125: #4 Matt Ramos (Purdue) vs #2 Pat Glory (Princeton)
Matt Ramos pulled off one of the greatest upsets in NCAA history yesterday as he not only beat, but pinned Spencer Lee. That’s a great win and Ramos showed off an awesome ability to scramble. While he’s riding high right now, Ramos could be in the hangover stage. Glory is undefeated this season and has won 24 of his 11 matches with bonus points. He’s an absolute hammer in the top position and in his past two matchups, Glory has an 8-4 win vs Brandon Courtney and an 8-2 win against Liam Cronin. Matt Ramos is having an epic run right now, but Pat Glory is going to put it to a stop.
My Pick: #2 Pat Glory (Princeton)
133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs #3 Vito Arujau (Cornell)
Sound the alarms. We’ve got an upset alert. Or that’s at least what I’m picking. While Roman Bravo-Young is a dynamic hammer with a great single leg attack, Vito Arujau is picking up steam at the right time. He majored Oklahoma States Daton Fix in the semifinals and Fix is arguably the strongest wrestler at this weight with great technique on top. He also beat Sam Latona who is one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the ACC who was his only loss earlier this season. This match is going to lead to fireworks no matter the outcome, but I’m rocking with Vito Arujau.
My Pick: #3 Vito Arujau (Cornell)
141: #1 Real Woods (Iowa) vs #2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado)
I’m a massive fan of seeing smaller school guys in the finals, but Real Woods is hot right now. He’s on a different level. Woods beat Allan Hart from Missouri 9-0 in the quarterfinals and beat Brock Hardy from Nebraska 11-1 in the semifinals. From neutral, Woods has super heavy hands and on top, he loves to run a tilt out of a bar. His tilt work was super effective vs Hardy in the semis and could be what pushes him past Alirez. I’m riding with Real Woods over Andrew Alirez.
My Pick: #1 Real Woods (Iowa)
149: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs #2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)
The last time Yianni and Sasso battled was in the semifinals of last year’s National tournament when Yianni prevailed 6-3. He ended up winning that National Title and is now seeking his fourth National Title tonight. What’s so unique about Yianni’s wrestling style is that no one can replicate it. His small upper body with long arm optimizes his scrambling ability. This is going to be the true highlight match of the night as Sasso and Yianni have two very different styles of wrestling. Sasso is going to look for upper body throws and to bull over his opponent while Yianni wants to make you feel uncomfortable while scrambling. I think Yianni cements himself tonight in wrestling history by winning his fourth National Title.
My Pick: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell)
157: #1 Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) vs #2 Levi Haines (Penn State)
The freshman campaign that Levi Haines has put together has been nothing short of impressive. He’s 27-1 with wins over Will Lewan, Bryce Andonian, and two over Peyton Robb. With that being said, the true freshman will have to wait before he wins his first National Title. Austin O’Connor is more of a defensive wrestler as he wants his opponent to take a bad shot and then work from the front headlock to a low leg shot. His shot defense coupled with strong wrist control will be what elevates him over Haines to win his second National Title.
My Pick: #1 Austin O’Connor (North Carolina)
165: #1 David Carr (Iowa State) vs #2 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri)
When I watched Carr wrestle vs Quincy Monday in the semifinals, I did have a little concern. He showed that he can battle back if he’s down, but Monday got to his legs too early and too often. Keegan O’Toole has a great leg attack and is able to build up substantial riding time that could become detrimental to Carr as their match roles on. Carr is now a three-time NCAA finalist and took home gold in 2021. Unfortunately, I think that Keegan O’Toole’s flagrant leg attacks and activity in neutral will be too much for Carr to handle.
My Pick: #2 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri)
174: #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs #2 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska)
The past two seasons, Carter Starocci has been one of the nations best wrestlers. He has a 46-0 record over the two seasons and is looking for one more win against Mikey Labriola to get to 47-0. Much like his Penn State counterpart Aaron Brooks, Starocci is effective when he drags out his opponents arm and looks for an outside sweep single. This gives him the advantage to out scramble his opponent and he does that so well. I personally don’t think this match will be close and Starocci wins 6-0 or 7-0, but never lets Labriola breathe.
My Pick: #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State)
184: #1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs #3 Aaron Brooks (Penn State)
Parker Keckeisen has been a one man wrecking crew for Northern Iowa this season as he’s 26-1. That ends tonight though. Keckeisen has only faced eight top ten guys at his weight. Granted, he’s 7-1 against them, but Aaron Brooks is 16-1 and has wrestled seven top ten guys in ten less matches than Keckeisen. Brooks is having a great tournament right now with a pin against Will Feldkamp, a 4-1 win over Kaleb Romero, and a 6-3 win against Trent Hidlay. In neutral, Brooks makes his opponent feel uncomfortable working in a collar tie and creating his own shots with motion and drags.
My Pick: #3 Aaron Brooks (Penn State)
197: #1 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) vs #7 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State)
In 2021, Nino Bonaccorsi nearly climbed the mountaintop. He reached the finals, but ran into an absolute wood chipper in AJ Ferrari. Now, Bonaccorsi is back in the finals and I’m manifesting him winning the National Championship. My manifestation will be strong, but Bonaccorsi is one strong wrestler who keeps it simple. On bottom, Bonaccorsi has phenomenal motion and from neutral he does a very good job dragging out his opponents arm and working to a sweep single. His simple yet perfect technique hasn’t failed him this year and while Tanner Sloan is very hot right now, I’m predicting Bonaccorsi to win this match.
My Pick: #1 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)
HWT: #1 Mason Parris (Michigan) vs #3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
Every time I see photos or videos of Mason Parris, I’m shocked by the size of his neck. This doesn’t really have much to do with my pick, but his neck is huge. Much like Vito Aruja, Mason Parris is having an outstanding tournament. He teched Tony Cassioppi in the semi-finals who he only beat 9-7 a month prior. The last time Parris and Kerkvliet battled in the BIG 10 Finals, their match went to sudden victory and Parris came out on top. I’m not sure the match goes to sudden victory this time, but I do think Parris once again wins.
My Pick: #1 Mason Parris (Michigan)