmy was last year at 33. I don't know if that will result in JC finishing as high at nationals as JG did last season, but remember that was a bit of a surprise after Gulibon was 6th at Big Tens. IMO Jimmy can still finish strong and score some pts at nationals, but an AA finish isn't looking likely. I don't believe Moss would do as well as JG.
The cut is clearly taking it out of Rasheed. He will have more time to recover after weigh-ins at Big Tens and nationals before he wrestles but will have to make weight on multiple days. I trust the coaches will make the right decision between he and Morelli. If Morelli goes he will have a bigger hill to climb as he is 0-3 in Big Ten duals and won't be seeded as high as Rasheed would.
I was a little disappointed in McCutcheon, it just seems like Brown has his number and he knows it. I still believe Cutch is much improved this year and will finish the season strong.
It was a bummer that Nevills lost, I really thought he had that one. That was a tough loss for his first match. He's not beating Coon or Snyder but he will be in the mix with the other heavys in the Big Ten and has a decent shot to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
It looks to me that Gulibon is a 33 pounder wrestling at 41. After watching Conaway this year, I really don't think Gulibon had any other choice as I don't believe he could beat out Jordan for the spot. Conaway has been better and more consistent to this point in the season than Jimmy was last year at 33. I don't know if that will result in JC finishing as high at nationals as JG did last season, but remember that was a bit of a surprise after Gulibon was 6th at Big Tens. IMO Jimmy can still finish strong and score some pts at nationals, but an AA finish isn't looking likely. I don't believe Moss would do as well as JG.
The cut is clearly taking it out of Rasheed. He will have more time to recover after weigh-ins at Big Tens and nationals before he wrestles but will have to make weight on multiple days. I trust the coaches will make the right decision between he and Morelli. If Morelli goes he will have a bigger hill to climb as he is 0-3 in Big Ten duals and won't be seeded as high as Rasheed would.
I was a little disappointed in McCutcheon, it just seems like Brown has his number and he knows it. I still believe Cutch is much improved this year and will finish the season strong.
It was a bummer that Nevills lost, I really thought he had that one. That was a tough loss for his first match. He's not beating Coon or Snyder but he will be in the mix with the other heavys in the Big Ten and has a decent shot to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
Exactly. Saw the same thing. Nickal didn't have a gas tank issue; he was trying to recover from a low blow.
It's not all about bonus. It's pretty clear that Rasheed has more point-scoring upside than Morelli, but Rasheed's gassing issues increase the possibility of an early exit at the tournaments. Morelli has less upside, but probably a higher floor. Given the make-up of the PSU line-up, there is something to be said for using the higher floor guy at 165. It's far from a no-brainer decision IMO.
Agree on all counts, except maybe about who should be the guy at 141. To me it's getting close to a toss-up as to who (Gulibon or Moss) would do better in the post-season tournaments. I guess you stick with Gulibon if he is healthy, but Jimmy making a deep run at nationals seems pretty unlikely right now.
Brown is very tough at 184 but, geez, Cutch showed nothing in that match. It looked like they could wrestle a dozen times with the same outcome. That's how much Brown controlled that match, even though it was a regular decision.
Nevills has his work cut out for him to qualify for the NCAA. He's capable, but will have to overcome a lot of rust and improve his conditioning. Unfortunately, there isn't much time, and his seeding won't help matters.
As always, a ray of sunshine Bruce.
Gulibon is going to be the guy, there is no doubt in my mind. Jimmy can still contribute at nationals even if he's not at the level we hoped coming into the season. Round of 12 is still a realistic possibility; don't think Moss is capable of that. In a smaller tournament like the Scuffle, I might reconsider because Kade has shown some ability to score bonus against lesser opponents.
Rasheed can go 2-2 with a fall at nationals and score as much as a round of 12 guy. I think the coaches see this and he will be the guy. If Gino had a go-to-shot, he could be an AA, but unfortunately he just doesn't have much offense.
We just saw Nevills at the worst he will ever be in a Penn State singlet and he didn't look half bad. I am cautiously optimistic that 5 weeks of training and competing will make him an AA candidate. Qualifying does seem like a challenge. Really hope Jensen goes at BigTens and adds a slot.
