Midlands final thoughts thread. Fire away!

[MVPFAN]

125- Spencer obviously not on his game. He looks sluggish, almost uninterested in the final. He has a lot tp clean up from neutral and on bottom. Still a title threat but certainly looks human out there.

133- Austin looks a lot better than earlier in the year and more like what I expected. Not sure if he was adjusting to the cut or what before but he was looked a lot less stifled this tournament. Finally we have someone who can beat Dylan Duncan, lol. He needs to keep building now and AA is possible.

141- Murin battled hard but he needs to get on his offense, way too much hanging on the collar tie with no shots. Not AA level at this point IMO.

149- I was tough on Lugo earlier in the year and he looked much better. If not for some poor finishes vs Sasso it was a very good tournament. He needs to fix his finish issue vs taller guys and get more consistent to AA.

157- Young looked very good throughout, very active, good quickness, seems to be coming on. I need to see him more vs top 10 guys but he could AA if he keeps it up.

165- Bull won an OT match vs Viruet and then executed the strategy he needs to .beat Wick. If he can get a couple more TDs and get an escape even better. Baby steps though and he was way better than at NCAAs last year vs him.

174- Bowman looked too thin and lacking explosion. He may qualify but I'd be surprised at more.

184- Wilke is Wilke, I thought he looked a little more fresh and battled hard only losing to a higher ranked guy. Seems like borderline AA at best.

197- Warner- He looks like a 15-20 ranked guy at best. Plenty has already been said so not repeating.

285- Stoll looks to be a far cry from the end of last year version of him. My expectations are not high. Cass learned a couple lessons on rolling with big tall guys but he will be fine.

Coaching- I love the Brands but they need to chill out with the smack talk at other coaches and the refs. It does nothing positive for anyone on the team and probably not buying any favors from the refs.

 

[BIG10MANIAC]

Well, I know individually Iowa had some struggles with a few guys but collectively as a team, Iowa won the tournament in a dominating fashion with 60+ points separating first and second place... If memory serves me correctly Iowa had some individual struggles last year as well including a heartbreaking loss by Spencer Lee to Ronnie Bresser but by the end of the season the team finished very well at the NCAA tournament.. It can happen again..

 

[ArkieHawk]

My best analogy is I felt the same way I did after the 2009 NCAA’s. As a team we won. We were supposed to. We did. But it felt like a funeral because of the Metcalf loss. Same here. I don’t want to ignore the various levels of success by our other guys, or down-play the team win, but Lee losing pretty much ruined my night — well, that and my being called in to work shortly after. I hope our fortunes change.

 

[MadTown Hawk]

Well, I know individually Iowa had some struggles with a few guys but collectively as a team, Iowa won the tournament in a dominating fashion with 60+ points separating first and second place... If memory serves me correctly Iowa had some individual struggles last year as well including a heartbreaking loss by Spencer Lee to Ronnie Bresser but by the end of the season the team finished very well at the NCAA tournament.. It can happen again..

While I agree with the spirit of your post, it is sad that we now define “finishing very well at the NCAA tournament” as finishing 3rd and losing to PSU by 40 points.

 

[russelscout]

Well, I know individually Iowa had some struggles with a few guys but collectively as a team, Iowa won the tournament in a dominating fashion with 60+ points separating first and second place... If memory serves me correctly Iowa had some individual struggles last year as well including a heartbreaking loss by Spencer Lee to Ronnie Bresser but by the end of the season the team finished very well at the NCAA tournament.. It can happen again..

Yeah, Lee lost last year. Also Iowa had 5 champions 49, 57, 65, 97, and hwt. Rutgers was there, and ASU and CMU both brought solid teams and Iowa won by 50. Id say we did better last season.

 

[HawkTalk84]

I’m ready to leave Midlands in the dust. CKLV, Scuffle, or South Beach. The tournament isn’t what it used to be, even 5 years ago, and I think it’s time to go elsewhere. Change things up.

