tool name
closeOnce every 11 years the Big Ten’s best finally make their way East.
The names have changed significantly since 1998, when the Big Ten Championships were last held at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Still, a few truisms remain. This is the nation’s best and most competitive conference tournament. Multiple wrestlers in this weekend’s field will claim NCAA titles in two weeks.
Oh, and a four-letter word should dominate the dialect. I-O-W-A.
That’s right. The Hawkeyes are back on their perch.
Iowa won the 1998 Big Ten Championships at the Bryce Jordan Center. There’s plenty of reason to believe the Hawkeye can match the feat 11 years later in the same building.
But this weekend’s intrigue extends by the chiseled men in yellow and black.
Here are 10 things to follow today and Sunday:
1. I-O-W-A
Sure, other plots exist. But any Big Ten conversation must begin with coach Tom Brands’ team.
Iowa went 24-0 during the dual meet season, and more than likely some wrestlers and coaches spent the past four months wearing scowls.
After dismantling Penn State 31-6 last month, Brands and his wrestlers were quick to mention what they could have done better.
That never-satisfied philosophy produced a NCAA team title last season.
This year’s includes top-five wrestlers in Charlie Falck at 125, Daniel Dennis at 133, Alex Tsirtsis at 141, Brent Metcalf at 149, Ryan Morningstar at 165, Jay Borschel at 174 and Phil Keddy at 184.
It would take a major flop to prevent the Hawkeyes from claiming their 32nd conference title.
2. Clash of champions
On one end of the 184-pound bracket is Northwestern’s Jake Herbert. On the other end is Ohio State’s Mike Pucillo.
Herbert and Pucillo possess what every wrestler wants. They both own NCAA titles, with Herbert winning in 2007 and Pucillo taking the weight class last year.
Herbert, whose mother grew up in nearby Lewistown, wasn’t around in 2008. He took an Olympic redshirt season.
Neither wrestler has lost during 2008-09. Herbert is 26-0. Pucillo is 16-0.
They were scheduled to wrestle during a dual meet in Evanston, Ill., on Feb. 20. The matchup never materialized because Ohio State coach Tom Ryan juggled his lineup, moving Pucillo up to 197.
There’s no room for bumping this weekend.
3. No more 72
Determining the conference’s NCAA tournament spots was once easy as the top seven wrestlers at every weight along with two wildcards selected by the coaches prolonged their seasons. Things are now murkier.
The NCAA implemented a new qualifying system, leaving the Big Ten with 61 automatic qualifiers. Allocations range from four qualifiers at 197 to eight at 165.
A total of 278 qualifiers were allocated to the nation’s 11 conferences last week. The remaining 52 qualifiers will be announced on March 11. All 10 weight classes will include 33 NCAA qualifiers.
Head-to-head competition, qualifying event placement, quality wins, results against common opponents, winning percentage, RPI, coaches ranking and bouts contested within a weight class will determine at-large bids.
So far, the system is receiving mixed reviews from conference coaches.
Perhaps views change after this weekend.
4. Bubba and Brent
The top two seeds at 149 pounds know each other well.
Penn State’s Bubba Jenkins (22-0) and Iowa’s Metcalf (29-0) are juniors who met three times last year, including in the NCAA finals.
Metcalf prevailed each time. Jenkins closed the gap as 2007-08 progressed, holding a lead early in the NCAA final.
Jenkins and Metcalf, a Virginia Tech transfer, were scheduled to meet twice this season.
Neither meeting materialized. Penn State coach Troy Sunderland pulled Jenkins from last November’s National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic. Jenkins then sustained an ankle injury against Indiana, forcing him to miss the Iowa dual meet.
Jenkins, of course, must get through some solid wrestlers to reach Metcalf, including No. 3 seed Lance Palmer of Ohio State. Palmer earned All-American honors as a freshman and sophomore.
5. The country’s deepest weight
Here’s a simple declaration: No conference features a weight as deep as the Big Ten’s 133-pound division.
Penn State senior Jake Strayer, a 2007 All-American, enters this weekend 15-5 and ranked ninth in the country. And he’s the No. 6 seed.
