John Fuller/TheMat.com
The breakdown of this weight class could rely heavily on who gets the top seed. Travis Lee of Cornell and Shawn Bunch of Edinboro each have one loss this year “to each other. These two have a great history, going back to their freshman year and one of the most exciting matches in the NCAA Tournament that year, with Lee winning to oust Bunch from the consolation bracket.
Some rankings have Lee listed at No. 1 while some have gone with Bunch. At that point, since both have a similar strength of schedule, past history may come into play, which would give Lee the top slot.
One wrestler very curious as to who will get that top seed is freshman Mack Reiter of Minnesota, who is clearly capable of winning this tournament, but would have an easier time of reaching the finals if his road went through Bunch instead of Lee. Reiter’s style matches up better with Bunch’s.
The forgotten wrestler in this entire mix is Mark Jayne of Illinois, who has now been pinned twice by Reiter, including in the Big Ten finals. Overall, Jayne has lost three matches to Reiter this season, but he will be projected to be on the opposite side of the bracket as Reiter. Jayne has a bruising style, and he seems to be at his best in the third period.
A potential semifinal matchup with Lee and Jayne should have college wrestling fans drooling. There is a complete contrast in styles, which usually makes for a real exciting match at this time of year.
However, there are a lof of other wrestlers who would like to throw their hats in the ring as well. Tom Clum of Wisconsin could very well get the fifth seed, and let’s not forget that just one year ago at this time, most were predicting him to win the title at 125 lbs.
Overall, this is a fairly deep weight class. There are as many as 16 wrestlers who are legitimate All-American candidates heading into this tournament. And if one looks at the rankings, wrestlers 7-16 are fairly even in accomplishments and ability.
Some of the best excitement in the NCAA Tournament in the last five or six years has come from the 133-pound weight class. Expect more of the same this year as well.
Projected Top 4 Seeds: 1. Travis Lee (Cornell), 2. Shawn Bunch (Edinboro), 3. Mack Reiter (Minnesota), 4. Mark Jayne (Illinois)
Top Contenders: Bunch, Jayne, Lee, Reiter
The Others: Matt Ciasulli (Lehigh), Tom Clum (Wisconsin)
Darkhorse: Mark Moos (Michigan)
Top Freshmen: Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State), Reiter
Finals Prediction: Lee defeats Reiter
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