NCAA predictions

[MiccoMacey]

Be as unbiased or homeristic as you please. Obviously we’ll have a better indication once the brackets get released today, but I’ll just post these here and update if needed.

OSU
125: Could win a match or two. 2-2
133: NCAA finalist. At a minimum.
149: Obvious AA, but the kind of kid who has a really good shot at upsetting someone and making the finals.
165: This weekend not withstanding, high AA.
174: I think he’s too injured to be an AA, which I would have predicted. 2-2
184: Likely AA.
197: He didn’t just beat two of the nation’s best, he beat them handily. High AA, outside chance as a finalist.
HWT: Could win a match or two. 2-2

If the tournament plays out like that, OSU is top three. Not sure if there’s enough fire power to stop Iowa.

I’ll put OU’s predictions here also even though this is an OSU board.

OU
133: No telling. If he wrestles like he did at the end of last year and last weekend, maybe the round before AA.
141: Likely AA
149: Homer call. AA.
157: See 149
174: See 133.
197: Just too stacked of a weight. I bet he goes far in the consolations, but I can’t see AA.
HWT: Probably win a couple, but that’s about it. 2-2.


If that pans out, OU is top 15, maybe even fringe top 10. Which would be a huge jump from where we’ve been.

 

[OSUMatFan]

I watched the Big 10 finals. They have the same depth there they have always had. YBY at 133 is very special and will give Daton all he can handle if they meet. Super quick and athletic. Daton holds his position well, but this will be a very tight match. Also the ACC has really stepped it up and will have a bunch of AA's this year. When watching the Big 12 I thought the conference was catching up with us, but then looking at the rankings I realized we are a very young team with a bunch of injuries.

 

[Air_Thurman]

Be as unbiased or homeristic as you please. Obviously we’ll have a better indication once the brackets get released today, but I’ll just post these here and update if needed.

OSU
125: Could win a match or two. 2-2
133: NCAA finalist. At a minimum.
149: Obvious AA, but the kind of kid who has a really good shot at upsetting someone and making the finals.
165: I think he’s too injured to be an AA, which I would have predicted. 2-2
174: This weekend not withstanding, high AA.
184: Likely AA.
197: He didn’t just beat two of the nation’s best, he beat them handily. High AA, outside chance as a finalist.
HWT: Could win a match or two. 2-2

If the tournament plays out like that, OSU is top three. Not sure if there’s enough fire power to stop Iowa.

I’ll put OU’s predictions here also even though this is an OSU board.

OU
133: No telling. If he wrestles like he did at the end of last year and last weekend, maybe the round before AA.
141: Likely AA
149: Homer call. AA.
157: See 149
174: See 133.
197: Just too stacked of a weight. I bet he goes far in the consolations, but I can’t see AA.

If that pans out, OU is top 15, maybe even fringe top 10. Which would be a huge jump from where we’ve been.

I think you are pretty spot on but I think you have 165 and 174 swapped for OSU. I haven't been keeping track but did OU's heavy not make it? As an OSU fan the kid is going to be fun to root against but it looks like there is something there.

 

[MiccoMacey]

Doh! Thanks for the catch. Yes, I had them switched for whatever reason.

And I had the OU HWT on there originally. Not sure how I edited him off. But thanks for that as well.

 

[oberebo]

What the Heck? Micco, you do not have us with 12 All -Americans and 7 National champions and you confuse Witlake with Plott! Shame on you! Seriously, no problem with your predictions. Before this tournament I would not have AJ in the finals but now I do and a real chance to win it all. Daton in the finals against RBY in a close spine-tingling match that may go to overtime with very few points scored. I see OU with one AA in Demas and close but no cigar at the other weights. Madrigal looked impressive this weekend but this is a very tough weight. Thomas and Woodley are on the cusp of being AA but I do not see your 149 pounder making the podium, simply because he is not aggressive enough on his feet and average at best on the mat.

