Brackets

[Numbers]

I don't see this going particularly well for the Badgers. Hopefully they can get a couple back side wins but it does not look good. But just wait until next year!

Do you ever say anything positive?

I particularly like the first round match-ups. You need to keep in mind that this the Big 10 has wrestled only Big 10, so almost every time a team stepped on the mat this year, the match-up was a highly ranked opponent. That is not necessarily the case for other conferences who come in sporting undefeated or one loss records. This year you could see some high seeded non-Big10 guys getting knocked off by many lower seed Big 10 athletes.

LOL Exactly. It is the NCAA tournament there are no easy draws.

125-Barnett has a pretty favorable path if he can beat Lane round 1. To AA he would have to beat Ragusin and then either Foley or Schroder. That is very doable.
133-Burwick has a winnable first match and then would get RBY, but has winnable matches on the backside to start.
184- Weiler winnable first match and then would have Keckeisen a Wisconsin native. Keckeisen has wrestled almost every match this year by 1-2 points besides wrestling backups. Weiler is very good on the mat whereas Keckeisens strength is neutral. I wouldn't be shocked if Weiler could win that match. Otherwise Weiler would most likely have Brands on the backside which was 2-0 at Big Tens. If he wins that he is in the bloodround.
285-Hillger hasn't had his best season but has some very winnable matches with guys he beat last year(Gremmel, Elam, etc.) on the backside assuming Stencil beats him based on previous results. He would have Jordan Wood in the bloodround to be an AA.

Bagers have 0 AAs this year. I would liked to be positive, but tough draws all around. I do not forsee Barnett beating Ragusin and Foley/Schroeder in one weekend.  Burwick is going to have a rough time beating Mosha Schwartz first round. Even if he beats him, Kyle will have to beat Hayes or Dryden and Phillipi or Desanto to AA.

If Weiler loses to Keckeinsen, he will have to beat Brands and Wilson or Samuelson to AA. That is a possible path.

Hilger has the best draw he could possibly have, but I don't think he is wrestling extremely well right now.

Well the wrestlers still have a say so I will wait for them next week to provide the answers about NCAA results.

[dad 2 5]

I don't see this going particularly well for the Badgers. Hopefully they can get a couple back side wins but it does not look good. But just wait until next year!

Do you ever say anything positive?

I particularly like the first round match-ups. You need to keep in mind that this the Big 10 has wrestled only Big 10, so almost every time a team stepped on the mat this year, the match-up was a highly ranked opponent. That is not necessarily the case for other conferences who come in sporting undefeated or one loss records. This year you could see some high seeded non-Big10 guys getting knocked off by many lower seed Big 10 athletes.

First post!
LOL
Let's check-in after the weekend, pretty sure I made the call a while ago.
I hope they do get some wins but I don't like the match up and back side get little points unless you get deep in it and I can't see it happening. 

[Harris]

Here is my breakdown just for fun:

125 Eric Barnett

His first match is against Jaret Lane from Lehigh who is 8-0 this season.  Lane is a 2X Pennsylvania state champ who is a pinning machine.  He pinned over 65% of the kids he wrestled in high school and nearly 40% of his matches this year.  In looking at his results over the past 3 years, he does not have many matches against top wrestlers and has not beaten anyone of Barnett's caliber.  I think this will be a good matchup for Barnett and I expect some exciting wrestling.  I think Barnett is battle tested and angry from his Big Ten performance and will win this match by decision.  Obviously, this is a must win for Eric.

Round 2 will pose a huge challenge against highly ranked Brandon Courtney of Arizona State who is 11-0 this season.  I believe Courtney was a 3X state champ in Arizona and the #6 recruit at 120 lbs. in 2018.  He was also a Fargo national champion in high school.  Again, I like this matchup for Barnett based on the fact that Devon Schroeder beat Courtney 2 times last year and Barnett pinned Schroeder this year the first time they met .  With common opponents, Barnett is 6-6 and Courtney is 7-3.  On paper Courtney should win but I think Barnett has a chip on his shoulder and something to prove.  If Barnett wins this match I believe he finishes in the top 8.

