PSU's Roman Bravo-Young defeated Iowa's Austin DeSanto earlier this season (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)The Big Ten has crowned the last 13 NCAA team champions in wrestling.
And there is no reason to think that trend will change in 2020.
The Big Ten is as strong as it has ever been and it's reflected in the national rankings.
The Iowa Hawkeyes are ranked No. 1 in the country and all 10 of their wrestlers are top three pre-seeds at this weekend's Big Ten tournament at Rutgers.
The power-packed tournament is sold out and expect another outstanding event as the Division I postseason kicks off.
In addition to Iowa, Penn State is ranked second nationally followed by No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 7 Minnesota, No. 9 Purdue and No. 11 Northwestern.
It's a loaded tournament with so many great matches expected as we move closer to the NCAA tournament later this month in Minneapolis.
Here are my predictions for the Big Ten tournament:
125
Iowa's Spencer Lee has won two national titles, but he hasn't won a Big Ten title.
That is expected to change as Lee is heavily favored to win in one of the conference's weaker weight classes.
Lee has taken his game to another level and look for him to pile up a ton of bonus points this weekend. He even won the U.S. Nationals in freestyle midway through the season and is expected to contend for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team this year.
The 125 field also includes ranked wrestlers Devin Schroder of Purdue, Patrick McKee of Minnesota and Michael DeAugustino of Northwestern.
But Lee should roll through this class at Big Tens.
Finals prediction: Lee over Schroder
133
This weight class alone will be the worth the price of admission this weekend. There are some studs in the 133-pound bracket.
2018 NCAA champion Seth Gross of Wisconsin has had an outstanding run after transferring to Madison for his final college season.
Gross will face his share of strong challengers.
Gross split matches with third-ranked Austin DeSanto of Iowa this season, defeated No. 2 Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State by one point and won an epic battle against No. 5 Sebastian Rivera of Northwestern at the Midlands Championships.
DeSanto was forced to injury default when he faced Bravo-Young in a dual meet at Iowa.
Keep an eye on Rivera. He won Big Tens last year at 125, and he is a tough matchup for anyone.
This deep class also includes No. 7 Travis Piotrowski of Illinois, No. 9 Sammy Alvarez of Rutgers and No. 13 Ridge Lovett of Nebraska.
Finals prediction: Gross over DeSanto
141
One of the most anticipated matches of the season came when Penn State's Nick Lee and Ohio State's Luke Pletcher battled in a dual meet.
Pletcher struck for the first takedown before Lee rallied to earn an impressive win in front of his home fans.
Lee and Pletcher are ranked 1-2 in the country after both had outstanding regular seasons. They are tough, hard-nosed wrestlers who get after it. Let's hope they battle two more times in the postseason.
The rest of the 141 class is very strong. It also includes No. 5 Max Murin of Iowa, No. 7 Chad Red of Nebraska, No. 8 Mitch McKee of Minnesota and No. 11 Tristan Moran of Wisconsin.
Murin has had an excellent sophomore season for the Hawkeyes and is wrestling at a high level. Red is a two-time All-American who has the potential to beat anybody. McKee was an All-American last year who will finish his career at home in Minnesota.
Finals prediction: Pletcher over Lee
149
There are a number of wrestlers who could ascend to the top spot in a weight class that isn't overly strong in the Big Ten.
Ohio State freshman Sammy Sasso has made a big splash in Columbus. He's ranked No. 1 nationally and he knocked off returning All-American Pat Lugo of Iowa this season.
Lugo, a senior, has dropped to No. 2 in the national rankings. He's been solid and appears to be hitting his peak at the right time.
Minnesota freshman Brayton Lee is another wrestler to watch along with Kanen Storr of Michigan. Both are ranked in the top 10 in the country.
Finals prediction: Lugo over Sasso
157
Northwestern's Ryan Deakin has emerged as the favorite in this class.
Deakin is ranked No. 1 nationally. The junior has also become a top freestyle wrestler on the Senior level.
Deakin's top challenger may be No. 2 Big Ten pre-seed Kaleb Young of Iowa. Young beat Deakin twice in the 2019 NCAA tournament -- in the quarterfinals and the fifth-place match. Both bouts went to overtime.
