First Round:
No. 1 Missouri 30, Penn 9
No. 8 Northwestern 27, West Virginia 9
No. 5 Iowa 29, UC Davis 6
No. 4 Oklahoma State 17, Northern Iowa 12
No. 3 Hofstra 20, Nebraska 12
No. 6 Iowa State 20, Michigan 10
No. 7 Oklahoma 17, Central Michigan 16
No. 2 Minnesota 23, Cornell 14
Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Missouri 24, No. 8 Northwestern 17
No. 4 Oklahoma State 16, No. 5 Iowa 15
No. 6 Iowa State 21, No. 3 Hofstra 9
No. 2 Minnesota 20, Oklahoma 13
Semifinals:
No. 1 Missouri 19, No. 4 Oklahoma State 16
No. 2 Minnesota 20, No. 6 Iowa State 14
Finals:
No. 2 Minnesota 20, No. 1 Missouri 18
Now, two simple questions that I would like answered this weekend …
Can we expect more than a two-team race at the NCAA Championships?
Entering the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, Missouri and Minnesota appear to have separated themselves from the rest of the pack in Division I this season, much like last season when Oklahoma State and Minnesota went into the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City as the clear front-runners. Both Missouri and Minnesota have a pair of No. 1-ranked wrestlers. And both have lineups littered with potential All-Americans. But is there another team that will step up and contend? Iowa State won the Midlands. But are the Cyclones and their six freshmen good enough to compete for a title this season? Northwestern has big point scorers in Ryan Lang (141), Jake Herbert (184), Mike Tamillow (197), and Dustin Fox (Hwt), which makes them a dangerous tournament team. Four-time defending champion Oklahoma State has three horses in Coleman Scott (133), Nathan Morgan (141), and Johny Hendricks (165), but can John Smith get others step up? Can Tom Brands and Dan Gable work some magic in the final two months of the season to put the Hawkeyes in a position to challenge? Is Hofstra more than just a good dual meet team? This weekend might not answer all these questions, but hopefully it will give us a clearer picture as to who the contenders are … and who the pretenders are.
Excluding Ben Askren, who is the best pound-for-pound wrestler in college?
Ben Askren is undeniably the best pound-for-pound collegiate wrestler in the country this season, so I'm simply taking him out of the equation. Who comes in a distant second to Askren? The way I see it, there are four wrestlers you could make a legitimate case for: Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota (149), Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State (165), Jake Herbert of Northwestern (184), and Cole Konrad of Minnesota (Hwt). All four will be competing this weekend at the UNI-Dome.
Schlatter used this event last season as his coming out performance. He beat four ranked wrestlers, which included avenging his only collegiate loss to Mark DiSalvo of Central Michigan and then beating a thought-to-be invincible Zack Esposito of Oklahoma State. Last season, Schlatter was the hunter. Now he's the hunted. He'll face No. 4 Jordan Leen of Cornell in the opening round and, assuming Oklahoma wins, he'll see No. 2 Matt Storniolo of Oklahoma next. Schlatter has already beaten both this season, so it'll be interesting to see if Leen and Storniolo can close the gap or whether Schlatter can separate himself even more.
Love him or hate him, Hendricks is one of the best pound-for-pound collegiate wrestlers in the country. He has two NCAA titles to prove it. The Cowboy senior will see No. 7 Nick Baima of Northern Iowa in the opening round … and then should have a rematch with his nemesis, Mark Perry of Iowa, in the quarterfinal round. Hendricks has owned Perry throughout their careers, winning every meeting, including their most recent match at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 20. If Hendricks can win decisively over some of the nation's top wrestlers, a case can certainly be made for him being No. 2 in the pound-for-pound rankings to Askren.
Herbert has only wrestled 11 matches this season and hasn't competed since Nov. 20. Regardless, he has been a machine this season. He's currently 11-0 and only two of his matches have gone the distance. However, his most impressive victory doesn't show up on his record (because it's considered an exhibition match) -- a 10-2 thumping of NCAA runner-up Roger Kish of Minnesota at the NWCA All-Star Classic. Herbert will likely see No. 6 Raymond Jordan in the quarterfinal round. Keep in mind, the only blemish on his record over the past two seasons is a loss to Askren.
Konrad proved just how great he was last season when he went undefeatd an route to an NCAA title … and defeated two-time NCAA champion Steve Mocco of Oklahoma State four times. The problem this season, though, appears to be lack of competition for the Gopher big man. And looking at the field of teams competing at the UNI-Dome this weekend, it's unlikely that he'll even get tested this weekend.
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