Gulibon is going to be the guy, there is no doubt in my mind. Jimmy can still contribute at nationals even if he's not at the level we hoped coming into the season. Round of 12 is still a realistic possibility; don't think Moss is capable of that. In a smaller tournament like the Scuffle, I might reconsider because Kade has shown some ability to score bonus against lesser opponents.
Rasheed can go 2-2 with a fall at nationals and score as much as a round of 12 guy. I think the coaches see this and he will be the guy. If Gino had a go-to-shot, he could be an AA, but unfortunately he just doesn't have much offense.
We just saw Nevills at the worst he will ever be in a Penn State singlet and he didn't look half bad. I am cautiously optimistic that 5 weeks of training and competing will make him an AA candidate. Qualifying does seem like a challenge. Really hope Jensen goes at BigTens and adds a slot.
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For fans of a team that scored 34 (if I counted correctly) total match points in ten bouts, Lehigh fans sure were calling for a lot of stalling on the opponent. Morgan has looked great lately. I have been hard on him in the past because he doesn't wrestle up to his potential, but recently I can't say that.
I'm as big a Jimmy fan as the next guy but I just don't see him improving much to finish out his last couple of years. As for the so called confidence issues, I don't know how you gain confidence losing matches you're favored to win. That could be a very tough mountain to climb. That being said, wouldn't surprise me one bit if he surprises many of us and reaches the podium. Either way, I'll always appreciate his contributions to the team. One being making Jordan a much better wrestler.
The Lehigh fans were getting out of hand for sure but it did give me a chuckle. The same things being said about them were being said about PSU fans after the Ohio State match on one particular board. I'm sure y'all can guess which one that was....
Agree with Flying Tiger that Moss at the scuffle is a different animal than Moss at nationals, where bonus points won't come as easily. JG is much more likely to go deep in March.
Recovering from weigh-ins Is only one of Shakur's issues in a tournament setting. He was wrestling Lehigh's unranked backup at 65 (Longo went for Preisch - by the way, Shakur lost to Preisch at the SS I believe). IOW, that could easily look like Shakur's opening match in a tournament setting and he will be lucky to hang-on and win just like last night. Even if he hangs on for the win like last night, he is toast for the remainder of the tournament (either tournament B1G or NCAA). SR has done this in way too many duals to take a risk in a tournament setting of back-to-back early losses and out of the tournament. OTOH, Morelli has beaten both SR and GH at tournaments (beat both of them to win NLO and GH again at SS) - Morelli has been right there with extremely highly ranked wrestlers lost to both the Jordan cousins by a point in very tight matches. Geno has also lost these types of tight matches to mid-level ranked wrestlers, so winning them consistently appears to be a long-shot but still a better bet imho then SR who could be spent after his first match and may not even win that match if he runs into the wrong kind of wrestler as happened last night (e.g., a wrestler who may not be as good offensively as SR, but who has a much better motor and wears him down).
Especially when their opponents scored multiples of their match points and that's even considering that Nolf pinned his man early and Smack TF'ed his man early. Oh yea, Z-Pain and Bo also registered bonus points. Mega's, Conaway's and Z-Pain's opponents were stalling to prevent additional bonus points. Pretty laughable to be whining about stalling when a wrestler stands up and is trying to break a hand-lock to escape!
Is it cold & flu season in PA? Living in Texas we skipped it this year and went straight to allergies. Zain and Bo looked a little under the weather. Maybe Rasheed too.
The most disappointing part of the Jimmy loss was how he just laid there at the end and didn't move. He totally gave up. On the bright side, that means it's mostly psychological for him. He is lacking confidence. This can change in the next five weeks.
Just to bring some clarity to this issue. Getting a win last night was only relevant if it affects NcNevills positively as a wrestler. It bore next to zero issue with getting an At-Large bid.
Let's say he goes 3 and 0 with wins over Wessel, Marsden, and tonights match.....and then lays an egg and cannot place in an AQ spot at B10's (a number we don't yet know but is somewhere between 6 and 8). If he places ahead of the guy that Snyder is going to invariably punt to the at-large process...that would help. His early 3-0 record...which will have been undone by the B10 performance will be basically similar to a 2-1 or 1-2 record. Will he even have enough matches to get a Bronze standard that is a requirement of an At Large?
