My pick at the beginning of the season, Nahshon Garrett, has only improved and impressed in 2014. With more pressure expected to be put on Jesse Delgado to do something that resembles offense, it'll be Garrett who scores on several occasions and takes home his first crown.
133: Joe Colon (UNI) over Tony Ramos (Iowa)
Lost in the hub-bub about upsets and standout years was Joe Colon who has been lights out for head coach Doug Schwab. He'll face Ramos in the finals, and like he did at Midlands, waste no time in scoring, and ultimately dispatching the standout Hawkeye.
141: Logan Stieber (Ohio State) over Mitchell Port (Edinboro)
Though the seeding was a big kerfuffle, it's ignorant to not recognize that Mitchell Port is a talented, tough-nose competitor. He's on the top side of the bracket and won't face as much competition, which gives him a road to the finals. He'll meet Stieber, who proved last week in his win against Zain Retherford (Penn State) that he is the best horse in the race.
149: Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) over Gus Sako (Virginia)
Call me a homer, but Gus Sako has all the skills to rip through his side of the bracket. He's a bad matchup for No. 2 Nick Dardanes and is just funky enough to throw off any competitor. Still, Kendric Maple will find his pace at NCAAs and under the direction of Mark Cody bring home a second NCAA title.
157: James Green (Nebraska) over Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State)
Mean James Green is the best wrestler at the weight class and has been for much of the season. Dieringer will put up a challenge, but Green has hit another level and will show separation in the finals.
165: David Taylor (Penn State) over Nick Sulzer (Virginia)
OK, I'm a bit of a homer. Though I think Sulzer will give Taylor a hell of a match, it's still a slim chance he'll get past Taylor. That said, don't be surprised if it's a closer match than most are expecting.
174: Andrew Howe (Oklahoma) over Chris Perry (Oklahoma State)
The Big 12 finals evened up the score, but it'll be interesting to see how Perry's stall ride is handled by the top officials in the country. Howe is more offensive and should he do to Perry at NCAAs what he did at Big 12s and push the defending champion around the mat, the officials will have to ding Perry.
184: Ed Ruth (Penn State) over Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland)
Sheptock has a clear road to the finals, facing No. 4 Max Thomusseit (Pitt) in the semifinals -- an opponent he handled in the finals of the ACC. Ed "Baby" Ruth will have to make it past Gabe Dean (Cornell), but assuming that happens he'll be in top form come Saturday night.
197: J'den Cox (Missouri) over Kyven Gadson (Iowa State)
Cox is a monster who sits on the "easy" side of the 197 bracket. Get to the finals and anyone he faces should be worn down from quarterfinal and semifinal competition. That should be Gadson (or at least I hope it is), but I favor Cox in the head-to-head finals.
285: Adam Coon (Michigan) over Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State)
With heavyweights this season nothing is surprising. So yeah ... why not?
Team:
1. Penn State
2. Iowa
3. Oklahoma State
4. Minnesota
5. Oklahoma
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