 

[caliPSUfan]

Young is the bright spot for Iowa this weekend if you ask me! He looked great...would have liked to see him go after the major in the semis because it was his if he wanted it, but he had a great tournament!

Also, I am pretty high on your new HWT and this weekend didn’t change a thing. Cass is a horse and his redshirt will do him a lot of good! One big mistake and a bit of mat work needed still, but I like his style and I think he has a really high ceiling.

 

[Knight563]

Cody Goodwin reported...

After the awards ceremony, Lee deposited his second-place medal into a nearby garbage can underneath the Sears Centre. His teammates and coaches quickly retrieved it, but it was clear that Lee wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.

 

[Knight563]

 

[HawkeyeEmpire]

Happy for Desanto and Bull on there titles, Desanto ran roughshod over the field and Bull had a plan and did what he had to do to win. I also thought Young wrestled pretty well. Truthfully all the guys had some positives moments.
Glad to see the Hawks win the tournament but as a team I saw two things that needs A LOT of work.
1. Finishing shots. Too many stalemates after getting to the legs or even worse getting scored on after losing positions on good shots. Seems like too often our guys don’t have a plan after getting a leg and just stop wrestling.
2. Getting out from bottom. I don’t remember an entire line up being so bad at this before. No explosions at the whistle (except Wilke) and wasting to much time going for a reversal that isn’t there or letting guys just lock up an ankle with a leg. They give up way too much riding time in the transition time of escaping (if that makes sense).

I don’t know what’s going on with this team for sure and I won’t make any excuses for the head scratching losses but I hope they get it figured out soon.

 

[Blackcat97]

Outsiders perspective, not an Iowa fan but I did watch nearly every match, my thoughts:

Lee- Didn’t look right, but doubt we see that version at NCAA’s. Honestly, I would still bet the house on him to win when it counts. Didn’t think he would ever lose in college again.
DeSanto- looked great, but hammered same guy last year. Big difference in beating a borderline top 20 guy and beating a top 12 guy at 133. This weight is deep and nasty, he has as good a chance as any in 5-13...but some really good dudes won’t AA at this weight.
Murin- beat guys he was supposed to, lost to guy he was supposed to.
Lugo- Didn’t think he looked good in any match except Teemer (where he looked very good).
Young- placed high...but who did he beat?
Bull- Bright spot. Got to his offense early and looked good doing it against Wick. He will be top 3 and could win it all.
Bowman- Didn’t look good.
Cash- Gives great effort. Beat who he should’ve beat, lost to who he should’ve lost to.
Warner- I’d hit the panic button. Doesn’t seem to generate his own offense and that is always a concern. Was way too excited about a win over Breske who looked awful.
Stoll- hard to say until we see him against better guys. Is everything precautionary? Or are there issues that better competition will expose?

 

[Mike_a_TetonValley]

125- Spencer obviously not on his game. He looks sluggish, almost uninterested in the final. He has a lot tp clean up from neutral and on bottom. Still a title threat but certainly looks human out there.

133- Austin looks a lot better than earlier in the year and more like what I expected. Not sure if he was adjusting to the cut or what before but he was looked a lot less stifled this tournament. Finally we have someone who can beat Dylan Duncan, lol. He needs to keep building now and AA is possible.

141- Murin battled hard but he needs to get on his offense, way too much hanging on the collar tie with no shots. Not AA level at this point IMO.

149- I was tough on Lugo earlier in the year and he looked much better. If not for some poor finishes vs Sasso it was a very good tournament. He needs to fix his finish issue vs taller guys and get more consistent to AA.

157- Young looked very good throughout, very active, good quickness, seems to be coming on. I need to see him more vs top 10 guys but he could AA if he keeps it up.

165- Bull won an OT match vs Viruet and then executed the strategy he needs to .beat Wick. If he can get a couple more TDs and get an escape even better. Baby steps though and he was way better than at NCAAs last year vs him.

174- Bowman looked too thin and lacking explosion. He may qualify but I'd be surprised at more.