 

[thompsonja]

I took off my orange glasses.

25: 0-2
133: NCAA finalist
149: 5-8 AA
165: R12 he’s passive sometimes and he has problems with guys who can scramble.
174: 2-2
184: Low AA- rd12
197: High AA
HWT: 0-2

 

[On Tulsa Time]

I predict whiskey and depression...

I do think AJ will win it though.

 

[OSUMatFan]

I think the 165 pounder from NDSU is the real deal. Not that he will beat Whitlake consistently, but he is talented. When he beat Whitlake I was shocked, but fully expected him to win the finals. Whitlake came back just fine, but that kid is strong and very defensive. The NDSU staff planned that match very well. This tournament is going to be full of what we think are upsets due to the short season and not knowing what other wrestlers are capable of accomplishing.

 

[OHkie]

The 165 from NDSU also lost to the backup from UNI this year...

 

[OSUMatFan]

That is wild as he was tougher than nails at the Big 12's. Maybe he had trouble with weight or was getting over an injury. Was he the transfer from Nebraska? I missed the takedown in the first period, but he was tough the rest of the match with Whitlake.

 

[skylinepoke]

I believe Thomas could AA at 157 and I agree with Obe about Roberts.
Going into last week, I had Witlake in the semis with a fair chance of advancing. His timid, one move only wrestling will not work well at Nationals.

 

[tom_v31]

I bet the farm we Champ at 33 and 97. Daton tends to tighten up in the big match sometimes. Maybe watching the frosh go for it, will loosen him up a bit

 

[tom_v31]

I took off my orange glasses.

25: 0-2
133: NCAA finalist
149: 5-8 AA
165: R12 he’s passive sometimes and he has problems with guys who can scramble.
174: 2-2
184: Low AA- rd12
197: High AA
HWT: 0-2

If big twelves is any indicator, that looks about right. I bet they ride the momentum of AJ and hit on all cylinders though

 

[Harleycowboy]

I believe Thomas could AA at 157 and I agree with Obe about Roberts.
Going into last week, I had Witlake in the semis with a fair chance of advancing. His timid, one move only wrestling will not work well at Nationals.

I think Wittlake will do better than you think. I had never seen Wittlake miss takedowns like he did in that match when he was on a leg. He would get 1 leg and when going for the 2nd leg he lose the first. He should watch the tape and correct the letting go of the first leg he had. I have expressed concerns about his lack of aggression especially against tough opponents. If he is not a top 6 guy at least this year our chances in the future to be team champions reduces by a lot. He needs to be a potential finalist this year and in the future.

 

[chasepollard]

Until otherwise proven wrong, I stand by my predictions in the previous thread. NCAA's are always chalk full of wild occurrences. So, we have a champ/OW, two other finalists and 4 AA's...assuming Plott doesn't get hit with a bad drug test from the use of legal pharmaceutical pain killers.

But, using my time machine and moving ahead.

125 goes 1-2
133 wins it
149 AA's at #5
165 falls in R12
174 goes 1-2
184 hit podium at #7
197 makes a Finals appearance
285 has a fun trip to Nationals and wrestles two matches.

 

[Air_Thurman]

I think Wittlake will do better than you think. I had never seen Wittlake miss takedowns like he did in that match when he was on a leg. He would get 1 leg and when going for the 2nd leg he lose the first. He should watch the tape and correct the letting go of the first leg he had. I have expressed concerns about his lack of aggression especially against tough opponents. If he is not a top 6 guy at least this year our chances in the future to be team champions reduces by a lot. He needs to be a potential finalist this year and in the future.

It was crazy. It was like he was a .5 second slow all weekend. I would be curious if something was up. Even in some of his conso matches he missed takedowns he usually nails with ease.

 

[MiccoMacey]

I believe Thomas could AA at 157 and I agree with Obe about Roberts.
Going into last week, I had Witlake in the semis with a fair chance of advancing. His timid, one move only wrestling will not work well at Nationals.

