ACC Weekend Preview (2/23/24)

Somehow we find ourselves in the final week of the regular season; it feels like the Southeast Open was just a couple weeks ago. We have one final full night of ACC duals with Duke making the short jaunt to UNC and Virginia making a longer trek to Pittsburgh. The title of ACC Dual Champion will be decided Friday night in Raleigh where we see the latest installment of the rivalry between Virginia Tech and NC State. 

#12 Virginia Tech at #7 NC State

This one is going to be spicy. 

This matchup has earned the title of a rivalry. 

The Hokies or the Wolfpack have earned the last 19 ACC regular season and tournament titles. Five of the last six duals have been decided by 4 or fewer points. The Hokies won the opening ACC dual last season at home 16-14; the Wolfpack won in 2022 by the largest margin in recent history, 21-10. The InterMat rankings have Virginia Tech at 12th in dual rankings and 7th in tournaments while NC State is 7th in dual and 2nd in tournaments. With both lineups at full strength, there would be 10 ranked versus ranked matchups. Nine individual wrestlers are ranked in the top-10 with a 2 versus 3 matchup at 149. There are 13 All-American honors in the lineups and an NCAA Champion in Mekhi Lewis. These two teams have held the flag for the conference and continue to show the strength of the ACC on a national level. 

I have spent the majority of my free time in the last week running through this dual in my mind, and I have seen it play out about 223 different ways. This dual could just as easily be an 8-2 rout in favor of either team as it could be a 5-5 split and go-to criteria. The margins are razor thin at the majority of the weights, and many weights are much tighter matchups than the rankings may imply. Momentum could play a huge role in this dual and NC State will have a big crowd behind them in a very raucous Reynolds Coliseum. 

125: #3 Cooper Flynn v #14 Jakob Camacho

Flynn came out of Olympic Redshirt mid-year to take over for an injured Eddie Ventresca and has since gone 13-2 with multiple top-5 wins. Camacho opened his season knocking off #1 Matt Ramos; he had a tough run in the middle of the season but seems to be back on track, notching a big win over #15 Brett Ungar last week. Both of these guys have a solid defense and score well on counter offense; they also both have the potential to open up and score points in bunches. I would expect a lower-scoring match here but this one could go a long way in setting the tone of the dual and establishing early momentum. 

133: #13 Sam Latona v #4 Kai Orine

This is the only match in the dual that will pit All-American versus All-American. Latona holds a 2-1 series lead over Orine. Latona got the dual win last year before Orine pulled the upset in the ACC Finals. Latona went out on top with a 3-1 win over Orine in the 7th place match at the NCAA Championships last year--this was the first AA finish for Orine and the 2nd for Latona. 

Orine has continued his upward trajectory and has had an impressive season; he comes in at 12-2 with losses to #3 Daton Fix and #10 Nic Bouzakis and his best win over #7 Evan Frost. Latona has looked fantastic most of the time, but as he has throughout his career, has some head-scratching losses. He comes in at 16-5 on the year with top-10 wins over #8 Dylan Shawver and #10 Nic Bouzakis; four of his losses are to ranked wrestlers, with an early season loss to Gabe Wisenhunt the only unranked loss. Latona has shown throughout his career that he wrestles best at the end of the season when the stakes are the highest. He is going to need to turn in his best performance of the year facing the aggressive Orine. All three of their matches have been decided by one or two points - I could see this match being very similar. 

141: #15 Tom Crook v #4 Ryan Jack

This match will likely decide who is the 2-seed in Chapel Hill. Both enter at 2-1 in the ACC with a loss to Cole Matthews (who has been on an incredible run in a loaded weight in the ACC). Jack holds a 2-0 series lead over Crook with a win at CKLV and in the dual last season. Crook came out of redshirt mid-year after wrestling unattached at 149 to take the starting spot at 141 and has put together a solid run. He is 10-2 at 141 with losses to #14 Cole Matthews and #11 Jordan Titus, his best win is over #5 Lachlan McNeil and he also holds wins over #24 Josh Edmond, #25 Danny Pucino, and #27 Jordan Hamdan. Jack has made jumps this year after qualifying for the NCAA tournament the past two seasons. He has always had stellar defense but has shown more dangerous offense this year and it has helped break open some big matches. Jack enters tonight at 15-3 and also holds two wins over #5 Lachlan McNeil, as well as #6 Cael Happel. Jack’s losses are to #3 Jesse Mendez and #14 Cole Matthews. I expect this to be a very tight match with both having strong defense and scrambling abilities. 

