Luke Pletcher avenged a loss to Nick Lee to claim the Big Ten title at 141 pounds (Photo/Juan Garcia)It's no secret that the Big Ten is college wrestling's strongest conference.
The strength of the conference is rewarded every year in that the Big Ten gets 79 automatic qualifiers to the NCAAs -- far more than any other conference. The Big 12 is awarded 54 qualifiers. The EIWA brings 44. The MAC has 41 spots. The ACC is allotted 35. The PAC-12 is given just 16 qualifiers. The remaining spots in the field are filled by at-large bids across all weights and conferences.
The Big Ten's larger presence at NCAAs usually proves justified in the final standings too.
The Big Ten has crowned the last 13 NCAA team champions in the sport and produced nine Hodge Trophy winners over that span as well. And, in 2019, 38 of the 80 individuals to earn All-America accolades came from Big Ten country.
At the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Minneapolis, it's safe to assume wrestling fans can expect more of the same -- Big Ten dominance on the mats. That much is certain after watching the 2020 Big Ten Championships, which had seven of the nation's top 10 teams, plus a handful of others within the top 25, all competed at the RAC in Piscataway, New Jersey Saturday and Sunday.
Once again, the powerhouse event did not disappoint. Here are my takeaways for the Big Ten tournament:
125: Iowa's Spencer Lee has won three PIAA state titles, three age-group freestyle world championships and two NCAA national titles for the Hawkeyes and qualified for the Olympic Trials. The lone accomplishment to elude the collegiate standout has been a Big Ten title. That changed this weekend. Lee took home not only the 125-pound crown, but also the 2020 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year award.
Lee went 3-0 on the weekend, racking up bonus points in each contest. He earned a fall in his first match, a 19-4 technical fall in his second match and a 16-2 major decision in the finals over Purdue's No. 2 seed Devin Schroder, complete with over five minutes of riding time.
In three matches he outscored opponents 51-5. On the season, Lee sits at 18-0 and has outscored opponents by a combined total of 234-18 overall.
In Piscataway, Lee was quick with his shots, dominant in the top position, and made good use of his tilt for bonus points multiple times.
While his competition for his third straight NCAA title won't come from within the Big Ten, I'd be surprised if Lee doesn't secure a three-peat in Minneapolis. But Jack Mueller (Virginia), Pat Glory (Princeton), Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) and others will attempt to dethrone Lee.
133: As BTN's Shane Sparks said, 133 pounds would be worth the price of admission on its own. Sparks was right. New Jersey native Northwestern's No. 5 Sebastian Rivera took the title, the second of his career, with a dominant 7-2 victory against Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young. After an early takedown of Rivera -- RBY was largely subdued offensively by a strong Rivera ride.
To get there, though, Rivera won a tightly contested 7-6 battle over 2018 NCAA champion and top-seeded Seth Gross of Wisconsin. On the other hand, Bravo-Young took out Austin DeSanto of Iowa 3-1 in a match that came down to the final buzzer.
Rivera's signature wins over the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds earned him the 2020 Big Ten Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships award. The Wildcat made a big statement after missing much of this year's dual meet action.
The 133 finals bout was the only match in which neither the No. 1 or No.2 seed made the finals.
If this weekend's action proved anything, it's that this class is probably the deepest in the sport and the NCAA title is wide open. In addition to these four, freshman Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers) Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) both showed they will be a tough out in their first NCAA tournaments.
141: The 141-pound final gave everyone the rematch the wrestling world wanted in Nick Lee and Luke Pletcher. Their showdown at the Penn State vs. Ohio State dual in January was one of the most anticipated matches of the regular season.
While Lee won the regular season contest, it was Pletcher who got redemption this weekend, winning a closely contested 6-5 back-and-forth battle chalk-full of scrambles and flurries. The season series stands knotted 1-1. While Pletcher got the edge, it could have gone either way. Both are putting together fantastic seasons. Pletcher is now 26-1 on the year while Lee is 20-1 after the finals defeat. It wouldn't be a surprise to see this match in the NCAA finals.
Nebraska's No.7 Chad Red is a two-time All-American who went toe-to-toe with Lee in the semifinal round and finished third overall. He is capable of hanging with anybody.
No. 5 Max Murin of Iowa was one of three Hawkeyes upset on the opening day of action. He fell to No. 6 seeded Mitch McKee of Minnesota in the quarterfinal round. He finished fifth overall; Murin has had a solid season despite battling injury. He will look to bounce back in a deep class for the Big Ten.
149: This class saw another dual meet rematch between top-seeded freshman Sammy Sasso of Ohio State and No. 2 seeded Pat Lugo of Iowa. Much like their first meeting, it came down to the wire. The freshman Sasso could not secure the takedown at the buzzer and fell 2-1.
For Lugo the win is retribution for his only loss on his senior campaign -- a 2-1 overtime defeat at the hands of Sasso. The loss was also the first and only loss of Lugo's career in Carver-Hawkeye.
Fellow freshman Brayton Lee finished in fourth for the Gophers and has proven he can make some noise and disrupt a championship bracket -- especially with the NCAAs being in Minnesota.