184- Wilke is Wilke, I thought he looked a little more fresh and battled hard only losing to a higher ranked guy. Seems like borderline AA at best.

197- Warner- He looks like a 15-20 ranked guy at best. Plenty has already been said so not repeating.

285- Stoll looks to be a far cry from the end of last year version of him. My expectations are not high. Cass learned a couple lessons on rolling with big tall guys but he will be fine.

Coaching- I love the Brands but they need to chill out with the smack talk at other coaches and the refs. It does nothing positive for anyone on the team and probably not buying any favors from the refs.

DeSantos might be an All American? Take it to the bank that he places.

 

[Wrestlerneverdiesasacatfan]

125- Spencer obviously not on his game. He looks sluggish, almost uninterested in the final. He has a lot tp clean up from neutral and on bottom. Still a title threat but certainly looks human out there.

133- Austin looks a lot better than earlier in the year and more like what I expected. Not sure if he was adjusting to the cut or what before but he was looked a lot less stifled this tournament. Finally we have someone who can beat Dylan Duncan, lol. He needs to keep building now and AA is possible.

141- Murin battled hard but he needs to get on his offense, way too much hanging on the collar tie with no shots. Not AA level at this point IMO.

149- I was tough on Lugo earlier in the year and he looked much better. If not for some poor finishes vs Sasso it was a very good tournament. He needs to fix his finish issue vs taller guys and get more consistent to AA.

157- Young looked very good throughout, very active, good quickness, seems to be coming on. I need to see him more vs top 10 guys but he could AA if he keeps it up.

165- Bull won an OT match vs Viruet and then executed the strategy he needs to .beat Wick. If he can get a couple more TDs and get an escape even better. Baby steps though and he was way better than at NCAAs last year vs him.

174- Bowman looked too thin and lacking explosion. He may qualify but I'd be surprised at more.

184- Wilke is Wilke, I thought he looked a little more fresh and battled hard only losing to a higher ranked guy. Seems like borderline AA at best.

197- Warner- He looks like a 15-20 ranked guy at best. Plenty has already been said so not repeating.

285- Stoll looks to be a far cry from the end of last year version of him. My expectations are not high. Cass learned a couple lessons on rolling with big tall guys but he will be fine.

Coaching- I love the Brands but they need to chill out with the smack talk at other coaches and the refs. It does nothing positive for anyone on the team and probably not buying any favors from the refs.

I think Desanto, Murin.and Lugo will AA. Not sure what is going on with Warner. He may not get to the podium as Nickel and Moore are the two best in this weight. Marinelli can beat Joseph. Nice double leg.

 

[Tcalumet]

125- Spencer obviously not on his game. He looks sluggish, almost uninterested in the final. He has a lot tp clean up from neutral and on bottom. Still a title threat but certainly looks human out there.

133- Austin looks a lot better than earlier in the year and more like what I expected. Not sure if he was adjusting to the cut or what before but he was looked a lot less stifled this tournament. Finally we have someone who can beat Dylan Duncan, lol. He needs to keep building now and AA is possible.

141- Murin battled hard but he needs to get on his offense, way too much hanging on the collar tie with no shots. Not AA level at this point IMO.

149- I was tough on Lugo earlier in the year and he looked much better. If not for some poor finishes vs Sasso it was a very good tournament. He needs to fix his finish issue vs taller guys and get more consistent to AA.

157- Young looked very good throughout, very active, good quickness, seems to be coming on. I need to see him more vs top 10 guys but he could AA if he keeps it up.

165- Bull won an OT match vs Viruet and then executed the strategy he needs to .beat Wick. If he can get a couple more TDs and get an escape even better. Baby steps though and he was way better than at NCAAs last year vs him.

174- Bowman looked too thin and lacking explosion. He may qualify but I'd be surprised at more.

184- Wilke is Wilke, I thought he looked a little more fresh and battled hard only losing to a higher ranked guy. Seems like borderline AA at best.

