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 174-pound bracket.
THE TOP SEED -- Carter Starocci (Penn State)
THE DARK HORSE -- No. 5 Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
THE SCARLET KNIGHT – No. 33 Connor O'Neill
Whoever makes it out from the top side truly earned their way into the finals. The top-half of the bracket is loaded with talent, and it starts with the returning champion, Carter Starocci. Starocci is a dominant 18 – 0 on the year, and the front-runner in the bracket. He will have a lot of work to do in order to repeat, and it starts in the quarters. Mikey Labriola is likely going to meet Starocci in that round, and that is not a favorable draw for either guy. Starocci defeated Labriola in sudden victory last year, but of course, Starocci has made tremendous strides since then. The winner will possibly see either No. 5 Michael Kemerer or No. 4 Hayden Hidlay. Hidlay has been a National Title threat for many years now, holding three top five finishes in his career. There is no secret about the battles Kemerer and Carter Starocci have had over the years, and you can guarantee both teams would have liked to had been on opposite sides of the bracket from each other. I think we see a Starocci-Kemerer rematch, which will be one of the marquee match-ups Friday night. Starocci has won the last two battles, and I like him in this one as well.
The bottom-half of the bracket is not as deep, but there are certainly some guys who can make a run down here. Mekhi Lewis, who won a National title in 2019, is a legitimate threat to not just this side of the bracket, but for the 174-lb title. The third seed, Logan Massa, has had a great season with a 16 – 2 record, with this two losses both coming at the hands of Starocci. Massa and Lewis are the two favorites to meet in the semis, and it would not be a surprise to see either guy make it out of this part of the bracket. Coming off a disappointing 2021 season, I like a hungry Mekhi Lewis to come out on top over Massa, making for a very intriguing final between Starocci and Lewis.
Connor O’Neill is more proof to the depth Rutgers is building in their program. He came in for an injured Jackson Turley, and did a more-than-serviceable job filling in for the 2021 All-American. With a sub-five-hundred record, O’Neill did not get a favorable seed in the bracket, and his podium hopes are slim. However, this is a great foundation for O’Neill to build upon, and hopefully gives him the confidence and drive he needs to make gains in becoming a legitimate All-American threat in 2023.
1. Starocci (Penn State)
2. Lewis (Virginia Tech)
3. Kemerer (Iowa)
4. Hidlay (NC State)
5. Massa (Michigan)
6. Plott (Oklahoma State)
7. Labriola (Nebraska)
8. Smith (Ohio State)
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