Are you meaning Moore? OU’s 149 pounder?

 

[skylinepoke]

Are you meaning Moore? OU’s 149 pounder?

Yes. Sorry, I knew his name was Moore. He wrestled Boo tough but I believe Obe has his problems pegged.

 

[alex1fly]

Well here's the grumpy man viewpoint. I predict we don't get any NCs and will be hard pressed to get 3 AAs and land in the top 10. I love my Pokes but with the exception of AJ, I can't say that any of our guys have looked terribly sharp or effective against their few (if any) top-caliber opponents this season. Daton and Boo both tighten up, Geer gases and gets in his head, and Wittlake has to squeak by. Any wins from them over the top guys will be because of the other guy making a mistake with body position, and that's a coin flip.

I'm not all grump though - I predict no major injuries sustained during the tournament. And I'll definitely be cheering at my screen and hoping our guys go lights out when the time comes!

 

[Wrassler17]

^^ Harley, better step up your game, this guy is coming for your spot.

 

[tom_v31]

Well here's the grumpy man viewpoint. I predict we don't get any NCs and will be hard pressed to get 3 AAs and land in the top 10. I love my Pokes but with the exception of AJ, I can't say that any of our guys have looked terribly sharp or effective against their few (if any) top-caliber opponents this season. Daton and Boo both tighten up, Geer gases and gets in his head, and Wittlake has to squeak by. Any wins from them over the top guys will be because of the other guy making a mistake with body position, and that's a coin flip.

I'm not all grump though - I predict no major injuries sustained during the tournament. And I'll definitely be cheering at my screen and hoping our guys go lights out when the time comes!

I have a pretty good feeling about this tournament. I am not calling a national championship but I believe Ferrari has the cockyness and swagger to inspire this team to the next level.
We do have a bunch of overthinkers and it is maddening. The talent is there, they have to get out of their heads and get a little swagger.

 

[chasepollard]

Well here's the grumpy man viewpoint. I predict we don't get any NCs and will be hard pressed to get 3 AAs and land in the top 10. I love my Pokes but with the exception of AJ, I can't say that any of our guys have looked terribly sharp or effective against their few (if any) top-caliber opponents this season. Daton and Boo both tighten up, Geer gases and gets in his head, and Wittlake has to squeak by. Any wins from them over the top guys will be because of the other guy making a mistake with body position, and that's a coin flip.

I'm not all grump though - I predict no major injuries sustained during the tournament. And I'll definitely be cheering at my screen and hoping our guys go lights out when the time comes!

Yeah, Daton has no experience in big matches?

Do I hope he lets it fly in the Finals and/or semis? Yes, yes I do...but predicting anything but a NC from him is poor observation qualities to me.

Boo, I agree, but I don't expect less than Top 5.

Wittlake needs to open her up a little, for the reasons you mentioned. Take it away from the hands of chance IMO and missing a snake bite more than once doesn't happen very often.

Geer, he has a favorable draw and I think he AAs again.

Ferrari, if he Wrestles a duplicate weekend, he should stand on top of the podium. If he has a slip-up or gets stage fright, he still AA's.

As a team, I predict we land at 5 with 4 AAs and 2 Finalists.

 

[Dugan2035]

Well here's the grumpy man viewpoint. I predict we don't get any NCs and will be hard pressed to get 3 AAs and land in the top 10. I love my Pokes but with the exception of AJ, I can't say that any of our guys have looked terribly sharp or effective against their few (if any) top-caliber opponents this season. Daton and Boo both tighten up, Geer gases and gets in his head, and Wittlake has to squeak by. Any wins from them over the top guys will be because of the other guy making a mistake with body position, and that's a coin flip.

I'm not all grump though - I predict no major injuries sustained during the tournament. And I'll definitely be cheering at my screen and hoping our guys go lights out when the time comes!

Ya . Daton only made a world team and is NCAA runner up I don’t see how he can get through this.