In addition, there will be other upsets in other conferences that will place quality wrestlers in the at large pool and there better not be more than three....and even then it might not matter.
Bottom line, he has to wrestle his way in. If he doesn't, last night doesn't matter....finishing 1 spot behind the AQ spot is paramount.
He will be ready, and he will wrestle his way in. Here's to hoping Jensen wrestles....keeping an AQ spot in the BIG 10.....we need every allocation possible.
Agreed, Tiger. As much as I enjoy watching Moss, the points he relies on will be very difficult to achieve at NCAA. JG CAN go further and has proven he can put it together for a run. I was confused by the ref last night, however. He seemed to not understand how stalling calls or stalemate calls work when the bottom wrestler stands. Further, there was progression on the first one and Cruz was literally falling off when he called the Stalemate. Of course, finishing off the deep singles would have muted those issues.
Nickal took a shot to the cajones just before he "gassed" It was clearly seen on the telecast. That was probably a factor. But of course after Brunson fondled them a few weeks back you'd think he was used to it.
The Rasheed Morelli choice is a tricky one....and one the coaches hoped to get clarity at the tournament last weekend. This is a big problem, no question about it. If he doesn't gas, he is literally a podium threat. If he does gas but manages some bonus.....those are points Morelli will probably never see. Morelli is a FAR, FAR better wrestler than he was at Pitt, but simply does not generate enough action to win against the Top 20. If he would have beaten Pickett the second time, that might have helped. Losing to the Jordan's by 1 is the same as....losing....in a tournament. If either of the Jordan's had turned up the gas, I think there would have been separation. If the goal is to score at NCAA's, then Rasheed has to be the guy......even if hindsight delivers something different, he's the choice with the information today.
Nevill's. 1) first match nerves and he was breathing hard early. That will be gone tonight. 2) inexperience with the new circle rules will go away soon. Probably tonight. 3) Rust flakes flying everywhere, and you can't get rid of them in the matroom even if your partners are Gingrich, Varner and Sanderson. It will be another match or two for them to go away. I expect he will steal and AQ spot....and please...Jensen, HEAL!!
yep,, JGs head was down in the latter part of the match... however, JG still has it and it will show up at tourney time.... he'll get it together... just some finishing touches (literally)!
I think there's a bit of dissonance going on that others have touched on. The Scuffle is tough, but Nationals is the best wrestlers in the country at the same tourny at the same time. Equating performances between the two isn't a one-to-one.
Jimmy is going to be the guy. Moving up a weight is not seamless, some guys it works instantly and others it's tough. Add in a lingering ankle problem and there you go. He's riding well. He had an up-and-down year last year too. He ended that year on the podium. Delay your instant gratification and trust the process.
Really don't get the Morelli argument at this point. Love Geno, but you look at his record and his best wins are against his teammates (maybe Fuller?). My hunch is people see the close Jordan losses and think that puts him in that AA potential category. He's more of a gamble than Shakur at this point, who has proven he can beat the NQ's. He did win last night, didn't he? (with a reversal late in the third right?)
Nevills I'm optimistic but sounds like he made a freshman mistake (didn't see the match). While I agree his talent level puts him in that category of a guy who could win some matches for you, he's got to qualify at BIGs, which means those mistakes cost you premium. I'm confident he'll hash it out.
Jimmy is going to be the guy. Moving up a weight is not seamless, some guys it works instantly and others it's tough. Add in a lingering ankle problem and there you go. He's riding well. He had an up-and-down year last year too. He ended that year on the podium. Delay your instant gratification and trust the process.
Really don't get the Morelli argument at this point. Love Geno, but you look at his record and his best wins are against his teammates (maybe Fuller?). My hunch is people see the close Jordan losses and think that puts him in that AA potential category. He's more of a gamble than Shakur at this point, who has proven he can beat the NQ's. He did win last night, didn't he? (with a reversal late in the third right?)
