The stage is set! Literally. I’m watching the NCAA finals stage being constructed as I am writing about the excellent matches that will take place on it; about three hours from now.
There is no team title drama as Penn State locked up the championship on Friday night; however, there is a scoring record within reach. The Nittany Lions are 14.5 points shy of Iowa’s record of 170 from the fabled 1997 tournament. There’s also an incredible battle for second place. With two in the finals and a 2.5-point lead, the Wolverines can clinch second with one win. There are a couple of different permutations that exist for the third-place trophy (remember the NCAA is not handing out a fourth-place trophy this year).
Ok, no more talking. Let’s get down to the action.
125 lbs - #3 Drake Ayala (Iowa) vs. #8 Richie Figueroa (Arizona State)
The most wide-open, unpredictable weight class of recent memory wasn’t so unpredictable to this guy. It was the pick in our 125 lb preview. That’s enough of the back-patting because the other picks weren’t so great. Sometimes in sports, it isn’t the athlete or team that went wire-to-wire as the best that prevails in a championship format.
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