Wrestling: Big Ten Conference Tournament Preview

By Curt Heinrichs on March 3, 2017 at 8:00 am
Buckeye 197 lber Kollin Moore
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This Saturday and Sunday, the Buckeye wrestlers will look to kick off what they hope will be a successful postseason as they compete in the Big Ten Tournament in Bloomington, Indiana. 

The first session will start on Saturday at 10 AM EST, followed by Session II at 6 PM EST. Sunday will also feature two sessions, with Session III beginning at noon. The finals will begin at 3 PM on Sunday, and will air live on BTN. Sessions I-III are available for streaming on BTN Plus, which requires a subscription. 

Each weight class allots a particular amount of guaranteed spots for the NCAA tournament in two weeks, so wrestlers will be wrestling for a trip to the NCAA tournament in addition to a conference title. 

Got all that? Let's take a look at what to expect when the Buckeyes head to Bloomington to take on the toughest conference in NCAA wrestling. 

 

125

2016 Champion at 125- Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State)

NCAA Automatic Qualifiers at 125- 7

Ranked Wrestlers at 125- 7  No. 1 Thomas Gilman (Iowa), No. 2 Nick Suriano (Penn State), No. 6 Tim Lambert (Nebraska), No. 7 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), No. 16 Conor Youtsey (Michigan), No. 17 Jose Rodriguez (Ohio State), No. 19 Johnny Jimenez (Wisconsin)

Buckeye at 125- No. 18 Jose Rodriguez (12-8 overall, 2-5 Big Ten)

What to Expect at 125- Thomas Gilman of Iowa has been on the warpath all season, racking up 21 bonus point victories on his way to a perfect 24-0 regular season. Of Gilman’s three decision victories, two of them were to Big Ten opponents. Gilman defeated Nebraska’s Tim Lambert by three points and Penn State’s Nick Suriano by just a single point when the two met in January. The Big Ten title will probably come down to Thomas Gilman and Nick Suriano, assuming Suriano is back to full-speed after injuring his ankle against Oklahoma State in the NWCA Dual Championship Series. Youtsey is an interesting guy in that he has made a career out of having so-so regular seasons before finishing on the podium at the NCAA tournament.

Buckeye Outlook at 125- Rodriguez started the season 10-2 with his lone losses coming to guys currently ranked in the top five by one point in each match. Since the start of 2017, Rodriguez appears to have hit a wall and is 1-6 with five losses by bonus points. Rodriguez is absolutely capable of placing in the top five at the Big Ten tournament, but I don’t know if he will be able to shake whatever has been holding him back (rumored to be a weight cutting issue). Look for Rodriguez to earn a low placement and a possible trip to the NCAA tournament in March.

133

2016 Champion at 133- Cory Clark (Iowa)

NCAA Automatic Qualifiers at 133- 9

Ranked Wrestlers at 133- 6

No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State), No. 4 Eric Montoya (Nebraska), No. 5 Cory Clark (Iowa), No. 6 Zane Richards (Illinois), No. 7 Stevan Micic (Michigan), No. 16 Mitch McKee (Minnesota)

Buckeye at 133- No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (16-0, 10-0 Big Ten)

What to Expect at 133- There is a very significant margin between the top contenders and the rest of the field at 133 with Tomasello, Montoya, Clark, Richards, and Micic leading the pack by a huge margin. It isn’t much of a stretch to suggest that all five will be All-Americans at the end of the NCAA tournament. Clark has been an NCAA runner-up in each of the last two seasons, but he appears to be banged up as his career draws to a close. Montoya was an All-American last season and has looked the part in his senior season with losses to Tomasello and Micic as the only black marks on his record in addition to a victory over Clark at Iowa. The Big Ten is clearly the toughest conference in college wrestling, and 133 may be the perfect example of the depth of talent in the conference.

Buckeye Outlook at 133- Tomasello has wins over Micic, Montoya, and Richards, so it’s safe to assume he’ll at least be a finalist.

141

2016 Champion at 141- Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers)

NCAA Automatic Qualifiers at 141- 9

Ranked Wrestlers at 141- 6

No. 5 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers), No. 10 Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State), No. 11 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota), No. 12 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), No. 13 Topher Carton (Iowa), No. 14 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska)

Buckeye at 141- No. 12 Luke Pletcher (22-5, 7-3 Big Ten)

What to Expect at 141- Ashnault and Gulibon were the top two placers at this weight a season ago, but nobody has been able to shake either wrestler from the top two spots. Ashnault has separated himself from the field a bit, going undefeated in Big Ten competition with each of his conference wins coming by three points or better. Gulibon, Thorn, Pletcher, Carton, and McCrystal all appear to be fairly even and seeding and bracket placement could determine which places where.