 

[PoOsKuE]

^^ Harley, better step up your game, this guy is coming for your spot.

 

[Harleycowboy]

^^ Harley, better step up your game, this guy is coming for your spot.

He can have that spot. But I will keep calling them as I see them. It seems as the year has gone on we have got worse. Hopefully at Nationals that trend stops. As I said I would love to see us get 2 National Champs ( Daton and AJ). Get 3 All Americans Boo, Wittlake and 1 of these 2 Geer or Plott( more likely Geer because of Dustin struggling with his shoulder which makes it hard for him to take many good shots in a match. At the Big 12's what concerned me about Wittlake was after he got upset you would have thought he would tear apart his next opponent, but he didn't. We need him to be a star and hopefully he wrestles real good at Nationals. Dustin is also our future and watching him struggle with his shoulder and not develop at all this year is frustrating. Boo has the ability to win Nationals but with real big matches against real tough opponents he has not come through very often, yet.

 

[northmarion2001]

Wittlake is just a solid college wrestler. He is not elite like we perceive him. We have high expectations because of high school results. His college results are not great. They are good solid wins but nothing to get all excited about. To be honest I don’t remember a win that makes me feel like he can be a high all American this year. He is an good athlete but I believe he does struggle with confidence. I also believe he will struggle against funky wrestlers. I think he is a rd of 12 guy. My bet is The o’tool kid will make the finals from mizzou.

 

[Wrassler17]

He can have that spot. But I will keep calling them as I see them. It seems as the year has gone on we have got worse. Hopefully at Nationals that trend stops. As I said I would love to see us get 2 National Champs ( Daton and AJ). Get 3 All Americans Boo, Wittlake and 1 of these 2 Geer or Plott( more likely Geer because of Dustin struggling with his shoulder which makes it hard for him to take many good shots in a match. At the Big 12's what concerned me about Wittlake was after he got upset you would have thought he would tear apart his next opponent, but he didn't. We need him to be a star and hopefully he wrestles real good at Nationals. Dustin is also our future and watching him struggle with his shoulder and not develop at all this year is frustrating. Boo has the ability to win Nationals but with real big matches against real tough opponents he has not come through very often, yet.

Calling them as you see them, knowledgeable, and wear it on your sleeve. Hopefully you know I was only kidding...

 

[Cypresspoke]

Predictions:
125 - 2-2 - not ready, but free year.
133 - NC - will get it done this year.
149 - AA - 5th solid tournament and career.
157 - 1-2 - too injured.
165 - AA 3rd - will surprise some folks in a good way this time.
174 - 3 - 2 - not 100%.
184 - AA 7th - solid tournament again.
197 - NC - if somebody beats him they will have to bring it.
HWY - 1-2 not enough..

 

[tom_v31]

He can have that spot. But I will keep calling them as I see them. It seems as the year has gone on we have got worse. Hopefully at Nationals that trend stops. As I said I would love to see us get 2 National Champs ( Daton and AJ). Get 3 All Americans Boo, Wittlake and 1 of these 2 Geer or Plott( more likely Geer because of Dustin struggling with his shoulder which makes it hard for him to take many good shots in a match. At the Big 12's what concerned me about Wittlake was after he got upset you would have thought he would tear apart his next opponent, but he didn't. We need him to be a star and hopefully he wrestles real good at Nationals. Dustin is also our future and watching him struggle with his shoulder and not develop at all this year is frustrating. Boo has the ability to win Nationals but with real big matches against real tough opponents he has not come through very often, yet.

Yeah, well,,earlier this year we had a healthier Plot and Sheets. We also had Brock in the lineup. I hope Wittlake gets a fire in his belly, but maybe different people process things differently (hopefully), he’s got the talent.

 

[Harleycowboy]

Calling them as you see them, knowledgeable, and wear it on your sleeve. Hopefully you know I was only kidding...

I saw the smiley face.