Nevills I'm optimistic but sounds like he made a freshman mistake (didn't see the match). While I agree his talent level puts him in that category of a guy who could win some matches for you, he's got to qualify at BIGs, which means those mistakes cost you premium. I'm confident he'll hash it out.
Agreed, Tiger. As much as I enjoy watching Moss, the points he relies on will be very difficult to achieve at NCAA. JG CAN go further and has proven he can put it together for a run. I was confused by the ref last night, however. He seemed to not understand how stalling calls or stalemate calls work when the bottom wrestler stands. Further, there was progression on the first one and Cruz was literally falling off when he called the Stalemate. Of course, finishing off the deep singles would have muted those issues.
Nickal took a shot to the cajones just before he "gassed" It was clearly seen on the telecast. That was probably a factor. But of course after Brunson fondled them a few weeks back you'd think he was used to it.
The Rasheed Morelli choice is a tricky one....and one the coaches hoped to get clarity at the tournament last weekend. This is a big problem, no question about it. If he doesn't gas, he is literally a podium threat. If he does gas but manages some bonus.....those are points Morelli will probably never see. Morelli is a FAR, FAR better wrestler than he was at Pitt, but simply does not generate enough action to win against the Top 20. If he would have beaten Pickett the second time, that might have helped. Losing to the Jordan's by 1 is the same as....losing....in a tournament. If either of the Jordan's had turned up the gas, I think there would have been separation. If the goal is to score at NCAA's, then Rasheed has to be the guy......even if hindsight delivers something different, he's the choice with the information today.
Nevill's. 1) first match nerves and he was breathing hard early. That will be gone tonight. 2) inexperience with the new circle rules will go away soon. Probably tonight. 3) Rust flakes flying everywhere, and you can't get rid of them in the matroom even if your partners are Gingrich, Varner and Sanderson. It will be another match or two for them to go away. I expect he will steal and AQ spot....and please...Jensen, HEAL!!
It seems like there has been a lot of attention to Bo's wedding tackle lately. He may have to change his hygiene routine in order to repel such assaults!!
Well, he did wrestle last night, so maybe this question is already answered. Only wore a light wrap around the knee, nothing like the bionic exoskeleton Mouse is wearing. Looked good early against Jennings, gassed a bit late but held on for the win. Don't see how he misses the B1Gs if they're sending him out there against NW.
Another factor to maybe consider that I've not seen mentioned is that even if Rasheed craps out at the B1Gs, he'd be a decent bet to get an at-large bid b/c he has legit bronze cred and a 5 RPI; Morelli's bronze cred isn't there.They'd probably both finish high enough (and Morelli is more predictable), but why take that chance.
...I confess I don't understand the no-call when Gulibon got to his feet three times in the second period and Cruz just draped over him with a figure 4 on the leg and was content to ride there - not for 2 or 3 seconds but for 5-10 seconds...
...also in that bout Gulibon was the only wrestler who took any offensive shots...got in a couple of times but could not convert and on a third he lost position and Cruz got the takedown - the only one in the bout...
...oh, well...
...also in that bout Gulibon was the only wrestler who took any offensive shots...got in a couple of times but could not convert and on a third he lost position and Cruz got the takedown - the only one in the bout...
...oh, well...
My thoughts exactly. I used to give my kids pony rides like that, but I couldn't hold them there for as long as Jimmy had to carry Cruz. The ref didn't even start a count. Sure looked like stalling to me.
agree that should be stopped - use to be potentially dangerous, right (top man with legs while bottom man standing)? Since you can't do a 'fall back' and land on top of the wrestler (as we saw in Iowa last year) that position should be halted if the bottom man stands. Clear position of stalling/hanging on vs trying to turn. I do like how some ref's are calling the stalemate (or is that stall-mate
) with legs and inactivity this year while on the mat...
Just noticed that Nolf hit the rare trifecta (Trigh-fecta?), pinning all three of Lehigh's 157 guys in one season. Minotti (2:50), Longo (1:23) at the Scuffle, and now Brown (1:23). And they're all good wrestlers.
