This looks like a good one. Nice & frisky:
PSU vs Iowa preview - 2025 edition
- Thread starter PSUwrestling
- Start date
Brooks made him look like a Middle Schooler. I almost felt sorry for Buchanan. Almost.
S.O.B. There are probably better ways to see if you are looking through all the threads..
What's the damage this time?? The last time it was a higher end scotch..
After recent developments I am revising my prediction
9-1 here's the break down
125-PSU Bonus
133- PSU win I am liking the improvement I am seeing in BD
141- PSU Bonus
149 PSU win
157 Toss up Lean Kasak. I think Kasak can beat a healthy Teemer
165 PSU Bonus Caliendo is the real deal but MM is spectacular
174 PSU Win PK can scrap
184 PSU Bonus
197 PSU Toss up ( for now)
285 PSU Bonus
125-141 seem particularly weak for Iowa. 197 157 and 133 are tough match ups. There is an argument we loose all three but I am really impressed by the entire team ( like anyone who is paying attention). If I had a gun to my head these are my picks. We are just next level this year 10 AA's and 5 champs (125-149-165-174-184).
22 points per champ=110
10 points per AA=50
15 bonus points
New record
9-1 here's the break down
125-PSU Bonus
133- PSU win I am liking the improvement I am seeing in BD
141- PSU Bonus
149 PSU win
157 Toss up Lean Kasak. I think Kasak can beat a healthy Teemer
165 PSU Bonus Caliendo is the real deal but MM is spectacular
174 PSU Win PK can scrap
184 PSU Bonus
197 PSU Toss up ( for now)
285 PSU Bonus
125-141 seem particularly weak for Iowa. 197 157 and 133 are tough match ups. There is an argument we loose all three but I am really impressed by the entire team ( like anyone who is paying attention). If I had a gun to my head these are my picks. We are just next level this year 10 AA's and 5 champs (125-149-165-174-184).
22 points per champ=110
10 points per AA=50
15 bonus points
New record
Injury is our most threatening opponent, and even there, if down two hammers, we will still run away with it. Here's to a full strength team and a truly legendary performance.
22 per champ would have to already include bonus.
We had 35 bonus points last year the 15 was just to make a point. Our five champs will combine for more than ten bonus points.
You're jumping between PSU vs Iowa and PSU at the NCAA tournament. We should have a separate thread to discuss the latter.
Regarding PSU vs Iowa. I agree that we are heavily favored in most of the weights, but keep in mind how Iowa wrestled the last time they were at Penn State. Brands strategy was to win big where they were favored and wrestle stingy (i.e. stall) where we were favored so as to not give up too many bonus points. His strategy generally worked so the match wasn't a total beatdown like last year where they were clearly overmatched. I'll predict that Iowa draws a lot of stall calls in this dual using the same strategy as in 2023.
Where's he going to win "big" this year?
Little man is going to have a problem winning big.
I should have been a little more explicit. I don't see Iowa winning big at any weights, so the strategy will be to stall as much as possible without being DQ'd so as to keep the bout scores low. Penn State will win somewhere between 7 - 10 weights, but most of them will be just 3 point wins.
So Iowa is now aspiring to become Rutgers? 🤣
Iowa had 2 TDs in 2023 and I think 4 last year. I don't see this year's match going much differently.
I will set the early over/under at; 3.5 TDs and 1.5 wins for the Hawks.
I will set the early over/under at; 3.5 TDs and 1.5 wins for the Hawks.
Maybe we will luck out and get a ref assigned that isn't afraid to aggressively, yet correctly, call stalling.
Do these refs exist???
It is wise to keep your goals realistic.
Depending on what Casey, or Cody, or Nick, or Cael whispers in their ears.
Luke is a bonus potential
Beau is a bonus potential
Shayne is a bonus potential
Mitchell is a bonus probability
Levi is a bonus potential
Carter is a bonus potential
Greg is a bonus potential
Every bonus potential match probably will not be bonus matches but the over under is probably 3.5.
That's a good way to put it. Iowa will be doing everything possible to prevent bonus points while our guys will be trying their best to score as often as possible. I really think it is going to depend on how much backing up the ref will allow before calling stalling.
Iowa kids don't back up much. Their stall is to tie you up tight, maintain their positioning and bull foward forcing you into trying to stay on the mat instead of attacking.