The 157 class also includes No. 7 Kendall Coleman of Purdue, No. 8 Will Lewan of Michigan, No. 17 Jake Tucker of Michigan State and No. 18 Peyton Robb of Nebraska.
Finals prediction: Deakin over Young
165
Penn State senior Vincenzo Joseph is hitting his peak in his final college campaign.
The two-time national champion has been impressive, scoring big wins over No. 2 Alex Marinelli of Iowa and No. 4 Evan Wick of Wisconsin this season. Joseph is ranked No. 1 nationally.
Fifth-ranked Isaiah White of Nebraska also is in the stacked 165-pound division.
Marinelli and Wick are two-time All-Americans and White is an All-American.
Marinelli defeated Joseph in the Big Ten finals last year en route to being named co-Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
Finals prediction: Joseph over Marinelli
174
Penn State senior Mark Hall has had a tremendous career.
He is a past national champion who is seeking his third straight Big Ten title.
But two-time All-American Michael Kemerer of Iowa is the favorite here after knocking off Hall this season.
Kemerer has come on strong to earn the No. 1 national ranking after missing last season with an injury. He bumped up two weight classes this season.
Hall, a three-time NCAA finalist, will be looking to bounce back if he faces the Iowa junior again. Hall is ranked No. 2 in the country.
This deep weight class also includes No. 4 Dylan Lydy of Purdue, No. 6 Devin Skatzka of Minnesota, No. 7 Mikey Labriola of Nebraska and No. 8 Kaleb Romero of Ohio State.
Finals prediction: Hall over Kemerer
184
Penn State freshman Aaron Brooks, an age-group world champion, has continued to ascend in the rankings.
Penn State's decision to pull the talented Brooks out of his redshirt may pay off in the postseason.
Brooks has climbed to No. 6 in the national rankings. He's the highest ranked Big Ten wrestler at 184.
This weight also includes No. 7 Cameron Caffey of Michigan State, No. 8 Abe Assad of Iowa and No. 10 Taylor Venz of Nebraska.
Venz has had an up-and-down season, but he finished fourth at the 2018 NCAA tournament before reaching the round of 12 last year.
Finals prediction: Brooks over Caffey
197
Ohio State's Kollin Moore had had a dominant senior season.
An NCAA runner-up last year to Hodge Trophy winner Bo Nickal of Penn State, Moore is on course to capture his first national championship.
Nebraska junior Eric Schultz has had a superb season and has moved up to No. 3 in the national rankings. Schultz is capable of making a run at the Big Ten finals.
Iowa sophomore Jacob Warner is a returning All-American who is ranked fourth in the country. Warner has been solid, but he was an elite recruit who could be on the verge of a breakthrough.
Purdue's Christian Brunner is another guy to keep an eye on. He's ranked No. 7 in the country.
Finals prediction: Moore over Warner
285
Minnesota's top-ranked Gable Steveson missed the first half of the season, but he's looked very good since he's come back.
The talented Steveson is the total package, a strong and explosive wrestler with technical skills to match. He will be tough to beat if he stays aggressive and doesn't let his opponents hang around.
One wrestler capable to challenging Steveson is Michigan's second-ranked Mason Parris, who continues to make gains with his wrestling. He has had an excellent season. The Junior world champion has a huge motor and likes to push the pace in his matches.
Iowa freshman Tony Cassioppi has been a welcome addition to an already loaded Hawkeye lineup. Cassioppi wrestles with the poise of an older wrestler. He is ranked third in the nation.
Wisconsin's sixth-ranked Trent Hillger, a returning All-American, is another excellent wrestler in this weight class.
Finals prediction: Steveson over Parris
Team
Iowa's lineup is loaded from top to bottom. The Hawkeyes are favored to win a strong tournament that includes a talented Penn State team. Iowa would really need to stumble to not win this. Ohio State, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota also are teams that could jump into the mix. Don't be surprised if the Huskers sneak into the top three.
Top 3 teams: Iowa, Penn State, Nebraska
Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now