197- Warner- He looks like a 15-20 ranked guy at best. Plenty has already been said so not repeating.

285- Stoll looks to be a far cry from the end of last year version of him. My expectations are not high. Cass learned a couple lessons on rolling with big tall guys but he will be fine.

Coaching- I love the Brands but they need to chill out with the smack talk at other coaches and the refs. It does nothing positive for anyone on the team and probably not buying any favors from the refs.

I think Murin is AA material for sure and you g is top 4

 

[artradley]

Very good post. I agree with OP on every single point.

Except the "I love the Brands" part.

 

[MVPFAN]

I think Murin is AA material for sure and you g is top 4

For sure AA? He has done nothing yet this year to show that.. Lots of time to get there though, needs more scoring.

 

[pointingdogsrule]

125- Spencer obviously not on his game. He looks sluggish, almost uninterested in the final. He has a lot tp clean up from neutral and on bottom. Still a title threat but certainly looks human out there.

133- Austin looks a lot better than earlier in the year and more like what I expected. Not sure if he was adjusting to the cut or what before but he was looked a lot less stifled this tournament. Finally we have someone who can beat Dylan Duncan, lol. He needs to keep building now and AA is possible.

141- Murin battled hard but he needs to get on his offense, way too much hanging on the collar tie with no shots. Not AA level at this point IMO.

149- I was tough on Lugo earlier in the year and he looked much better. If not for some poor finishes vs Sasso it was a very good tournament. He needs to fix his finish issue vs taller guys and get more consistent to AA.

157- Young looked very good throughout, very active, good quickness, seems to be coming on. I need to see him more vs top 10 guys but he could AA if he keeps it up.

165- Bull won an OT match vs Viruet and then executed the strategy he needs to .beat Wick. If he can get a couple more TDs and get an escape even better. Baby steps though and he was way better than at NCAAs last year vs him.

174- Bowman looked too thin and lacking explosion. He may qualify but I'd be surprised at more.

184- Wilke is Wilke, I thought he looked a little more fresh and battled hard only losing to a higher ranked guy. Seems like borderline AA at best.

197- Warner- He looks like a 15-20 ranked guy at best. Plenty has already been said so not repeating.

285- Stoll looks to be a far cry from the end of last year version of him. My expectations are not high. Cass learned a couple lessons on rolling with big tall guys but he will be fine.

Coaching- I love the Brands but they need to chill out with the smack talk at other coaches and the refs. It does nothing positive for anyone on the team and probably not buying any favors from the refs.

Hawks are BETTER than what they showed this weekend. Especially agree with your last three points. What's going on with those top two weights??

 

[mvattivo]

DeSantos might be an All American? Take it to the bank that he places.

At most weights, I'd agree. 133 is one of the deepest that I can remember in recent years. A LOT of high quality wrestlers will not see the podium. I'm not saying he can't get on the podium, but, saying it is a guarantee is quite a stretch.
.

 

[choosenuetral]

I loved watching Murin. I agree that he should fire more offense, but he grinds people down and keeps coming forward. I think a little more time in the room and he will be top 3 his last 2-3 years competing.

I was pleased with Bowman for his first 2 day event down at weight. He's a hawk through and through. I think we'll see him gain confidence and strength as the season progresses and his body adjusts.

I'm fine with Cass taking some risks at Midlands. He's an extremely f** HW to watch and he'll learn the right risk/reward balance.

Bull did Bull things. Awesome!

Desanto is a real leader and I did not expect that when he transferred. It's more than just a gas tank. He's wants to pound his opponent.

Enough has been said about SLee and Warner's uncharacteristic matches. Although my fear is that Warner does have some real confidence issues. Excited for Bten season to start. GO HAWKS!

 

[MVPFAN]

Hawks are BETTER than what they showed this weekend. Especially agree with your last three points. What's going on with those top two weights??

Not sure on Warner but I'm not very confident going forward. I think Stoll is just depleted skill wise by the numerous injuries. He was never going to be a super quick guy anyway but his mobility has been very compromised as well as leg strength.