[Harris]

184 Chris Weiler

His first match will be extremely challenging taking on David Key from Navy who is 9-1 on the season.  Key was a 2 time Georgia state champion his sophomore and senior seasons and took 2nd as a junior.  He was also a Fargo runner up in 2017.  Against common opponents, Key is 5-2 and Weiler is 6-4.  Wrestlestat predicts a one point victory for Weiler.  I actually think Weiler's style and experience may be the biggest factor in this match.  He needs to come ready to wrestle because Key is the real deal and will present some challenges for him.

If Weiler wins, he should get Wisconsin native and fan favorite Parker Keckeisen who was a 2 time state champion for Nicolet high school.  Keckeisen is 13-0 on the season and the Big 12 champion.  He was 16-1 in his redshirt freshman season only losing a tight decision (6-5) to eventual national qualifier Abe Assad from Iowa.  Assad was replaced by Nelson Brands at 184 this season who Weiler lost to at Big Tens 2-0.  Versus common opponents, Weiler is 2-2 and Keckeisen is 3-0.  Wrestlestat predicts a one point victory for Keckeisen.  If Weiler can get past Parker, I believe he will finish in the top 8 as well but I think this is a monumental task.  Keckeisen is one of those wrestlers that has impressed me since high school and has kept the train rolling in college.  It is too bad he is not wrestling for Wisconsin.

I do believe anything is possible for Weiler.  It would not surprise me to see him battle through the backside of the bracket to find a way on to the podium as well.  Do not count out his desire and heart.  There is something to be said about experience at a big tournament such as NCAA's.

[Harris]

133 Kyle Burwick

I can't begin to express how happy and excited I was to see the performance of Burwick at the Big Ten tournament.  He came to wrestle and truly punched his ticket to the big dance.  As a top ten recruit and five time state champion from North Dakota, we were all waiting for Burwick to have a break through moment and I think we just witnessed it at the Big Ten's.  He was a shining light in an otherwise below average tournament.

With that being said, I believe nothing else matters for him except his first match against Mosha Schwartz from Northern Colorado.  Schwartz is a 2X state champion from Colorado who qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2020 by placing 2nd in the Big 12.  Schwartz placed 4th in the Big 12 this year and has a 6-4 record on the year.  This is a winnable match for Burwick.  They have no common opponents and wrestlestat has Schwartz winning big by 8 points.  What wrestlestat doesn't know is how great Burwick is wrestling right now and how badly he wants to win this match. 

Round 2 would put Burwick up against Roman Bravo Young from Penn State and that is why I think the first match is critical for Burwick to keep some momentum going.  The odds of him beating RBY or tearing up the back side of the bracket are slim but with how he wrestled last week, anything is possible.  I am rooting for him win lose or draw.  I like his grit and determination and he has given me a glimpse into what he can do down the road.

[Harris]

285 Trent Hillger

I saved the big guy for last.  I am not sure what is going on this season with Hillger, but I want to see the wrestler we all love so much next week.  Yes - I am talking about "Thor" the hammer.  Hillger needs to increase his pace and aggression and put it all on the line.  Shoot early, shoot often and be a hammer.

His first match is against 2X Oklahoma state champion Josh Heindselman.  Heindselman is 9-5 this season after placing 4th at the Big 12 tournament.  Against common opponents, Hillger is 7-2 and Heindselman is 3-5 with Hillger predicted to win by 5.  Heindselman has lost 2 sudden victory matches to Gannon Gremmel this season.  Gremmel beat Hillger back in 2017 so this will be a good test for Thor but I think he wins it.  If this was last season, it would be no doubt.

Round 2 potentially puts Hillger up against the big man from Central Michigan, Matt Stencel.  If you remember, Stencel beat Hillger at the 2019 NCAA tournament 3-1 in the 7th place match.  This 4 time MAC champion is 10-0 this season and was 30-4 last season.  This will be a huge obstacle for Hillger but I do think he has the tools and skill set to win this match but it all depends on where he is mentally and physically.

My biggest worry with Hillger if he loses this match is whether or not he has enough in the gas tank to work his way through the back side of the bracket.  Like I said, I am hoping for a miracle where Thor comes out of hiding and goes to work next week.  He is one of my favorite personalities on the team.

