125: Jesse Delgado (Illinois)
In terms of a bracket buster, choosing a two-time returning NCAA champion is a layup. Thankfully (for me) the NCAA seeding committee phoned in the 125-pound seeds and gave Delgado the opportunity to implode the top side of his bracket.
Will he win it all? That's less certain, but in terms of an unseeded guy making the finals or semifinals rarely has there been someone in a better position for disruption.
133: Cody Brewer (Oklahoma)
Almost unfathomable as a No.13 seed, Cody Brewer has only one loss on the season and won the Big 12 title last week with a win over No. 6 seed Earl Hall of Iowa State. With his ridiculously low seed, Brewer, a two-time All-American, will be in the right spot to oust higher seeds.
To get to the semifinals Brewer will need to upset No. 4 Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State) and get past No. 5 Zane Richards (Illinois). In both matches, were you not considering seeds, Brewer might be considered the favorite.
Chris Mecate was a MAC runner-upNot all that underrated in his 11th seed, Old Dominion's Chris Mecate has a nice chance to wiggle through the bracket and find wins where others might not expect. He's a talented and experienced wrestler, with a coach well known for preparing athletes to compete at the NCAA tournament.
Mecate's first big test will be sixth-seeded Nick Dardanes of Minnesota in the second round. Should he dial in a win early, the 21-win Mecate will need to scare up some action against third-seeded Lavion Mayes of Mizzou. Running through any bracket is tough, and 141 might be toughest of all, but if anyone has the skill set and positioning, it's Mecate.
149: Hunter Stieber (Ohio State)
Though sporting an unimpressive 3-4 record, Hunter Stieber is a two-time All-American with every opportunity to win the NCAA tournament, not just disrupt.
Another victim of an NCAA seeding process more content with appearing objective, rather than being objective, Stieber will have to push his way past either third-seeded David Habat (Edinboro) or NCAA runner-up Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State) in the second round. Further along it could be sixth-seeded Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) and defending NCAA champion Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) who have to deal with the ever-game Stieber.
157: Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech)
Limited action in 2014-15 left Virginia Tech's Nick Brascetta without the body of work needed to earn a seed. However, don't let that lack of seed or his two losses distract from the fact that he's a bruiser who can, and will, make it through the NCAA tournament with an All-American trophy.
The 2013 All-American will have a tough road to the semifinals, needing to outwit or outgun ninth-seeded Joseph LaVallee (Missouri) and eighth-seeded John Boyle (American) before meeting up with undefeated freshman phenom and top-seeded Isaiah Martinez of Illinois.
165: Ethan Ramos (North Carolina)
With 28 wins on the season No. 15 Ramos has shown again and again that he can win his way through a tournament. To date his biggest win remains one over fourth-seeded Nick Sulzer of Virginia, 8-6. If he can put together another win of that caliber and use his style to frustrate opponents, he might be able to find some wins through the top side of the bracket.
His big test will come in the second round against second-seeded Michael Moreno (Iowa State), who has racked up 22 wins on the season and is looking stronger as the season progresses. Ramos is a long shot, but if can make it past Moreno he will be in a strong position to get on the podium.
Michigan sophomore Taylor Massa reached the round of 12 two seasons ago as a true freshman at 165 pounds, but moved up to 174 pounds late this season and comes into this weekend's NCAAs at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis unseeded (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)With only a handful of losses not due to injury, the start of the Taylor Massa era could begin this weekend in St. Louis, albeit up a weight class.
The powerful, technical and well-coached Massa has bumped from 165 pounds to 174 pounds to compete in the Big Tens and NCAAs. He's 3-3 at the weight class, but that type of early record levels when considering the newness of the heft and trying to accommodate for new opponents.
The thing is, to be a bracket buster, Massa will need to upend undefeated top-ranked Bob Kokesh of Nebraska, the same Bob Kokesh that pinned Massa in less than 20 seconds at Big Tens. The NCAAs are crazy, and though top seeds don't fall often, this might be the year we see something spectacular, and Massa has as solid a shot as any of pulling off the unlikely. Winners know how to win, and Massa has won a lot in his life.
184: Willie Miklus (Missouri)
A team hunting for their first national title, a workout partner who is arguably the most talented wrestler in the nation, and a habit of keeping every single match close means that Milkus, despite being unseeded and with head-scratching losses, could be the bracket buster at 184 pounds.
First up for Miklus is No. 10 Lorenzo Thomas (Penn), a returning All-American. Following him up will be seventh-seeded Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh), who bested Milkus 7-3 at a dual meet in February. Should he make it past these back-to-back barbarians, he will face second-seeded Max Thomusseit (Pitt), who is 24-1 and looks primed to win the NCAA title.
Unlikely? Certainly. But if Mizzou is to win the NCAA championships they will need something unlikely from their guys, Milkus included.
197: Phil Wellington (Ohio)
With 23 wins on the year, Phil Wellington has every chance at lighting up the NCAA tournament in St. Louis. Though he's seeded No. 14, Wellington is exciting and a win-heavy wrestler with the capability to streak through a tournament on momentum. Last year he defeated J'den Cox of Missouri, and battled the NCAA champion tough in the MAC finals this year.
Should he win his opening salvo, Wellington's second-round match will be with third seeded Kyven Gadson (Iowa State). That will be a tough test, but one that Wellington may find to be a good matchup. Should he find a way to beat Gadson it will be sixth-seeded Nathan Burak (Iowa) for a chance at the semifinals and one heck of a run for Bobcat nation.
285: Spencer Myers (Maryland)
In terms of wins and losses, Myers is down this year, in part because he got a late start on the season due to his commitment to football, and partly because he now resides in the Big Ten. However, as a former All-American, Myers is always in the match, and with a coach like Kerry McCoy, Myers has every opportunity to upset the status quo at the NCAA tournament.
Myers is starting the tournament against third-seeded Bobby Telford of Iowa, who beat him in early February. That loss might not bode well for Myers chances, but another loss, one to Illinois' Brooks Black, has been avenged, and given the round and the stress of the event, Myers may be able to find a major upset.
From there, Myers would likely face a very game No. 14 seed in Joe Stolfi (Bucknell) before facing off against sixth-seeded Adam Coon (Michigan).
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