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This is the last mailbag before the NCAA tournament. It was tempting to unleash a tirade about the IOC and Henry Cejudo's burgeoning MMA career, but instead I've chosen to focus on the excitement surrounding this year's NCAA wrestling tournament. Despite the Olympic setback we are a lucky group of fans.
Forget your birthday, or the church group's annual whitewater rafting trip; the NCAA wrestling tournament is the most exciting and rewarding days of the year. We have the most-dedicated, hardest working and talents athletes in sports under one roof. "What about March Madness?" They have one bracket filled with a bunch of semi-professional dolts on commuter trains to the NBA. We have 10 brackets and Dustin Kilgore's mustache.
There are only six days left before Sandy Stevens takes the mic and welcomes fans to #MarchMatness in Des Moines. In the meantime I suggest you re-up those InterMat Platinum subscriptions and get educated. We are in the early stages of Platinum Week, a 10-day marathon of expert research, opinions, and insights about the NCAA wrestling tournament that you simply can't afford to miss. We are running features you can't and won't find anywhere else on the Internet, and knowing how hard everyone here has worked to put it together, it'd be great to see an overwhelming response by readers. Do it.
To your questions ...
Q: If Hunter Stieber and Logan Stieber both win NCAA championships next weekend will they be the first siblings to win championships in the same year for the same team since ... ?
-- Gregg Y.
Foley: The wrestling world will melt if I get this wrong. I'm going with Terry and Tom Brands in 1990 and 1992. Tom also won in 1991 with a perfect 45-0 season record. (Terry and Troy Steiner and Ed and Lou Banach also won titles as brothers of the same school, but not in the same year. Terry Steiner got third in 1993, the year that Troy won it.)
Dave and Mark Schultz became the first American brothers to win Olympic gold in the same year when they each won the 1984 Olympic Games.
Joey Davis won the NCAA Division II title at 165 pounds (Photo/Simon Jimenez/Wrestlers Are Warriors)-- Chris H.
Foley: No definitive plans on what Joey Davis is planning to do next year for college, but I assure you he won't be leaving Notre Dame College in Ohio with a degree. He's a tremendous talent and his absence at the D1 tourney might be an issue of something as simple as not filing proper NCAA paperwork, or needing to buff up some grades before getting into a big school like Ohio State. Though going to college to participate in school seems like a cinch, it sometimes takes much more than what it appears. Besides, maybe being so impressive at ND has boosted his value?
Q: As a former Columbia assistant coach, what are your thoughts on the Lions' performance at the EIWA Championships this past weekend? Do you think the Columbia wrestlers who qualified for NCAAs have a chance to follow up with a strong showing in Des Moines?
-- Mark R.
Foley: Coach Fronhofer has been incredible at getting his team to perform when it matters most. Running a program in NYC is stupidly difficult, but Fron has managed to keep his men focused and ready to compete. He's headed for big things, and I hope for the sake of the Columbia wrestling family those big things happen in Morningside Heights.
As a donating alumnus ($50 last week!), their success certainly makes me more interested in their program and the kids. They are a tough group of guys who faced top seeds in middle rounds and didn't just beat them, they won by major decisions, falls and five to six point decisions. These weren't flukish wins, just the result of hard-workers who believed in themselves at the right time of year.
I think fans have overlooked Steve Santos as a legitimate All-American candidate. In watching his films it's obvious that he has all the qualities of an AA wrestler, even if he hasn't had a ton of exposure on the national stage. I expect him to place, and place high on Saturday. West and O'Hara have the talent to make deep runs while the other guys could win some matches and prepare themselves for next season.
Q: I think what would be about the best to put in a booth for announcing wrestling would be an official that isn't working. I can't tell you how many matches I watch every year only to be so annoyed at the announcers for NOT KNOWING THE RULES!! They don't have to agree with the call, but they should know the rules. Put an official in the booth and if something happens at least it can be explained by the rules. It won't do a thing for judgment, but at least it could help explain things.
-- Jeff S.
Foley: The Mike Pereira of NCAA wrestling? Not a bad idea, especially if they had someone to consult for NCAA finals. In my announcing gig it was difficult to know why, when a wrestler drop to the ankle to kill time, the referee would sometimes call stalling and other times he'd call stalemate. Then there were times when a wrestler would get in on a tough kid, get put into a scramble and be working to finish, only to have the action stopped. I hope a referee could explain that, but the interpretations are vastly different from man to man.
New rule: The only time I think there's a stalemate is when both wrestlers are stuck, or the advancing wrestler is stuffed and controlled and then gives up on continuation on his own volition. Finishing through the crotch and trying to step over the bottom foot takes time -- you are NOT supposed to see stalemates called from that position -- and yet it's happening all the time.
