Welcome to part three of our three part series, previewing each weight class in the Big Ten Wrestling Tournament. Here's an inside look at the bracket seeds, analysis, and predictions in TKR’s heavy weight preview for the Big Ten tournament this weekend.
*Disclaimer – predictions are assumed as if each wrestler wrestles through the tournament*
184-POUNDS…..
1. Aaron Brooks, PSU
2. Cameron Caffey, MSU
3. Abe Assad, IOWA
4. Taylor Venz, NEB
5. Billy Janzer, RU
6. Rocky Jordan, OSU
7. Zac Braunagel, ILL
8. Owen Webster, MINN
9. Johnny Sebastian, WIS
10. Jelani Embree, MICH
11. Max Lyon, PUR
12. Jack Jessen, NU
13. Jake Hinz, IND
14. Kyle Jasenski, MD
THE FAVORITE: Aaron Brooks
THE DARK HORSE: Taylor Venz
THE SKINNY: There is a ton of brackets in this tournament that have three, four or five wrestlers who could place in any order. But there may not be a deeper bracket than 184-lbs, which is validated by the ten automatic qualifying bids they were granted. Aaron Brooks has lived up to his hype so far this season, earning the number one seed with a 12 – 1 record. Brooks could be tested in the semi-finals by Nebraska’s Taylor Venz, who gave Brooks his only loss this season. Cameron Caffey sits at the two seed, who is on a red-hot ten match win streak. It is possible that Caffey could run into Abe Assad in the semi-finals on the bottom half of the bracket. Assad was crowned the starter for the Iowa Hawkeyes in the second half of the season, after battling out a three-man competition. Billy Janzer has proven to be as tough as anyone in this bracket. Though he may not be as technically sound as the top tier in this group, his tenacity and intensity are tough to match. Do not be surprised to see lower seeds such as Janzer, Rocky Jordan, or Zac Braunagel make a run to the semis, or even the finals.
TOP FOUR.....
Brooks
Assad
Caffey
Venz
NCAA BID ALLOCATIONS FOR BIG TEN: 10
DOES THE SCARLET KNIGHT ADVANCE? Yes.
197-POUNDS…..
1. Kollin Moore, OSU
2. Eric Schultz, NEB
3. Jacob Warner, IOWA
4. Christian Brunner, PUR
5. Lucas Davison, NU
6. Shakur Rasheed, PSU
7. Jordan Pagano, RU
8. Jackson Striggow, MICH
9. Jaron Smith, MD
10. Hunter Ritter, MINN
11. Matt Wroblewski, ILL
12. Nick May, MSU
13. Taylor Watkins, WIS
14. Nick Willham, IND
THE FAVORITE: Kollin Moore
THE DARK HORSE: Shakur Rasheed
THE SKINNY: This bracket probably does not need to be wrestled to crown the champion. Kollin Moore as been not just the most dominant wrestler in the country at 197-lbs, but one of the most dominant wrestlers pound-for-pound. However, there will be a dogfight for those final five remaining bids. This bracket may have been deserving of another bid, or two, but that will mean those who punch their ticket from the Big Ten at 197-lbs truly earned it. Eric Schultz, the redshirt junior from Nebraska, has been pretty good himself. Schultz’s only conference loss comes from Moore, but Schultz was perfect against the rest of the conference opponents he encountered. Shakur Rasheed is one to keep an eye on in this bracket, as well. Rasheed has had an injury-plagued career, and probably not the season he has hoped for. However, “Sugar Shak”, as he is commonly referred to, has the ability to make some noise this weekend, and even in Minneapolis in two weeks. Jordan Pagano sits outside the automatic-qualifier spot from a seeding perspective, but he is more than capable of punching his ticket to the NCAA tournament. Pagano has a number of ranked wins this season, proving that he can hang amongst the top grapplers in the country.
TOP FOUR.....
Moore
Schultz
Warner
Davison
NCAA BID ALLOCATIONS FOR BIG TEN: 6
DOES THE SCARLET KNIGHT ADVANCE? Yes
285-POUNDS…..
1. Mason Parris, MICH
2. Gable Steveson, MINN
3. Tony Cassioppi, IOWA
4. Trent Hillger, WIS
5. David Jensen, NEB
6. Gary Traub, OSU
7. Seth Nevillis, PSU
8. Thomas Penola, PUR
9. Luke Luffman, ILL
10. Alex Esposito, RU
11. Christian Rebottaro, MSU
12. Jake Kleimola, IND
13. Jack Heyob, NU
14. Parker Robinson, MD
THE FAVORITE: Mason Parris
THE DARK HORSE: Trent Hillger
THE SKINNY: At most tournaments, you will see spectators fleeing to their cars during the heavyweight matches to beat the traffic. It is certain that will not be the case with the talent that these big men possess. Mason Parris has been nothing short of spectacular this year, after coming off a disappointing finish at the 2019 NCAA tournament. Parris is a perfect 26 – 0 this season, in which most of those 26 wins have been bonus point victories. Parris could potentially encounter his biggest test yet, if he sees Gable Steveson in the championship match. After missing the start of the season, Steveson returned with a vengeance, with his eye on the 285 – lbs national championship trophy that slipped through his fingers a year ago. However, in order to have that marquee match-up, there is work to be done. Anthony Cassioppi only loss a two-point decision to Steveson earlier this year. It is not unreasonable to think Cassioppi can pull off the upset in the semi-final round. Trent Hillger, a very athletic and mobile big man from Wisconsin, lost a 3 – 1 decision to Mason Parris in their dual meet.
TOP FOUR.....
Marinelli
Joseph
Wick
White
NCAA BID ALLOCATIONS FOR BIG TEN: 7
DOES THE SCARLET KNIGHT ADVANCE? No
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