Buckeye Outlook at 141- Pletcher scored big wins over Carton and McCrystal, but fell to Thorn, Ashnault, and Gulibon. The Gulibon match was a tight one, but Thorn and Ashnault created some distance with the true freshman. Pletcher has shown some serious potential at 141, though his body type is better suited for 133. Pletcher has been outfoxed by more-experienced opponents, but he is certainly right in the mix based on raw talent. He should place in the top five and earn a trip to the NCAA tournament.

149

2016 Champion at 149- Zain Retherford (Penn State)

NCAA Automatic Qualifiers at 149-6

Ranked Wrestlers at 149- 7

No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State), No. 4 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), No. 5 Micah Jordan (Ohio State), No. 14 Ken Theobald (Rutgers), No. 15 Alfred Bannister (Maryland), No. 19 Andrew Crone (Wisconsin), No. 20 Eric Barone (Illinois)

Buckeye at 149- No. 5 Micah Jordan (25-2, 6-2 Big Ten)

What to Expect at 149- Retherford is still undefeated on the season, but the field seems to be working together on a plan to take the defending NCAA champ down. Micah Jordan was able to take the once-bulletproof Retherford down twice before Zain was able to catch him snoozing and turn the tides in his favor. Iowa’s two-time All-American Sorensen lost to Retherford in each of last year’s Big Ten and NCAA finals, but took Retherford to TB2 earlier this season. Retherford has dodged some bullets this season and managed to come out unscathed, but the field seems to be cracking the code on how to get to him. There is a big drop in talent beyond Retherford, Sorensen, and Jordan, so it’s likely Retherford will cruise to the finals and face either the Hawkeye or Buckeye.

Buckeye Outlook at 149- As previously mentioned, Micah is among the three best wrestlers in the Big Ten at 149 along with Sorensen and Retherford. If he wrestles to his potential, Jordan should meet up with Sorensen in the semifinals as they will likely be the third and second seeds, respectively. Jordan looks far more comfortable at 149 as opposed to 141 from last season, and his explosiveness tends to last throughout the entire match this season. As has been his Achilles heel, Jordan struggled to escape when Sorensen was riding him, so that will likely play a big part in his preparation for the postseason. Look for Micah to finish in the top three.

157

2016 Champion at 157- Isaiah Martinez (Illinois)

NCAA Automatic Qualifiers at 157- 9

Ranked Wrestlers at 157- 7

No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State), No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa), No. 3 Tyler Berger (Nebraska), No. 9 Jake Short (Minnesota), No. 10 Brian Murphy (Michigan), No. 13 Kyle Langenderfer (Illinois), No. 19 John Van Brill (Rutgers)

Buckeye at 157- Jake Ryan (10-8, 3-2 Big Ten)

What to Expect at 157- Remember the T-1000 from Terminator 2? Arnold and that annoying kid tried to wipe him out by blasting him with a shotgun, dragging him behind a speeding police cruiser, smashing his semi truck into a bridge and blowing it up, but none of those methods worked to take him out. Jason Nolf is pretty much the equivalent of the T-1000. Ultimately, the future governor of California blasts the T-1000 with an RPG before knocking him into a vat of molten steel, but molten steel is illegal in college wrestling. For that reason, Nolf is undefeated and largely untouched to this point in his sophomore season. Nolf’s lone victory not by bonus points is a 9-4 decision over No. 2 Kemerer in a match that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Kemerer is undefeated other than the loss to Nolf, with wins over Short, Murphy, Berger, and former NCAA champ Jason Tsirtsis. Berger has just three losses with two coming to Kemerer and a major decision defeat at the hands of Nolf. These three are undoubtedly the class of the Big Ten at this weight, and it is very possible that they’ll be the three best 157s in the country at the end of the NCAA tournament.

Buckeye Outlook at 157- With nine automatic qualifiers at 157, Jake Ryan has an excellent shot to qualify for the NCAA tournament. I’m not going to get crazy and suggest that he’ll blow through the bracket and pin Nolf in the finals, but he stands a good chance to advance to his second NCAA tournament. Ryan has been a bit of an enigma throughout the season after opening a few eyes as a freshman, but he still has a shot to salvage a disappointing season with a nice performance at the Big Ten tournament.