So yeah, I think a referee in the booth might be a winning idea. But only if he's got great hair like Mike.
Q: This was the first time since 2006 that the Hawkeyes did not have an individual champion in the Big Tens. What in your opinion are the biggest factors causing the "decline" of the Hawkeyes' dominance?
-- Jimmie D.
Foley: Bah! That's a loaded question, and I'm going to gingerly walk away before I blow up the comments section ...
There are plenty of potential factors that can influence a team's performance. Were they ground down after the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals? Were they simply outmatched in the tight matches that they lost? Did they train through Big Tens with a focus on the NCAA tournament? Were they ill?
About the only question that should worry Hawkeye fans is if Iowa style has been surpassed by the technique and multi-level attacks of Penn State (we need a pithy, catchy name for it). If Penn State's technical approach, which is also popular in Ithaca, becomes the new winning style then Hawkeye fans should be concerned.
But I wouldn't start scribbling the eulogy yet. They might not win the NCAA tournament in 2013 or 2014, but they can certainly place in the top four and regroup for 2015. The Hawkeyes always come ready for a battle and I expect you'll be impressed with their performance in their home state.
Q: My question is about NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship tickets ... in 2014. (I have a pair for Des Moines in my back pocket.) Typically, DI Championship tickets go on sale online exactly one year in advance, on the day the preceding tourney begins. That means tickets for the 2014 event in Oklahoma City should go on sale March 21, 2013. As I write this, that's only one week away. Yet I can find nothing online announcing ticket sales. I called Ticketmaster, the OU (host school) ticket office, and the OU wrestling folks, but nothing. As you may know, when they go on sale, they sell out in a few hours, or at least the portion released for sale will all be sold. Can you shed any light on ticket availability?
-- Thomas Z.
Foley: The only thing I know for certain is that there WILL be tickets for purchase in Iowa and online starting the day before this year's tournament. The grumblings about seats can't be answered because the venue for 2014 has already been chosen, but 2015-2018 is up for grabs and there could be a semi-permanent location selected.
Check the NCAA.com site over the next few days and they'll give you the right link.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Even God's Fall Down
RIWUS Highlight Film of Medved Tourney
Cali Wrestling
Q: Would you please supply us with details and an update concerning the injured wrestlers during the conference tournaments? Specifically, what happened to Robert Hamlin and Cole VonOhlen?
In addition, I read a rumor that Logan Storley was ill during the Big 10 tournament. Can you provide any information on this topic?
-- Scott V.
Foley: Tough to report on these fellas and their injuries right before the NCAA tournament because I'd hate to throw off the gambling lines, or give opponents false hope.
I know that CVO had a shoulder issue that some in the audience thought was pretty severe and that could affect him at NCAAs. The Vermonster has a hip issue that just flared up, but people around the program say it really wasn't a major issue and that they chose to rest him rather than risk a larger injury. No word on Storley, as it's not in the Minnesota character to say boo about an ailment to a wrestler who underperformed. However, I thought he looked a little sluggish on the mat.
Q: When the heck was the last time Iowa didn't have a Big Ten champ? Chances of this at nationals?
Are the Altons in trouble at nationals? I know Dylan Alton turned it on last year to finish third, but both have looked rather sluggish in the late second and third periods since returning from their suspension. Is Andrew Alton cutting a lot of weight? Or are they just not in postseason shape because of the suspension? Either way, any chance they miss AA status?
-- Ryan P.
2006 ... Jim Zalesky's last season.
You should be worried about the Alton bros. I think there is a great chance that on Friday night both Dylan and Andrew are on the outside of the AA round and hoping for the best. With the exception of Dylan's third place finish in 2012, there is little driving the thought that either of them will have a monster run in the championship rounds, though Dylan's position in the brackets is compelling. Otherwise, between suspensions, gassing out and a poor Big Ten tournament, the brother seem to be trending downwards.
Maybe it was the suspension? Maybe something more? Who knows, brother. Who knows?
Q: With the NCAAs right around the corner, do you think you could you give a quick breakdown on round-per-round scoring for the NCAA tournament, including bonus points?
-- Randy B.
Foley: Below is a breakdown.
Advancement points
Championship advancement is 1pt (*First-round winners earn 2pts, since pigtails essentially create a bye)
Consolation round advancement is .5pt
Method of victory points
2pt: Falls
1.5pt: Technical fall with back points
1pt: Major decision or tech fall without back points
Placing points
1st place: 16 points
2nd place: 12 points
3rd place: 10 points
4th place: 9 points
5th place: 7 points
6th place: 6 points
7th place: 4 points
8th place: 3 points
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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