149: #2 Caleb Henson v #3 Jackson Arrington

Henson won the first two installments of what could be a very long-running rivalry between the two true sophomores. Both have looked incredible this year. Henson is 23-1 on the year with his lone loss to #1 Ridge Lovett in a very tight match in the CKLV finals. Arrington comes in at 16-2 with his lone competition loss to Dylan D’Emilio - his second loss was a medical forfeit at CKLV. Henson earned All-American honors last year and has looked even more impressive this season. Arrington has made major strides and is showing the ability that everyone expected from the big Wolfpack recruit. This match will decide the top seed for the conference and is a likely preview of the ACC finals. Nationally, Henson and Ridge Lovett have separated themselves from the field as the top tier, this is an opportunity for Arrington to show that he is on that tier as well and should be in the national title conversation. This is the match I am most looking forward to in this dual and I expect it to be thoroughly entertaining. 

157: Clayton Ulrey OR Rafael Hipolito v #12 Ed Scott

A major factor in the team fight will be the absence of #9 Bryce Andonian at 157. Andonian and Ed Scott have had a very fun back-and-forth series over the past couple years; Andonian holds a 4-2 series lead, but Scott has won the last two matchups. Scott has had an up-and-down year at 18-5, but three of those losses have come in sudden victory. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until the ACC tournament to see another round as Andonian has been out with a knee injury suffered in the Cornell dual. Clayton Ulrey and Rafael Hipolito have done an incredible job holding down the spot; they are a combined 4-0 in the ACC with Ulrey earning the first three wins and Hipolito taking the win last week. I think Hipolito is a better matchup stylistically and could pose a similar threat to a dangerous Scott that Andonian has with his wide-open style; if these two square off we can safely say you’ll still need to buckle up to watch this weight. 

165: #22 Connor Brady v #12 Derek Fields OR AJ Kovacs

This may be the biggest toss-up match of the dual and could go a long way to deciding which team comes out on top. Fields is 14-2 (3-0 ACC) on the year with losses to #4 Julian Ramirez and #18 Brevin Cassella and his best win over #13 Holden Heller. Brady has had an up-and-down year at 11-7 overall and 3-1 in the ACC. Fields won the spot over AJ Kovacs early in the year and has been incredibly consistent for the Wolfpack. Brady is a solid defensive wrestler and can slow down most opponents; he will need to stay strong defensively and find a way to get his offense going if he hopes to top Fields. 

174: #2 Mekhi Lewis v #30 Alex Faison 

Lewis holds a 2-0 series lead over Faison, with the last win in overtime to win the ACC Championship last season. Lewis is 12-0 on the year and has looked as impressive as ever. Faison has had an up-and-down year and has struggled in the second half of the season; he comes into this dual at 11-9 and 2-2 in the ACC. Lewis will be looking for bonus points in this match and Faison will try to slow him down as he was able to do in their two matches last season. 

184: #24 TJ Stewart v #7 Dylan Fishback 

This could be the opening matchup of a new rivalry between the redshirt freshmen. Both are the reigning ACC Wrestlers of the Week after notching top-10 upsets; Stewart over #9 Reece Heller and Fishback over #7 Chris Foca. Fishback has had an excellent year in his first season in the starting lineup. He is 15-5 on the year with those losses to #1 Parker Keckeisen, #2 Dustin Plott, #3 Lenny Pinto, #10 Reece Heller and #18 Jayden Bullock. His top win came last week with an upset over then #7 Jacob Cardenas. Stewart took over the starting spot in the second half of the season following the injury of Sam Fisher. He has made the most of his opportunity and is coming in with some momentum. He is 5-2 on the year and 4-1 at 184 with his lone loss to #23 Gavin Kane and a win last week over then #9 Reece Heller. Stewart seems to be finding his stride and has been relying on his strong defense, he will need to increase his offensive output to keep up with Fishback who has been a prolific scorer this year. 

197: #26 Andy Smith v #2 Trent Hidlay

Trent Hidlay will be going for career win #100 against Smith in his final home match in an NC State singlet. The move up to 197 has been a good one for Hidlay, who has looked stronger and more dangerous at the higher weight - which is impressive considering he earned All-American honors three times (2, 5, 4) at 184. Hidlay has looked every bit like a national title contender and has been wrestling on a different level this year; he is 21-0 with 18 BONUS point wins. Smith has some great wins, but has had an up-and-down season so far; he is 14-6 on the year and 3-0 in the ACC. He did pull off a major upset in this dual last year, taking out Isaac Trumble. It will be a tough task for Smith to slow down the bonus-point buzzsaw of Hidlay, but it may be just what the Hokies need to earn a team win. 