 

[tom_v31]

I saw the smiley face.

Nothing wrong with calling it like you see it.

 

[JAY45]

Wittlake is just a solid college wrestler. He is not elite like we perceive him. We have high expectations because of high school results. His college results are not great. They are good solid wins but nothing to get all excited about. To be honest I don’t remember a win that makes me feel like he can be a high all American this year. He is an good athlete but I believe he does struggle with confidence. I also believe he will struggle against funky wrestlers. I think he is a rd of 12 guy. My bet is The o’tool kid will make the finals from mizzou.

This take seems like is warrants further discussion. He went 28-2 as a RS Fr. and did not look outclassed in his 3-2 loss to Marinelli. Can’t remember the other loss right now...it wasn’t in a dual. Wentzel is a stud and he manhandled him.

He’s had 1 loss this season (yes it was a bad one).

The coaches have him ranked 3rd despite the B12 loss. Do they perceive him wrongly as well?

It might depend on the definition of “elite”. He’s got a tough draw in the tournament ...the weight class otherwise seems wide open and appears to have the ability to get hot and be in the mix.

I’d favor Mehki Lewis if healthy, but he’s not.

EDIT: He lost to Griffith in the Scuffle 4-1; so he’s essentially lost to the 2 guys who have been ranked ahead of him (and the loss to Webber).

 

[tom_v31]

I would call Wittlake has elite potential and has shown the capacity to do that. His, maybe a confidence thing. He beat Aaron Brooks before he came to college and at any levy, that is stunning

 

[Wrassler17]

The loss to Griffith was just at the point when Wittlake began jumping levels last year. Griffith got the only takedown when he caught him off guard coming out of his crouch.

Speaking about his improvement, John said that if the 'end of season' Wittlake wrestled the 'beginning of season' Wittlake, he would have beat himself by 8 points.

 

[Dugan2035]

It was crazy. It was like he was a .5 second slow all weekend. I would be curious if something was up. Even in some of his conso matches he missed takedowns he usually nails with ease.

It looked like his back or hip was hurting him .

 

[northmarion2001]

This take seems like is warrants further discussion. He went 28-2 as a RS Fr. and did not look outclassed in his 3-2 loss to Marinelli. Can’t remember the other loss right now...it wasn’t in a dual. Wentzel is a stud and he manhandled him.

He’s had 1 loss this season (yes it was a bad one).

The coaches have him ranked 3rd despite the B12 loss. Do they perceive him wrongly as well?

It might depend on the definition of “elite”. He’s got a tough draw in the tournament ...the weight class otherwise seems wide open and appears to have the ability to get hot and be in the mix.

I’d favor Mehki Lewis if healthy, but he’s not.

EDIT: He lost to Griffith in the Scuffle 4-1; so he’s essentially lost to the 2 guys who have been ranked ahead of him (and the loss to Webber).

As I mentioned Wittlake is a solid wrestler not a world beater. He’s not a bonus point scorer. He’s just solid. Wetzl from Pitt seems like his best win (or maybe bullard) but he isn’t a world beater either. he had like 7 or 8 losses last year and he was ranked around The top 10 or 15. I believe he did get hot at the acc championship but he hasn’t AA yet. All of our wrestlers have potential but potential doesn’t get you any where if you don’t tap into it. Wittlake doesn’t have the wins to merit the elite status. Just because he kept it close to the kid from Iowa doesn’t mean muchin my opinion. The kid from OU kept it close with fix so Maybe he will all America because he kept it close. I don’t know I’m just a fan and my opinion doesn’t mean much but I do hope I am wrong

 

[turfpoke]

What does he have, 3 more years after this year? 3 total losses I far. His feet game is as good as there is. I don’t recall him having much trouble on bottom. Need that top game to get to the next level where he can start getting consistent bonus points. It wouldn’t surprise me if he won the whole thing this year. He’s right there and a huge part to the title runs that are coming.