2025 NCAA Wrestling - brackets & Predictions

[ChuckyTheGoat]

141: Hardy NEB +120 vs Mendez OhSt -130
...Nebraska has had a great tournament, Hardy is the 1-seed. Mendez is Def champ, I favor him.

149: Henson NCSt -120 vs Lovett NEB +110
...History between these two. Henson got the upper-hand in L2 meets. And he's on a long win-streak.

157: Blaze PUR +300 vs Taylor NEB -330
...Blaze is a real outsider, he knocked off top-seed Kasak. Taylor beat 2-seed Shapiro and is part of Nebraska's impressive showing @ this tournament.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

165: Mesenbrink PennSt -4.5 vs Caliendo Iowa
...I'd be shocked to see Mesenbrink lose. He's a master of the Takedown game.
...Caliendo kept the last meeting close. Will likely have to slow down the pace to have a chance.

174: O'Toole MIZZ -180 vs Hamiti OklaSt +170
...I referenced this match above. Hamiti has to feel like he was 90% there @ Big 12s.
...Hamiti did in fact knock off 2-seed Haines. He's had a great career, has a chance to up-end 2x champ.

184 Starocci PennSt -180 vs Keckeisen NoIA +170
...This will be the head-line matchup. Two guys who haven't lost in forever (2+ years).
...Starocci is going for history, a 5th title. Keckeisen won 184 last year and stands in the way.

197 Barr PennSt +150 vs Buchanan IA -160
...Barr is another PSU rising star. He knocked off top-seed Cardenas in the semi-finals.
...Buchanan defeated Barr in the dual. He beat Ferrari in the semi-finals. He's very solid and is a worthy favorite here.

Hvy Steveson MINN -4.5 vs Hendrickson OkSt
...Like 165, it's hard seeing the Favorite lose this match. More of a question on margin.
...Steveson returned from absence and dominated the field. Hendrickson is undefeated and rates as a worthy foe. As polished as Hendrickson is, I can't see Steveson losing.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

174: 3) Hamiti OKLAST
...First real long-shot pick. Going against the grain on this one.
...Hamiti was @Wisconsin. He was successful and only picked up a handful of losses.
...Problem is that he ran into some real top-end wrestlers @ NCAAs. Hamiti has yet to earn a high-end NCAA finish.
...He transferred to OklaSt this year. He went undefeated in the Reg Sea. He led former champ O'Toole 4-0 in the Big 12 Finals. But he gave up an Escape + a Takedown in period 3. Lost it in OT.
...I'm a big believer in OklaSt under new coach David Taylor. John Smith had been there forever.
...Hamiti showed me enough against O'Toole. I think he's capable of getting over the hump.
...Haynes PENNST is the 2-seed at this weight. He won last year @157 and bumps up two weights. So, it's a hotly-contested weight. I question Haynes moving up two weights, and I think all the wear has O'Toole looking not as sharp as in the past. I will take a flyer on Hamiti, and no one will see it coming.

Overall, my picks were nothing special. But I did get this one right. Hamiti wins it, when most would have said he wouldn't make the Finals.

Interesting how an athlete can perform better when he's more relaxed. Hamiti gets it done this time against O'Toole.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Hvy: 1) Steveson, MINN
...This current crop of Hvy-weights is very athletic. It's not just a group of oversized guys.
...Steveson, in particular, is one of the quickest Heavy-weights ever at NCAAs. He returns after an absence away from wrestling.
...He's a former champ and hasn't lost since 2019. Any thoughts of ring-rust were removed, as he's dominated the field.
...3-seed Kerkvliet PENNST is the defending champ. But Steveson beat him convincingly at Big Tens. That gap appears to be wide.
...2-seed Hendrickson OKLAST is also an accomplished wrestler. He's a pinning-machine and has had high finishes in the past. He transferred from Air Force after receiving a special waiver to get an extra year of eligibility. In his one season at OklaSt he's looked sharp. But he did pick up a knock at the Conference tournament, so he may not be 100%.
...In another year Kerkvliet or Hendrickson would be worthy of winning the title. Might be a bridge too far this season.
...I'd love to call for the upset, but I don't see it. Steveson is maybe the front-runner to win the Hodge Trophy as top NCAA wrestler this year. Barring an injury, this is Steveson's bracket to win...but I'd love to be wrong.

Holy shit. What an upset. Hendrickson beats Steveson! Even celebrates w/ Pres Trump.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Have to think about the magnitude of this upset. I really think that he would have been 20/1 in this match. Steveson was viewed as un-beatable.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WujOHKzseW0

Dave Cokin used to talk about this. This is why Sports is better than TV drama. The un-predictability makes it amazing to see upsets like this.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=wrestling%2C+shapiro+was+in+a+coma#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:5b0c00f9,vid:H7OdFlsJA1w,st:22

The Internet keyboard warriors love to take a shot at this guy (Shapiro). He missed time due to concussions.

Turns out that he had seizures and was hospitalized. Guy was in a coma and almost died. Fkin keyboard-warrior tough-guys.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDZAVZ_UGxg

This is a pretty amazing interview. People have seen the story. Wyatt shocked the world by beating Steveson, who most viewed as being unbeatable.

How did he do it? Listen to Wyatt's interview (above). You will RARELY hear this. David Taylor came in as the new OklaSt Head Coach. It's notable that he retired from International wrestling last year.

Not far removed from wrestling, David served as a good training partner for Wyatt. The weight difference was large (maybe 40 pounds), but no insurmountable. Wyatt mentions how Taylor beat him pretty good at the start of the season. At the end of the season, however, the tables had turned. Pretty unique story to think that the new coach not only helped COACH the athlete but also served as a training partner who made his athlete better.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

By the way I've seen Cael (Sanderson) train with his athletes. But he's quite a bit older. Can't imagine that he could hang with guys that much younger.