157: Northwestern's Ryan Deakin became a conscious No. 1 at the weight after a stellar showing at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December. His Vegas crown was headlined by wins of then No.1 Hayden Hidlay of NC State and then No. 2 David Carr of the Iowa State Cyclones. Since then, Deakin hasn't looked back. The Wildcat is now 21-0 with five falls and eight major decisions to his credit. He breezed through the tournament with convincing wins in every bout, including a 7-2 finals victory over freshman and No. 3 seed Kendall Coleman of Purdue.
Arguably the biggest surprise of the championships, No. 2 seed Kaleb Young of Iowa went 0-2 and didn't earn an automatic spot in the NCAAs despite spending the majority of the year as a consensus top-five wrestler at the weight and a returning All-American. He was the lone Hawkeye starter to not qualify for the national tournament and will rely on an at-large bid to keep his season alive.
Young fell to freshman Peyton Robb of Nebraska and Coleman of Purdue both by 3-2 scores.
165: The epic Vincenzo Joseph-Alex Marinelli rivalry resurfaced again in the Big Ten finals. This now the fourth time the duo has battled one another in their careers.
The latest iteration saw the Hawkeye come out on top 3-2. The match was decided not by an inside trip or lateral drop ending in back points as it has been three times prior. It was a late takedown that sealed the deal for the Iowa star over the two-time NCAA champion Joseph. With the loss, Joseph fails to capture a Big Ten crown, but will be in the race for a third NCAA title later this month in his final season with the Nittany Lions.
The next biggest story coming out of this weight two-time All-American and 2020 title contender Evan Wick of Wisconsin didn't compete. The No. 3 seed medically withdrew one second into his opening-round match due to an "unforeseen medical condition.". He will rely on at-large bid to compete in Minneapolis.
Former Division II champion Isiah White at Nebraska put together a strong tournament to finish third. The Husker has what it takes to finish top three at nationals.
174: Penn State senior Mark Hall has been dominant since his days as an Apple Valley prep. He is a former national champion, and now three-time Big Ten champion after the finals victory Sunday afternoon.
Hall looked in control for all seven minutes of his 8-5 victory, shutting down virtually every Kemerer attack. Hall's win redeems his lone loss of the season -- an 11-6 decision where Hall was uncharacteristically taken down multiple times.
While Hall and Kemerer are likely the two favorites to claim an NCAA title, the class has some serious depth that could lend itself to an upset. Dylan Lydy of Purdue, Devin Skatzka of Minnesota, Mikey Labriola of Nebraska have all spent time ranking within the top-10 this season and are capable of big wins.
184: Penn State freshman Aaron Brooks has made a name for himself since removing his redshirt mid-season. He took the victory via a 3-2 over Michigan State sophomore Cam Caffey. Brooks, now 15-1 and a Big Ten champion has been dominant in limited time on the mat He has three falls, three major decisions and a technical fall. Additionally, Brooks avenged the only loss of his collegiate career in the most dominant of fashions -- by pinning Nebraska's Taylor Venz in the semifinal round.
Caffey's loss brings his double-digit win streak to a close. That said, the Spartan sits at 27-7 on what has been a breakout year for the MSU product. This year, he will surely best his 2-2 performance from NCAAs in Pittsburgh.
Iowa's Abe Assad is another freshman within the class that cannot be overlooked in Minnesota. The freshman took fourth in his rookie campaign, but has shown the ability to win on the biggest stage in the biggest duals.
Venz, who has had very much an up-and-down year, turned in a top-three finish and has marquee wins this season. Venz is certainly a name to keep an eye on moving forward.
197: Ohio State's senior captain Kollin Moore has been atop the 197-pound weight class since the preseason rankings were released. He will enter the NCAAs No. 1 after a 3-0 run in New Jersey -- which included two major decision victories and a 4-1 win in the finals over Eric Schultz of Nebraska. Schultz, a formidable opponent, has climbed the rankings and found his way up to No. 3 in the rankings.
For Moore, a three-time All-American who took third as a freshman and was a runner-up last year, his final season as a collegian could be his best
Iowa sophomore Jacob Warner was the third Iowa wrestler to get upset on Saturday, dropping a tough 3-1 decision to past All-American and No. 6 seed Shakur Rasheed of Penn State.
Rasheed, who also qualified, is always a dangerous competitor if his health can cooperate.
Gable Steveson topped Mason Parris in a battle of undefeated heavyweights (Photo/Juan Garcia)285: Much like 133 pounds, the heavyweight division is wide open and on any given day, it wouldn't be surprising to see any of the top-four finishers take the title. In the No. 1 vs. No. 2 finals matchup -- the fans saw Minnesota phenom Gable Steveson narrowly defeat Michigan's Mason Parris.
As for who will take the NCAA title in two weeks, it's likely Steveson, who was a 2019 third-place finisher in Pittsburgh. But don't count out Iowa freshman Tony Cassioppi or Wisconsin's Trent Hilger either. All four possess a rare blend of size, quickness and the ability to score in bunches -- a rarity for the big boys.
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