165

2016 Champion at 165- Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin)

NCAA Automatic Qualifiers at 165- 6

Ranked Wrestlers at 165- 6

No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois), No. 2 Logan Massa (Michigan), No. 3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin), No. 4 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State), No. 16 Joey Gunther (Iowa), No. 17 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota)

Buckeye at 165- Cody Burcher (15-13, 4-7 Big Ten)

What to Expect at 165- IMar’s lone loss in his first two-plus years in the starting lineup was a pin to Jason Nolf. Martinez avenged the loss twice last season on his way to Big Ten and NCAA titles, but he’s got a new crop of wrestlers gunning for him at 165 in Logan Massa, Vincenzo Joseph, and Isaac Jordan. Jordan is a two-time Big Ten champ with each win coming at the expense of his cousin Bo, but Isaac’s two losses this season have come to IMar and Massa. Massa has dominated the field with exception to a 3-1 loss to IMar. Joseph has been limited this season, but has losses to just Jordan and Martinez in conference matches. The semifinals are likely to feature Martinez, Massa, Jordan, and Joseph as they are clearly the class of the conference at 165 with a severe talent gap after them. These are among the matches I am most excited about in the Big Ten tournament, along with the semis at 133.

Buckeye Outlook at 165- The top four automatic qualifier spots are all but spoken for, leaving only two left up for grabs. Burcher didn’t qualify for the national tournament last year at 149, and I don’t see it happening this year as he’s been wildly inconsistent throughout the entire season.

174

2016 Champion at 174- Bo Nickal (Penn State)

NCAA Automatic Qualifiers at 174- 9

Ranked Wrestlers at 174- 6

No. 3 Bo Jordan (Ohio State), No. 5 Mark Hall (Penn State), No. 8 Myles Amine (Michigan), No. 10 Alex Meyer (Iowa), No. 11 Zac Brunson (Illinois), No. 15 Jordan Pagano (Rutgers)

Buckeye at 174- No. 3 Bo Jordan (11-1, 5-0 Big Ten)

What to Expect at 174- Mark Hall had his redshirt pulled in the middle of the season (much like Myles Martin did last year), and he’s been predictably excellent. Hall has a couple of odd losses, but he’s beaten several quality guys handily and he carries himself like someone much older than a true freshman. Alex Meyer is a senior, but he doesn’t have mas much upside as the rest of his Iowa classmates. Amine and Brunson are evenly matched, but both are a notch or two below Jordan and Hall. If I had to guess, I would expect a Jordan vs. Hall match in the finals.

Buckeye Outlook at 174- Bo is an exceptional wrestler when he is healthy, and he is a better-than-average wrestler when he’s not healthy. To put it bluntly, Bo hasn’t been healthy at all this season, so his results are significantly less impressive than we’ve come to expect out of him. With that said, he was able to defeat Brunson and Meyer when they met, but his foot and ankle injuries have kept him from some serious mat time. I have no idea what to expect when Bo takes on the field in the Big Ten, but the word from the Buckeye camp has been very positive concerning Bo’s health. If he’s healthy and sufficiently in shape, we should expect a barnburner between Bo and Hall in the finals.

184

2016 Champion at 184- Sammy Brooks (Iowa)

NCAA Automatic Qualifiers at 184- 9

Ranked Wrestlers at 184- 7

No. 2 Bo Nickal (Penn State), No. 3 Sammy Brooks (Iowa), No. 5 TJ Dudley (Nebraska), No. 7 Myles Martin (Ohio State), No. 8 Nate Jackson (Indiana), No. 11 Emery Parker (Illinois), No. 12 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers)

Buckeye at 184- No. 7 Myles Martin (23-6, 9-2 Big Ten)

What to Expect at 184- Watch Bo Nickal whenever you get the chance. Seriously. He is as entertaining of a wrestler that there is in the country this season because he’s not afraid to take risks if the payoff is a pin. If you don’t believe me, check out his NCAA championship match last season against Myles Martin, where Nickal attempts at least two throws from the neutral position. He pinned Sammy Brooks at Iowa in under a minute, for crying out loud. Dudley and Martin are each exciting wrestlers that can rack up points quickly, while guys like Brooks and Jackson prefer low-scoring affairs. There are about a dozen different ways that this weight class could shake out, and all of them should be entertaining.

Buckeye Outlook at 184-  Myles Martin is not great when wrestling on the bottom, but he is as good as anyone in the country from the neutral position. He upset Dudley in their dual, beat Nate Jackson several times last year, and lost tough matches to Nickal and Brooks in which he looked pretty decent in defeat. Myles was in deep on several shots on Nickal in the dual, but was unable to finish the attacks and gave up takedowns at the end of each period to seal the victory for Nickal. Unlike some of his teammates, Myles doesn’t need to make radical changes if he’s going to have a great performance at the conference tournament as he is already close to what he needs to have a nice postseason. Don’t be surprised if Myles ends up avenging one of his earlier losses on his way to a top three finish.

