NCAA Wrestling 285 Pound Preview and Predictions
The final NCAA wrestling preview is here, the 285-pound weight class breakdown is here. Vendetta has had you covered for 125, 133, 141, 149, 157, 165, 174, 184, and the 197-pound weight classes.
The Story
The story here is Gable Steveson, he is the most dominant wrestler in the weight and it really isn’t even close. The Minnesota Golden Gopher has been outstanding in his college career already. He already has over 60 wins in college despite the fact the postseason was canceled last year and the season this year was extremely shortened.
The two seed at this tournament is Mason Parris, one of only two guys that took down Steveson in his college career. Parris lost in the Big Ten Finals to the Minnesota wrestler, and is looking to make the finals for a chance at revenge.
Another storyline to look at is the seeding at this weight. Cohlton Schultz from Arizona State is 12-0 and got the four seed. Matt Stencel from Central Michigan is also undefeated with a 10-0 record and only got the third season.
Dark Horse(s)
Although it doesn’t seem like the three and four seeds should be considered dark horses, Gable is so dominant that everyone outside of him can be considered huge underdogs.
Stencel probably has the advantage over anyone else because he is on the Parris side of the bracket and won’t have a potential matchup with Steveson until the finals.
Another guy that has potential to upset some guys for a potential semifinal match with Steveson is Tony Cassioppi from Iowa. The five seed is 8-2 this season with his only two losses coming to the one and two seed.
Best First Round Matches to Watch
Trent Hilger from Wisconsin is the 14 seed with a record 6-4. but the Big Ten only season he wrestled makes the record look worse than it is. He wrestles Josh Heindselman from Oklahoma in round one that should be a great first-round match.
Prediction
I alluded to it this entire post, but this is going to be all Gable at this weight. The dude is a certified stud, has been since high school and has proven he is one of the best wrestlers in the world in international competition. I got Gable over Stencel in the finals. Parris is a great wrestler too but I think was seeded too high and Stencel will beat him in the semis.
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