NCAA Tournament Previews: 184 Pounds
John Fuller/TheMat.com
Greg Jones of West Virginia has now completed his third consecutive undefeated regular season. The first of those three ended in disaster, however, as he was trounced from the NCAA Tournament in just three matches one year after winning the title as a freshman.
Last year, Jones rolled through the regular season and postseason to his second NCAA title, and he is now looking to wrap up his career with a third individual crown. It won’t be easy, as there is a host of young and experienced wrestlers looking to take over the top spot.
Kurt Backes of Iowa State and Travis Pascoe of Nebraska, Big XII rivals, will be seeded second and third. Backes has lost three matches this year “once to Pascoe and two others to All-American Paul Bradley of Iowa, who has since taken a bit of a nosedive this year. Backes did avenge his loss to Pascoe with a pin in the Big XII Tournament, but Pascoe has been more dominant this year, recording nine major decisions, two technical falls and two pins.
Pascoe also has a 6-3 loss to Jones on his record, and the experience could help him if he gets to the finals.
Penn State’s Eric Bradley also has a match against Jones this year, a 6-2 loss. However, he has been very tough against the rest of his competition this year. As the fourth seed, Bradley will have to go through Big Ten rival Brian Glynn of Illinois, whom Bradley has defeated three times this year, and Jones before getting into the finals.
One wrestler to watch may be Cornell’s Tyler Baier. He has lost three tight matches this year, but only one of them since the new year, and that was 3-2 to Eric Bradley.
Oregon’s Shane Webster would have been a darkhorse, but as the ninth seed, he will have to first meet up with Paul Bradley before getting to Jones. In other words, that is not an easy road for someone who has been shifting around weight classes this season.
Freshman Roger Kish of Minnesota is finally getting healthy again after missing much of the second semester. He was solid in the Big Ten Tournament, but it was clear that he was rusty. If this 10th seed can get his wind, he will be a dangerous draw for anyone.
Top 4 Seeds: 1. Greg Jones (West Virginia), 2. Kurt Backes (Iowa State), 3. Travis Pascoe (Nebraska), 4. Eric Bradley (Penn State)
Top Contenders: Backes, Jones, Pascoe
The Others: Tyler Baier (Cornell), Brian Glynn (Illinois), Brady Reinke (Wisconsin)
Darkhorse: Paul Bradley (Iowa)
Top Freshmen: Roger Kish (Minnesota)
Finals Prediction: Jones defeats Pascoe
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