 

[joeyk51]

Lugo- Didn’t think he looked good in any match except Teemer (where he looked very good).

I thought Lugo looked as good as he has all year. Would have liked to see him close the gap more with Kolo, but if he finishes his shots against Sasso he wins that match. He was looking pretty good against Diehl and Heil, he was up 11-3 and 6-0 respectfully before both wrestlers injury defaulted out. Would have been interesting to see if he could have got bonus in both of those matches.

 

[MSeil]

Spencer didnt look himself meaning he didnt shoot and had slower feet. Rematch in 4 weeks im not sweating it.

Austin is a scrapper I think he coulda won the 41' title after his 33' final. Wrestling a lot better.

Max lost his focus a couple times an it paid off great for the in-n-out Alber. Stupid match. Fully expect Max to settle down and win next time.

Lugo had a squeeker in OT thought he wrestled well until the final head outside single. Good tournament hate those head outside singles.

Young looked good a little outclassed by the bruiser, much stronger, that be Deakin. Looks to be an AA

Alex showed why he is the Bull, revenge is Good sometimes. Great job underneath.

Cash looked alright but Fosters like gd cat sometimes. :- ) Hopefully we see them again I think theses two could have exciting matches.

Refs, lol why do we even have them?
Anyways Happy with teams overall performance.
Go Hawks
JMO

 

[jschrantz]

While I agree with the spirit of your post, it is sad that we now define “finishing very well at the NCAA tournament” as finishing 3rd and losing to PSU by 40 points.

Oh, we plan to put more than 40 points between us and this Hawks team in Pittsburgh.

 

[Wrestlerneverdiesasacatfan]

Not sure on Warner but I'm not very confident going forward. I think Stoll is just depleted skill wise by the numerous injuries. He was never going to be a super quick guy anyway but his mobility has been very compromised as well as leg strength.

Stoll is the biggest worry. If he is not healthy, losing a 1-3 place winner at nationals. Difference between 2-5th if Warner doesn’t AA also.

 

[BIG10MANIAC]

While I agree with the spirit of your post, it is sad that we now define “finishing very well at the NCAA tournament” as finishing 3rd and losing to PSU by 40 points.

You are over-defining my post... Of course we want to finish 1st each and every year....That is the goal for our wrestlers and the fans....But, if you don't (or can't) finish first then you go for the next best thing as Dan Gable always said..... Last year it happened to be a third place finish and they took home a team trophy....

 

[HIWILLE]

Lets just keep on improving and let the chips fall where they may this season, its next year that we need to get are ducks in a row to win it ALL and we will and hopefully start a run.

Spot on Op.

 

[JohnBasedow]

Something seems to be off with a lot of different guys. Strength, footwork and energy seemed to be an issue for much of the lineup. I don’t know what the answer is but there is still a lot of season left so hopefully they find it.

 

[hoythawk]

Stoll is the biggest worry. If he is not healthy, losing a 1-3 place winner at nationals. Difference between 2-5th if Warner doesn’t AA also.

There is a surprisingly large number on here that think we should still get 2nd after losing Kemdawg and a healthy Stoll. Top 5 and a run at 1st next year are fair expectations.

 

[MadTown Hawk]

You are over-defining my post... Of course we want to finish 1st each and every year....That is the goal for our wrestlers and the fans....But, if you don't (or can't) finish first then you go for the next best thing as Dan Gable always said..... Last year it happened to be a third place finish and they took home a team trophy....

Sorry, Big10Maniac. I didn’t mean to take your post out of context. Regardless of your post and intended meaning, expectations for the Hawkeye wrestling program has generally shifted by many fans. Of course, we all want to win the NC, but many of us have resolved to the fact that it has been a long shot goal for many years now.

 

[Gusaford]

Young is clearly improving in all facets of his game. DeSanto's gas tank is a thing to behold. And the Bull won on guts against a top opponent. Bravo.

