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The Ohio State Buckeyes entered February as the first team in years with a chance to dethrone Penn State's wrestling dominance. Instead, when the pair met Friday, the meet ended the same way all of Penn State's other meets do––complete domination. Hidden in that blowout loss, though, were serious signs of optimism for the Buckeyes.
First of all, several matches were extremely tight. The first two both went to sudden victory. Even though Penn State's wrestlers won both, in a neutral environment like the Big Ten Championships or the NCAAs, those two matches could very well have gone the opposite way. And, sure, that still means a 30-11 loss instead of 36-5, but it creates a very different atmosphere.
Far more importantly, though, part of the reason that match was such a blowout was Ohio State's lineup. The Buckeyes did not put forward their best wrestlers, as many of the usual starters were nursing injuries. Brandon Cannon is the No. 1 wrestler at 157 lbs, but hasn't competed in over a month. Carson Kharchla and Ethan Stiles both also sat out. Had they all wrestled, would that have meant a Buckeye win? Certainly not. But it could have been a lot closer.
The Buckeyes now have a little under three weeks to get healthy. Anyone not well enough to compete a the Big Ten Championships on March 7th won't be eligible for the NCAA Championships. If all of Cannon, Kharchla, and Stiles compete, then the Buckeyes should be able to qualify ten wrestlers for the NCAAs, with at least four serious title contenders (Cannon, Jesse Mendez, Nic Bouzakis, and Ben Davino), plus several other likely All-Americans. That's a team that could win it all if Penn State leaves even a tiny opening. But if any of those three aren't good to go in three weeks (or if none of them are), this lineup's ability to score big team points in March drops precipitously. It could be the difference between a top two (or No.1) finish and struggling to stay in the top five.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State wrestling is still a title contender... if it gets healthy
Continue reading...
First of all, several matches were extremely tight. The first two both went to sudden victory. Even though Penn State's wrestlers won both, in a neutral environment like the Big Ten Championships or the NCAAs, those two matches could very well have gone the opposite way. And, sure, that still means a 30-11 loss instead of 36-5, but it creates a very different atmosphere.
Far more importantly, though, part of the reason that match was such a blowout was Ohio State's lineup. The Buckeyes did not put forward their best wrestlers, as many of the usual starters were nursing injuries. Brandon Cannon is the No. 1 wrestler at 157 lbs, but hasn't competed in over a month. Carson Kharchla and Ethan Stiles both also sat out. Had they all wrestled, would that have meant a Buckeye win? Certainly not. But it could have been a lot closer.
The Buckeyes now have a little under three weeks to get healthy. Anyone not well enough to compete a the Big Ten Championships on March 7th won't be eligible for the NCAA Championships. If all of Cannon, Kharchla, and Stiles compete, then the Buckeyes should be able to qualify ten wrestlers for the NCAAs, with at least four serious title contenders (Cannon, Jesse Mendez, Nic Bouzakis, and Ben Davino), plus several other likely All-Americans. That's a team that could win it all if Penn State leaves even a tiny opening. But if any of those three aren't good to go in three weeks (or if none of them are), this lineup's ability to score big team points in March drops precipitously. It could be the difference between a top two (or No.1) finish and struggling to stay in the top five.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State wrestling is still a title contender... if it gets healthy
Continue reading...
