125 #23 Robbie Howard
#10 Malik Heinselman is up first for Howard. The Buckeye is a familiar opponent, as Howard lost both bouts this year by identical 5-2 scores. I was hoping to see improvement in the second bout, but didn’t. That means less at NCAA’s however, so if the true freshman Nittany Lion can keep from letting the bright lights affect his wrestling, it’s in the realm of possibility we see a different outcome. Still, Heinselman is favored, so I’m going to wrestlebacks after a brief pause. The brief pause is a mention that if Howard does win, his likely opponent would be Taylor LaMont (UVU), a 9-1 fifth-year junior (injured for all of 2019) in the second round.
#26 Jackson DiSario (STAN) will be his first round wrestleback opponent if the championship bracket goes chalk. DiSario was 7-3, losing to three good wrestlers, but not beating anyone of note. In fact, his schedule was rather weak. Calling this a rather easy Howard feels right, but again, we’re talking about a true freshman and a first time at NCAA's. Have fun, young man!!
The #9 Devin Schroder (PUR)/#8 RayVon Foley (MSU) loser in the championship brackets, unless either one loses in the first round, is the likely next opponent. We know a good bit about both as Schroder is a senior, Foley a junior, so they are seasoned Big Ten veterans. To me, this is a tougher match-up than Heinselman, after watching all three over the years. A win by Howard here gets him to the round of 16.
The winner of #17 Killian Cardinale (WVU) / #16 Codi Russell (APP) in the first round has the unenviable task of facing Spencer Lee. Whoever it is, they drop to wrestlebacks and could be Howard’s opponent. At this point, I will say, that Howard still wrestling would be a fabulous run for the young man, though I want to play this out so you understand the challenging path. Cardinale finished 3rd at Big 12’s, and had wins over solid competition (Mastrogiovanni and Vega) to achieve that. Before that his record was so-so. Russell is on a 9-bout win streak, winning the Southern Conference title. Like Cardinale, the competition he faced during the regular season was not stellar. This is a winnable bout, more so than the last round, and gets the winner to the Round of 12. I will finish with noting that one more win earns All-American honors.
Good luck Robbie!
#10 Malik Heinselman is up first for Howard. The Buckeye is a familiar opponent, as Howard lost both bouts this year by identical 5-2 scores. I was hoping to see improvement in the second bout, but didn’t. That means less at NCAA’s however, so if the true freshman Nittany Lion can keep from letting the bright lights affect his wrestling, it’s in the realm of possibility we see a different outcome. Still, Heinselman is favored, so I’m going to wrestlebacks after a brief pause. The brief pause is a mention that if Howard does win, his likely opponent would be Taylor LaMont (UVU), a 9-1 fifth-year junior (injured for all of 2019) in the second round.
#26 Jackson DiSario (STAN) will be his first round wrestleback opponent if the championship bracket goes chalk. DiSario was 7-3, losing to three good wrestlers, but not beating anyone of note. In fact, his schedule was rather weak. Calling this a rather easy Howard feels right, but again, we’re talking about a true freshman and a first time at NCAA's. Have fun, young man!!
The #9 Devin Schroder (PUR)/#8 RayVon Foley (MSU) loser in the championship brackets, unless either one loses in the first round, is the likely next opponent. We know a good bit about both as Schroder is a senior, Foley a junior, so they are seasoned Big Ten veterans. To me, this is a tougher match-up than Heinselman, after watching all three over the years. A win by Howard here gets him to the round of 16.
The winner of #17 Killian Cardinale (WVU) / #16 Codi Russell (APP) in the first round has the unenviable task of facing Spencer Lee. Whoever it is, they drop to wrestlebacks and could be Howard’s opponent. At this point, I will say, that Howard still wrestling would be a fabulous run for the young man, though I want to play this out so you understand the challenging path. Cardinale finished 3rd at Big 12’s, and had wins over solid competition (Mastrogiovanni and Vega) to achieve that. Before that his record was so-so. Russell is on a 9-bout win streak, winning the Southern Conference title. Like Cardinale, the competition he faced during the regular season was not stellar. This is a winnable bout, more so than the last round, and gets the winner to the Round of 12. I will finish with noting that one more win earns All-American honors.
Good luck Robbie!