The weight’s top seeds include Dennis (No. 1, NWCA/InterMat rankings), Michigan State junior Franklin Gomez (No. 2), Illinois junior Jimmy Kennedy (No. 3), Ohio State junior Reece Humphrey (No. 4) and Minnesota junior Jayson Ness (No. 6). Every member of the group besides Dennis is a previous All-American.
The conference has another top-five wrestler at the weight. Dennis earned his job by beating out Joe Slaton, who advanced to last year’s NCAA final.
It’s possible the first five rungs of the NCAA awards podium will hold Big Ten wrestlers.
6. Unfamiliar home
The Bryce Jordan Center has hosted previous Big Ten and NCAA Championships.
Yet the building is unfamiliar to current Nittany Lions.
This marks Penn State’s first wrestling event in the BJC since a 2005 dual meet against Ohio State.
Strayer said earlier this week he has not wrestled in the building since his elementary career. Jenkins said he only knows the building from running its concrete steps.
Penn State coaches wanted to hold the championships in Rec Hall. But assistant athletic Jan Bortner, who oversees the wrestling program, said placing four mats in the venerable building and maintaining spectator comfort wasn’t feasible.
Plus, Bortner said hosting the tournament at Rec Hall presented the risk of turning fans away.
In wrestling, turning away spectators can have lingering effects.
7. These kids are good
Two true freshmen could be major factors in their weight classes.
First, there’s Wisconsin’s Andrew Howe, who earned the top seed at 165 pounds. Howe, a four-time Indiana state champ, went 22-4 during the regular season. He’s 11-0 against wrestlers in this weekend’s field.
And then there’s Penn State’s Quentin Wright, a No. 3 seed at 174 who could attract some of the tournament’s biggest cheers. Wright, also a true freshman, won two PIAA Class AAA titles at nearby Bald Eagle Area high school.
Wright entered Penn State’s lineup when David Erwin sustained a season-ending shoulder injury last November. Wright, who went undefeated as a high school junior and senior, went 26-9 and defeated three ranked wrestlers during the regular season.
8. Colorful coaches
Sometimes watching a coach interact with wrestlers can be as entertaining as following the on-mat action.
Fortunately, some characters fill Big Ten corners.
Brands might be as feisty as they come. Wisconsin’s Barry Davis and Ohio State’s Ryan like to saunter during bouts. Indiana assistant Mike Mena, who has turned the Hoosiers’ 125-pound spot, which is currently anchored by returning national champion Angel Escobedo, into of the nation’s most consistent weights, could probably still wrestle consecutive seven-minute bouts.
Minnesota’s J Robinson is another rare breed. He’s not afraid to speak his mind. He’s also one of the most innovated coaches in college athletics.
If other coaches emulated Robinson, wrestling would garner attention.
9. Too talented to leave out
The conference’s big names extend beyond Jenkins, Metcalf, Herbert, Pucillo, Escobedo, Iowa’s entire lineup and the 133-pounders.
Other wrestlers worth watching include Northwestern’s Brandon Precin and Minnesota’s Zach Sanders at 125; Wisconsin’s Zach Tanelli and Michigan’s Kellen Russell at 141; Wisconsin’s Kyle Ruschell and Purdue’s Jake Patacsil at 149; Illinois’ Mike Poeta at 157; Ohio State’s Colt Sponseller at 165; Michigan’s Steve Luke at 174; and Wisconsin’s Dallas Herbst and Michigan’s Tyrel Todd at 197.
We’re omitting heavyweights from this list because beasts such as former Minnesota greats Brock Lesnar and Cole Konrad are gone.
10. Competing for fans
The Big Ten Championships are in a great spot because central Pennsylvania residents enjoy wrestling.
The championships are in a tough spot because too many wrestling options exist this weekend.
The three-day PIAA Championships, arguably the nation’s top high school event, end today in Hershey. The Eastern Wrestling League begins and concludes its tournament today in Lock Haven. The Eastern Wrestling Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships are today and Sunday in Philadelphia.
It’s exciting to have four high level tournaments in the same state.
It’s a shame they are all on the same weekend.
In Print
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