Continuing my team reviews, here's Minnesota.
125 - Yes Brancale pinned Gilman, but he's 14-8 on the year and not ranked in top 25. May not even qualify for NCAA.
133 - Thorn is having a nice season, losing only to the top guys, but it's a guess if he'll AA, and if so it will be 7th/8th.
141 - C. Dardanes has lost 3 of last 5 duals (to Stieber, Retherford and Dziewa), and it seems to me that the Dardanes brothers have been like the Altons, under-performing at NCAAs. So I have doubts if either will place very high, though 141 isn't a deep weight class.
149 - N. Dardanes has had a good year and currently ranked 2nd, but there are 8 guys who could conceivably make the finals, so will be a battle.
157 - Ness = exciting! Love it! He's always dangerous and has been on a good run the past month, so look for him to continue it to nationals. I'm sure he'll place high.
165 - Seems like Zilverberg, the last name alphabetically in college wrestling, has been around quite a while but hasn't really improved much. If he qualifies for NCAAs will probably not score many team points.
174 - Storley is in this crazy mix with Kokesh, Brown and Evans (and Wilps?) - they're all basically equal and it's anyone's guess who will beat whom.
184 - A good year for Steinhaus, losing four times (once to Ruth, and twice to Dean). He and Lofthouse might meet in Big 10 semis and that will be important for both of them. Has great ability but will probably not end up in NCAA finals.
197 - Schiller was once ranked 1st but has dropped to 7th, partly due to losing 3 of last 5 duals (to Gadson, Heflin and McIntosh). However, I still consider him a decent possibility of being in the finals.
285 - Nelson is 2 time defending champ, so naturally he'll challenge again. Three of his four losses have been in sudden victory (I really do hate the heavyweight style!!). 285 is a toss-up this year.
125 - Brancale, NP
133 - Thorn, NP
141 - C. Dardanes, 4th
149 - N. Dardanes, 4th
157 - Ness, 4th
165 - Zilverberg, NP
174 - Storley, 4th
184 - Steinhaus, 5th
197 - Schiller, 5th
285 - Nelson, 1st
With 7 AAs they'll be in a similar position as Iowa, but they need more than 1 finalist. A bunch of 4th places won't do it.
125 - Yes Brancale pinned Gilman, but he's 14-8 on the year and not ranked in top 25. May not even qualify for NCAA.
133 - Thorn is having a nice season, losing only to the top guys, but it's a guess if he'll AA, and if so it will be 7th/8th.
141 - C. Dardanes has lost 3 of last 5 duals (to Stieber, Retherford and Dziewa), and it seems to me that the Dardanes brothers have been like the Altons, under-performing at NCAAs. So I have doubts if either will place very high, though 141 isn't a deep weight class.
149 - N. Dardanes has had a good year and currently ranked 2nd, but there are 8 guys who could conceivably make the finals, so will be a battle.
157 - Ness = exciting! Love it! He's always dangerous and has been on a good run the past month, so look for him to continue it to nationals. I'm sure he'll place high.
165 - Seems like Zilverberg, the last name alphabetically in college wrestling, has been around quite a while but hasn't really improved much. If he qualifies for NCAAs will probably not score many team points.
174 - Storley is in this crazy mix with Kokesh, Brown and Evans (and Wilps?) - they're all basically equal and it's anyone's guess who will beat whom.
184 - A good year for Steinhaus, losing four times (once to Ruth, and twice to Dean). He and Lofthouse might meet in Big 10 semis and that will be important for both of them. Has great ability but will probably not end up in NCAA finals.
197 - Schiller was once ranked 1st but has dropped to 7th, partly due to losing 3 of last 5 duals (to Gadson, Heflin and McIntosh). However, I still consider him a decent possibility of being in the finals.
285 - Nelson is 2 time defending champ, so naturally he'll challenge again. Three of his four losses have been in sudden victory (I really do hate the heavyweight style!!). 285 is a toss-up this year.
125 - Brancale, NP
133 - Thorn, NP
141 - C. Dardanes, 4th
149 - N. Dardanes, 4th
157 - Ness, 4th
165 - Zilverberg, NP
174 - Storley, 4th
184 - Steinhaus, 5th
197 - Schiller, 5th
285 - Nelson, 1st
With 7 AAs they'll be in a similar position as Iowa, but they need more than 1 finalist. A bunch of 4th places won't do it.