[Harris]

I would also like to give a huge shout out to Seth Gross this season.  He works with the light weights and helped 2 good wrestlers get to the NCAA tournament.  I have also seen a noted improvement by Ethan Rotondo as well.  Keep up the good work.

[TomM]

Thanks Harris!

[wrastle63]

I don't see this going particularly well for the Badgers. Hopefully they can get a couple back side wins but it does not look good. But just wait until next year!

Do you ever say anything positive?

I particularly like the first round match-ups. You need to keep in mind that this the Big 10 has wrestled only Big 10, so almost every time a team stepped on the mat this year, the match-up was a highly ranked opponent. That is not necessarily the case for other conferences who come in sporting undefeated or one loss records. This year you could see some high seeded non-Big10 guys getting knocked off by many lower seed Big 10 athletes.

First post!
LOL
Let's check-in after the weekend, pretty sure I made the call a while ago.
I hope they do get some wins but I don't like the match up and back side get little points unless you get deep in it and I can't see it happening.

And contributed more than you did lol

[neutral]

(per Harris) ... 125 Eric Barnett - His first match is against Jaret Lane from Lehigh who is 8-0 this season.  c.  He pinned over 65% of the kids he wrestled in high school and nearly 40% of his matches this year.  In looking at his results over the past 3 years, he does not have many matches against top wrestlers and has not beaten anyone of Barnett's caliber.  I think this will be a good matchup for Barnett and I expect some exciting wrestling.  I think Barnett is battle tested and angry from his Big Ten performance and will win this match by decision.  Obviously, this is a must win for Eric.


I believe Barnett can up his game - but the "Lane is a 2X Pennsylvania state champ who is a pinning machine" and his 2 "pinned" results from results from then B10s gives me some pause ...   

[Harris]

(per Harris) ... 125 Eric Barnett - His first match is against Jaret Lane from Lehigh who is 8-0 this season.  c.  He pinned over 65% of the kids he wrestled in high school and nearly 40% of his matches this year.  In looking at his results over the past 3 years, he does not have many matches against top wrestlers and has not beaten anyone of Barnett's caliber.  I think this will be a good matchup for Barnett and I expect some exciting wrestling.  I think Barnett is battle tested and angry from his Big Ten performance and will win this match by decision.  Obviously, this is a must win for Eric.


I believe Barnett can up his game - but the "Lane is a 2X Pennsylvania state champ who is a pinning machine" and his 2 "pinned" results from results from then B10s gives me some pause ...

In doing some research on Lane I found multiple references going back to high school and college where they say he is a pinning machine.  I put it out there because I think Barnett has an intense style as well so this should be a fun match to watch in my opinion.  Two guys that are looking for some big moves and always working for a pin.  Should be fun!

[Wrestling Thug]

I think Ragusin will be the guy off the bottom half to make it to Spencer.

[dad 2 5]

Harris, impressive break down! Good research and now bring on the wrestling!

[Harris]

Updated brackets. 

It looks like the Army heavyweight was the first wrestler taken out of the tournament for Coronavirus (I am assuming this is what happened).  All the wrestlers from his seed and down moved up one spot.  No more pigtail.  I hope no one else tests positive. 

https://www.ncaa.com/_flysystem/public-s3/files/DI%20Brackets_20210315.pdf

(23) Robert Heald (ARMY) 5-3 was originally in match 168

[vsmf2010]

Updated brackets. 

It looks like the Army heavyweight was the first wrestler taken out of the tournament for Coronavirus (I am assuming this is what happened).  All the wrestlers from his seed and down moved up one spot.  No more pigtail.  I hope no one else tests positive. 

https://www.ncaa.com/_flysystem/public-s3/files/DI%20Brackets_20210315.pdf

(23) Robert Heald (ARMY) 5-3 was originally in match 168

Major bummer for that young man. Been worried about that but since we had not heard anything I was hopeful that maybe everyone was going to be able to compete. On a bright note I was speaking with someone who was at the DII championships last weekend and according to the event organizer they did not have 1 single positive test. Coaches, athletes, staff, etc...