285: #20 Hunter Catka OR Jimmy Mullen v #15 Owen Trephan OR Chase Horne

This one is a wildcard. It is the only weight that both teams have two options listed and depending on the team score, I wouldn’t be surprised to see either Mullen or Horne take the mat. Trephan holds a 2-0 series lead over Catka, with one win in sudden victory and another in 2OT so the margins are very tight at the top weight. Even with Mullen and Horne, we have a very tight matchup with two massive recruits--both physically and by ranking. Catka is 13-5 on the year with losses to #5 Zach Elam, #6 Lucas Davison, #7 Nick Feldman, #12 Yaraslau Slavikouski and #17 Lewis Fernandes. Catka has shown a lot more offensive output this year than he has in years past and that has paid dividends for him. He will need to put up points against Trephan to help the Hokies. Trephan is 14-5 on the year, also having only ranked losses to #11 Konner Doucet, #9 Taye Ghadiali, #24 Boone McDermott, #1 Greg Kerkvliet, and #8 Nathan Taylor. There is a very real chance that this dual will come down to this match with all the marbles in the hands of the big guys. The matches in the past have been low-scoring and defensive, someone will need to get their offense going and break through to get the win tonight. 

Virginia at #24 Pittsburgh

Both teams will be looking to bounce back after losses last week to put themselves in the best possible position going into the ACC Championships. There will also be several important individual matches that could have a major impact on the conference seeding.

Big matches to keep an eye on in Pittsburgh:

Marlon Yarbrough has looked phenomenal this year and is 3-1 in the ACC with a loss to Kai Orine, but a big win over Sam Latona. Santaniello has been solid but has faced a brutal schedule this year; he is 13-11 overall with the majority of those losses to top-10 ranked wrestlers. He comes in at 1-3 in the ACC and will be looking to add a win to improve his seeding potential. 

Cole Matthews is trying to finish the ACC slate unblemished against a very scrappy Jack Gioffre. This is not a good match for Matthews to overlook - Gioffre can be very dangerous. Matthews just notched win number 99 of his career against Rider and will be looking to add 100 in his final start in Fitzgerald Field House. 

Justin McCoy is looking to finish his final regular season match in a UVA singlet with a win over Luca Augustine to guarantee the 2 seed opposite Mekhi Lewis in Chapel Hill. Augustine has shown that he has the ability to hang with anyone and has some big wins in his two years as a starter. McCoy is 3-1 in the ACC while Augustine is 1-2 and will be looking for an upset to potentially bump him a seed higher. 

125: Sammie Hayes v Colton Camacho

133: #28 Marlon Yarbrough v #23 Vinnie Santaniello

141: Jack Gioffre v #14 Cole Matthews

149: Michael Gioffre v Finn Solomon

157: #27 Dylan Cedeno OR Nick Sanko v Jared Keslar

165: Nick Hamilton v #13 Holden Heller

174: #13 Justin McCoy v #18 Luca Augustine

184: Ethan Weatherspoon OR Hudson Stewart v #10 Reece Heller

197: Krystian Kinsey v #15 Mac Stout

285: Ryan Catka v Geoff Magin

#29 North Carolina at Duke 

The Tar Heels have won two straight ACC duals and are trying to finish on a high note in their first season under Head Coach Rob Koll. The Blue Devils have struggled in ACC competition but are looking to put a few individuals in position to make a run at the ACC tournament. 

A couple matches to watch in Chapel Hill:

Jayden Scott is coming off an overtime win over Michael Gioffre and Jarred Papscy earned his first ACC dual win last week. This will be Papscy’s final regular season match and he will have a tough test in a very dangerous Scott. 

Conner Barket has been the bright spot for the Blue Devils this year; he is 2-2 in the ACC and with a win on Friday could put himself in position to argue for the 3 seed at the ACC Championships. 

125: #29 Spencer Moore v Logan Agin

133: Derek Guanajuato v Patrick Rowland

141: #5 Lachlan McNeil v Christian Colman

149: #32 Jayden Scott v Jarred Papscy

157: #32 Sonny Santiago v Logan Ferrero

165: Isaias Estrada v Gaetano Console

174: #17 Tyler Eischens v Jack Wimmer

184: #23 Gavin Kane OR Sabino Portello v Conor Becker

197: #23 Max Shaw v Kwasi Bonsu

285: Cade Lautt v Conner Barket