Most PSU kids have been there and done that, so I would imagine most will be ready from the get go.
The thing is, it is easier to score on tough, well conditioned wrestlers when they believe they will win and aren't scared of engaging. Iowa won't be doing much engaging.
With that said, Teemer does retreat looking to attack one or twice a match when his opponent steps forward. Of course, Teemer isn't Iowa taught so it will be different.
What will be interesting is to see if the twins have Caliendo trained to tie and stall to slow Mitchell down.
Interesting point about Iowa's tie up strategy. I remember talking about tight tie ups with a friend who was a 2X NCAA champion. He told me he always tried to avoid it because whenever his opponent tried to do it, he was just trying to slow the match down. It makes it difficult to get a good opening because your opponent can sense your movement quickly and act accordingly.
That's one thing I've noticed about MM. If you watch his movement, he's often doing a jerky side to side movement while on his feet and he initiates a lot of attacks while there is still some distance between him and his opponent. The Iowa style doesn't work against him because he won't let himself be pulled into it. It's going to be interesting to see if Caliendo makes any adjustments this time.
I found that guys that liked the collar tie usually came down heavy on their front foot when trying to lock it up. That presented an opportunity to shoot if timed well. MM does it a lot better than I did, though.
This dual will be nowhere near worth this level of discussion.
We should be concentrating on interesting matchups from our perspective - Davis/Ayala, Kasak/Teemer, and Barr/Buchanan. Everything else is next topic. Probably won't get one of those matchups, so best case is we get two good matches. I don't see why we have a thread on this now instead of let's say Missouri, or Ohio State or Michigan.
Or better yet, talk about matches the week of the match. This is just stupid.
We should be concentrating on interesting matchups from our perspective - Davis/Ayala, Kasak/Teemer, and Barr/Buchanan. Everything else is next topic. Probably won't get one of those matchups, so best case is we get two good matches. I don't see why we have a thread on this now instead of let's say Missouri, or Ohio State or Michigan.
Or better yet, talk about matches the week of the match. This is just stupid.
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I am sure the Caliendo kid is a nice, hard working student athlete and I don't want to appear to be piling on the kid i am not. However, Caliendo looking for help making adjustments from a staff who could not help their 3 time AA figure out an adjustment to another kid effectively shutting down his offense by wrestling with 1 hand tied behind his back is in the wrong place for receiving any tactical help.
I might be piling on, but it isn't the kid.
There's no Marco Vespa in the lineup this year. LOL. No offense to Marco, of course, who dove in on the "all time great" right off the whistle, got the TD, and went for the cradle kill shot in one of the boldest moves I've ever seen in college wrestling. Had that worked, he would have blown the roof right off the BJC.
Granted 😂. and how many teams are worth any discussion this year period? We have what Ben Askren of all people has called the best team ever. So.. yeah there is going to be a bottom of the barrel feel to any discussion of how a team "matches up" against the "The best team ever".
The PSU vs Iowa dual is a BIG deal in college wrestling. It even has it's own Wikipedia page! So of all people, we SHOULD be talking about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa–Penn_State_wrestling_rivalry
And besides, IT'S WHAT WE DO !!!!!!!
Here is Brooks vs Buchanan. Sorry, it's a really short match. 
I think Angel will rise to the occasion and have both fan bases irritated..
AB was stalling like a mofo all period
Iowa's largest road loss: 39 points (1966 Oklahoma 39 - Iowa 0*)
Iowa's largest road loss of the TNT era: 15 points (2018 PSU 28 - Iowa 13 & 2019 Oklahoma State 27 - Iowa 12)
Clearly the largest road loss of the TNT era is in play. But is the largest road loss ever in play?
*There were 11 weights in the 1966 NCAA tournament, but only 9 weights in the duals.
it's gonna be close. I predict 33-6 on the upside for Iowa. Could be worse. NIL money doesn't go as far as it used to go. Gotta hate inflation.
As a PSU fan, I can say Caliendo is my favorite Hawk. He is exciting and lets it fly. He is one-of-a-kind on the team. Unfortunately for him, he is at the same weight as MM.
What's wild is we were without Nolf that dual so we gave up a major at 157, otherwise its 31-9.
Similarly, Cenzo was up 5-3 with RT against Marinelli and tried to throw him for the first time.
He should bump to 174 where life would be much easier. Lol
Haines would wreck him in a different way.