I am not at Art Radley's level of despair over the coaching staff, but what are they teaching the boys on stand ups? What happened to the Chris Campbell/Phil Keddy approach of immediately standing up and getting the hell out? Seems like only Wilcke practices that approach and he gets out routinely in ten seconds or less. And if Wilcke can do it . . . .

Hard for me to have any confidence in Warner, Murin, Wilcke or Lugo AA'ing this year. If every match against a top 30 opponent comes down to who gets the third period take-down, you are playing with fire. The rest of the world has figured out that Warner and Murin have no intention of shooting and are waiting for their opponent to commit to a shot so they can try to go behind. Not a high percentage strategy at the elite level. And, nothing against Sasso, but Lugo should have roasted him. Lugo has had a distinct talent advantage over everyone he's wrestled this year other than Kolodzik. Yet he's dropped close ones to Sasso, Deren and some kid from Bakersfield. Lose to one of these guys and you can say you were unlucky. Lose to all three and you have a problem that will keep you off the podium unless you can figure it out.

Now's the time for the coaching staff to earn their salary.

 

[IAhawkinTX125]

For sure AA? He has done nothing yet this year to show that.. Lots of time to get there though, needs more scoring.

I tend to agree. In order for Murin to AA, he will have to beat an Alber-caliber wrestler.

 

[hawknut]

Agree with OP. Nice post. Brands needs to stop being an idiot with the refs or other coaches/competitors. That act was cool in the 80’s. How about teaching some of your kids to take shots or finish shots instead of hanging on the head doing nothing instead of going bonkers on the refs.

 

[hawknut]

Sorry, Big10Maniac. I didn’t mean to take your post out of context. Regardless of your post and intended meaning, expectations for the Hawkeye wrestling program has generally shifted by many fans. Of course, we all want to win the NC, but many of us have resolved to the fact that it has been a long shot goal for many years now.

This year it will be 9 years since we last won NCAA team championship. Even if we are competitive (2-5th place), how long until we make a change? At some point do you just mix it up and make a change? Or do you accept not being able to win? I think you have to make a change if we don’t win in next few years. No reason we can’t win. One of the top budgets in college wrestling.

 

[pumpdog20]

A team barely in the top 20 in rankings got second. That's how shitty this tournament has become. Plus wrestling has a big problem on their hands. All these forfeits are going to kill the sport. Say what you will about it's all about March, or whatever excuse you want to use, but duals are where we can grow this sport.

I'd consider myself a pretty big fan of the sport and of Iowa wrestling. I haven't even thought about taking the time to go to a dual this year with the weak schedule, and the possibility that any big individual match up might not happen because we have to protect someone.

I'm guessing the schedule was built the way it was in order to peak for Midlands. Now Brands is saying we didn't come back from break very well. Maybe they need to schedule more closer to Midlands to stay sharp. Maybe stop taking the Midlands so serious in general, it's not that great of a barometer anymore.

 

[sdvike]

I wish the Bull would teach Warner, Lugo, and Murin the double leg takedown. He is absolutely the best Ive seen in quite awhile if ever.

 

[TarpHawk]

Thoughts and NCAA points as of now...

125 - Lee was perfectly scouted by Rivera: don't tie up, don't let him lay hands on you, shoot fast and finish fast. No explanation for Lee's lethargy. 23 NCAA points.

133 - DeSanto had a nice tourney; beat #15 Duncan and #18 Gonser. But I don't see how he moves up in rankings from #11. He's still a fringe AA in a very tough weight. 5 NCAA points.

141 - Murin looked good against unranked competition, then lost to #10 Alber. Fringe AA at best. 4 NCAA points.

149 - Lugo beat #9 Heil (injury default but winning at time), lost to #1 Kolodzik 7-4, beat tough true freshman Teemer 10-3, then lost to tough true freshman Sasso in SV (who beat Pantaleo). Fringe AA. 6 NCAA points.