Agreed. My understanding is that the top-man has to be making an effort to "improve his position" and at least be attempting to break the bottom man down (and then attempting to improve position to turn the man after he breaks him down). In this instance, once the bottom man has stood up, I was always taught that the top man needs to show the effort that he is attempting to take the man back to the mat (e.g., working toward improving his position and in this instance, showing that he is attempting to "break down" the bottom man who has clearly worked to improve his position and demonstrated that he is not stalling.). No way should a top wrestler be rewarded for hanging on a standing wrestler like that -- he is making no effort to return the bottom man to the mat which is defacto stalling. It should be incumbent upon the top man to take the boots out and make an effort to return the bottom wrestler to the mat or risk stalling. Given that Cruz did absolutely nothing in terms of attempting to return JG to the mat on any of the multiple stand-ups by JG, stalling should have been called and the official should have probably verbally warned Cruz after the first one that he needs to show more in that position in terms of attempting to return the bottom wrestler to the mat.
Not a big fan of the no attempt to return the bottom man to the mat on a stand-up, but instead just running him off the mat either......that should be called stalling, but I've seen multiple matches where it has not been called. They should institute a rule similar to the riding on a leg rule -- once the bottom wrestler has stood up, the top wrestler has to improve their positon by taking the bottom wrestler back to the mat (without simply running/pushing them OB) in a certain amount of time or an automatic stalling call is made -- again, similar to the "riding a lower leg" rule.
In any event, simply hanging on a standing bottom wrestler who is working to get free for no other reason than to accumulate riding time (e.g., making no effort to improve your position from top) is stalling I believe.
In Morgans's defense, he was always wrestling with some kind of injury in the past. This year he's healthy and his body is able to wrestle to the same level of his skills.
Gotta call it like I see it, bro. All things aren't always peaches and cream.
141 - As already stated in this thread, Gulibon seems at a disadvantage at 141. He's taking one for the team (commendable), but he appears better suited at 133 IMO. Anyway, based on his track record this year, R12 seems like a stretch. What's his best win this year? Dan Neff (now #18 back at 149)? Sam Krivus? George Fisher? I agree that Gulibon will remain the guy going forward, but I think the difference between Gulibon and Moss right now is really thin. Forget the Scuffle versus NCAA comparison, ask yourself who has a better chance of beating someone like Randy Moss. I think the answer is very debatable.
165 - I agree that Rasheed will remain the guy at 165. But, man, those 3rd period gassing issues are very disconcerting.
184 - I though Cutch might be ready to close the gap on Brown and at least give him a good match. So I was disappointed the way Cutch got completely handled. If that is unreasonable, well, sorry. Cutch remains a fringe AA guy IMO, but still a long way from the upper tier in the 184 lb weight class.
285 - I agree about Nevills as well. He looked okay for his first competitive match in 13+ months against a decent opponent. He's just in a tough spot having not wrestled competitively for such a long time, with not much time until the B10 tourney, and with very little margin for error to qualify. Like you say, it will be a challenge.
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Past inconsistency? Maybe we've been watching different Morgan's?
The one I've been watching was thrown into the starting role as a true freshman, way undersized at that point, and still finished 18-10.
Since then, he's gone 84-8, losing to Gadsen, Penny, Heflin, Cox 3x, Hartmann, and Snyder...some pretty good names in that bunch. Among his wins are 30 against top-20 guys at the time, including 3 #1's, and 11 top-10's . He's beaten Cox and Snyder, and Schiller, a pretty good wrestler for Minnesota, was 1-4 against Morgan, winning only in Morgan's true freshman year. Oh, and until this year, he was wrestling through injuries that marginalized his effectiveness.
Morgan is 23rd all-time in career bonus win %, 14th in career bonus wins, and 24th in career wins during a time when our guys only wrestle 3/4 of the matches as a couple decades ago.
Yep, he lost 2 or 3 heartbreakers as a true freshman in 2011-12...but hardly the thing that defines inconsistency.
I can't find a single negative word to say about Morgan. My preference would be leader, mentor, role model, ambassador, etc.
It's going around out my way. I feel horrible and if I had to wrestle a match I'd be gassed in the first minute. Ok, that probably has more to do with me being an out of shape middle aged man but you get the point...
