With the 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships coming up this weekend, Rivals wrestling analyst Lex Knapp has decided to go one by one in each weight class offering his predictions and a breakdown of the top and bottom halves of the bracket.
With that being said, let's take a look at the 133-pound bracket.
THE TOP SEED -- Roman Bravo Young (Penn State)
THE DARK HORSE -- No. 5 Austin DeSanto
THE SCARLET KNIGHT – No. 22 Joey Olivieri
TOP HALF OF THE BRACKET.....
Prior to the seeds coming out, many fans probably thought if Roman Bravo-Young ran into Austin DeSanto, it would be in the 133-lb final. That, however, is not the case as DeSanto drew the fifth seed, and would see RBY in the semi-final round. DeSanto’s path to a semi-final match with RBY is not an easy one, though. He will likely see four-time national qualifier, Micky Phillippi, in the pre-quarters. DeSanto would then run into Virginia Tech’s Korbin Myers in the quarterfinal round, who took fourth at 133-lbs last season. A DeSanto/Myers quarterfinal will be one of the more intriguing bouts of that round, and it would not be a surprise to see either guy win. My pick is DeSanto to beat Myers, leading to what feels like the 100th rematch between DeSanto and RBY. From there, I think RBY pulls off his sixth consecutive win over DeSanto, and comes out of the top half of the bracket to make the finals.
BOTTOM HALF OF BRACKET.....
Two-time NCAA finalist, Daton Fix, is undoubtedly the favorite to come out of the bottom side of the bracket, but there are plenty of tough competitors in the mix who could give Fix a run for his money. Michael McGee, Lucas Byrd, and Chris Cannon were All-Americans at this weight last year, and fell on this side of the bracket. Byrd and Cannon could likely meet early on, as they are in line for a pre-quarter matchup. The winner of that would run into Fix in the quarters. Dylan Ragusin is one to keep an eye on here, and could make a lot of noise. Ragusin made the tournament as a true freshman last season, and with a year of experience under his belt, is certainly a podium contender. Despite the depth on this side of the bracket, it is hard to pick against Fix. Fix has two heart-breaking NCAA finals losses, and is going to be coming into this tournament hungrier than ever. I like him to meet RBY in the finals for a rematch of the 2021 133-lb final.
THE SCARLET KNIGHT SKINNY....
Back in October, Rutgers wrestling fans were likely thinking about where Sammy Alvarez could fall on the podium. Of course, much has changed since then, and thankfully for Rutgers they have built the depth that they have now. Joey Olivieri filled in for Alvarez, and made the Rutgers fan base quickly forget about the loss of Alvarez. Olivieri has beaten some very good wrestlers this season, and he will definitely make some noise this weekend. Is he good enough to make the podium in year one? Probably not. However, he is certainly on the path of finding the podium in the not-so-distant future.
PREDICTIONS.....
1. Bravo-Young (Penn State)
2. Fix (Oklahoma State)
3. DeSanto (Iowa)
4. Myers (VT)
5. McGee (ASU)
6. Byrd (Illinois)
7. Foley (Michigan State)
8. Ragusin (Michigan)
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