157 - Young beat #19 Weiland by TF, and #20 Hartman 9-2, then lost to #2 Deakin 6-2. Needs to move his feet and be a step quicker. 13 NCAA points.

165 - Marinelli beat #18 Viruet in SV, then beat #2 Wick with a couple of sweet double legs followed by 2 periods of hanging on for dear life. 18 NCAA points.

174 - Bowman lost to 2 unranked kids. 0 NCAA points.

184 - Wilcke beat several unranked guys, then succeeded at "keeping it close" against #5 Foster, as is his goal with everyone in the top 8. Fringe AA. 4 NCAA points.

197 - Warner lost by TF to unranked Sloane, then lost to #6 Caywood 5-3. Fringe AA. 5 NCAA points.

285 - Stoll beat a couple of unranked guys, then MFF'd out. Too many unknowns but not looking like an NCAA finalist. 15 NCAA points.

Total NCAA points = 93. Good for 3rd, but 50 points off of 1st. On the positive side, we're getting really good at being 3rd.

 

[hawkssox1]

125- Spencer obviously not on his game. He looks sluggish, almost uninterested in the final. He has a lot tp clean up from neutral and on bottom. Still a title threat but certainly looks human out there.

133- Austin looks a lot better than earlier in the year and more like what I expected. Not sure if he was adjusting to the cut or what before but he was looked a lot less stifled this tournament. Finally we have someone who can beat Dylan Duncan, lol. He needs to keep building now and AA is possible.

141- Murin battled hard but he needs to get on his offense, way too much hanging on the collar tie with no shots. Not AA level at this point IMO.

149- I was tough on Lugo earlier in the year and he looked much better. If not for some poor finishes vs Sasso it was a very good tournament. He needs to fix his finish issue vs taller guys and get more consistent to AA.

157- Young looked very good throughout, very active, good quickness, seems to be coming on. I need to see him more vs top 10 guys but he could AA if he keeps it up.

165- Bull won an OT match vs Viruet and then executed the strategy he needs to .beat Wick. If he can get a couple more TDs and get an escape even better. Baby steps though and he was way better than at NCAAs last year vs him.

174- Bowman looked too thin and lacking explosion. He may qualify but I'd be surprised at more.

184- Wilke is Wilke, I thought he looked a little more fresh and battled hard only losing to a higher ranked guy. Seems like borderline AA at best.

197- Warner- He looks like a 15-20 ranked guy at best. Plenty has already been said so not repeating.

285- Stoll looks to be a far cry from the end of last year version of him. My expectations are not high. Cass learned a couple lessons on rolling with big tall guys but he will be fine.

Coaching- I love the Brands but they need to chill out with the smack talk at other coaches and the refs. It does nothing positive for anyone on the team and probably not buying any favors from the refs.

Hollering "You suck" to the ref after Marinellis match was uncalled for.

 

[CumberlandHawk]

141 - Murin looked good against unranked competition, then lost to #10 Alber. Fringe AA at best. 4 NCAA points.

I guess I have hopes that Murin being a freshmen will make some gains through his 1st full tear in the lineup and pass some of the other guys. I dont think Alber beats him next time. Murin's gas tank is pretty good. If he can just start pulling the trigger more he will get there.

 

[Sett1997]

I wish the Bull would teach Warner, Lugo, and Murin the double leg takedown. He is absolutely the best Ive seen in quite awhile if ever.

In all levels the best I've seen is Burroughs .

 

[TarpHawk]

I guess I have hopes that Murin being a freshmen will make some gains through his 1st full tear in the lineup and pass some of the other guys. I dont think Alber beats him next time. Murin's gas tank is pretty good. If he can just start pulling the trigger more he will get there.

I hope that's the case. Alber looked bigger and stronger. Murin did his best to move him around, but he might've taken a tip from Rivera's playbook and not tie up with him, just out-quick him. He was losing the inside tie a lot and getting underhooked and horsed. Looked like he was wrestling Marinelli. And that's the #10 guy.