197

2016 Champion at 197- Morgan McIntosh (Penn State)

NCAA Automatic Qualifiers at 197-7

Ranked Wrestlers- 5

No. 2 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota), No. 4 Kollin Moore (Ohio State), No. 6 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska), No. 7 Matt McCutcheon (Penn State), No. 12 Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin)

Buckeye at 197- No. 4 Kollin Moore (24-3, 9-2 Big Ten)

What to Expect at 197- Brett Pfarr has only been beaten by J’Den Cox this season, and Cox actually has handed Pfarr three of his five losses over the last two years. Pfarr dominated Moore early in the season, but Moore more than held his own in the rematch, losing just 7-5 and was nearly able to take Pfarr down late in the match. Studebaker and McCutcheon are on a similar level, each with losses to Pfarr and Moore. Ricky Robertson has had a nice season, but I don’t think he’ll be able to crack the top four with the talent ahead of him.


Buckeye Outlook at 197- As previously mentioned, Moore has only lost to Pfarr within the Big Ten, but has given plenty of reasons to be optimistic heading into the postseason. To be completely honest, I didn’t have high expectations of Moore heading into his college career as his high school resume didn’t exactly ring of star power. Since coming to Columbus, Kollin has matured into one of the best offensive wrestlers in the 197 weight class in the country. He is fun to watch and has a great gas tank, attacking from the opening whistle to the final horn of a match. It’s not out of the question to suggest that Moore will finish in the top three of an experienced weight class as a redshirt freshman.

HWT

2016 Champion at HWT- Kyle Snyder (Ohio State)

NCAA Automatic Qualifiers at HWT- 5

Ranked Wrestlers- 6

No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State), No. 2 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin), No. 3 Nick Nevills (Penn State), No. 8 Michael Kroells (Minnesota), No. 13 Collin Jensen (Nebraska), No. 16 Brooks Black (Illinois)

Buckeye at HWT- No. 1 Kyle Snyder (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten)

What to Expect at HWT- It’s largely a race for second place, though the most interesting action could come in the wrestlebacks (consolation bracket) for fifth place. The Big Ten only gets five automatic qualifiers, but Snyder didn’t factor into the five because he didn’t wrestle enough matches. Guys like returning All-American Michael Kroells and Nebraska’s Collin Jensen could be on the outside looking in as far as the NCAA tournament is concerned, though I don’t think either would have much trouble snagging an at-large bid as long as there aren’t any big upsets in other conferences. Medbery took last season off to take a shot at the Olympics, but he fell short in the process. He is undefeated this season, but hasn’t met Snyder. Medbery has narrow wins over Kroells and Nevills late in the season, so the field is pretty close behind Snyder.

Buckeye Outlook at HWT- Snyder fell short in the Big Ten finals as a true freshman, but is undefeated within the NCAA in the last two seasons. Though a match with Medbery is intriguing, I don’t think the Wisconsin senior has the firepower to hang with Snyder. I’d expect Snyder to have his hand raised when the dust settles. This is probably the safest bet of all Big Ten champions this weekend.

Team Race

The Big Ten trophy will likely be heading home on the Penn State bus on Sunday evening. While Iowa and Ohio State have enough star power to compete for a spot on the podium at the NCAA tournament, Penn State’s stars score bonus points at an incredible rate and could distance the Nittany Lions from the rest of the pack fairly early. Guys like Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, and Bo Nickal score with reckless abandon, regardless of how good the opponent may be. Penn State’s only real weakness is at 133, where they lost Jered Cortez to injury in December.

Ohio State and Iowa are similar in that they have some star power, but they have some serious deficiencies throughout the lineup. Ohio State is lacking at 157 and 165 where Jake Ryan and Cody Burcher have been inconsistent, to say the least. Iowa struggles at 197 and HWT, especially when heavyweight All-American candidate Sam Stoll suffered a season-ending injury. The Buckeyes will look to the reliable point-scorers in Nathan Tomasello and Kyle Snyder to name a few to lead them to the top of the leaderboard.

Though it would be great to see the Buckeyes upend Penn State, it would take a serious collapse from the Nittany Lions and nearly everything breaking in favor of the Buckeyes for that to happen. More likely is that the Buckeyes will be in a fierce competition with Iowa for the runner-up trophy with Nebraska nipping at their heels. The Cornhuskers don’t have the kind of front-end star power that the Buckeyes, Hawkeyes, and Nittany Lions all have, but they have excellent depth and are a capable team from top to bottom.

Michigan and Illinois each have a couple of title threats, but they lack the overall talent from top to bottom to seriously make a run at the top three.

The action begins on Saturday with sessions at 10 AM and 6 PM.  Session III takes place Sunday at noon, with the championship finals taking place live on BTN at 3 PM. The earlier sessions can be viewed as they stream live on BTN Plus (subscription required). You can follow along with the action with TrackWrestling or on Twitter via @wrestlingbucks or @CurtHeinrichs

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