James Hackney
#13 Oklahoma State – NCAA Preview * article was written at the time before any bracket redraws
After a runner-up finish at Big 12’s, the Cowboys are bringing their full squad to Tulsa once again after Wyatt Sheets received an at-large bid. In recent years at NCAA’s they won an unexpected team trophy in 2021, but finished tied for 14th in 2022. They have returning All-Americans Daton Fix (2nd) and Dustin Plott (6th).
From last year’s squad there are only six starters, with three of them at new weights. With how it is currently seeded, OK State has two wrestlers expected to finish on the podium, with two more seeded for the bloodround. They are also outside of the top ten with 34 points projected with Arizona State at ten with 38 points. They have some young wrestlers who have tough first round matchups, but could make noise if they fall to the backside.
Top ten isn’t the typical goal for the Cowboys, but would be a marked improvement from last year. A good comparison from last year could be Missouri, who had one champ and a fourth place wrestler and finished 9th. If they can repeat with Plott and Fix getting on the podium, they could be one or two guys breaking through to inch towards the top five.
Instead of seeds I used the rankings for opponents just because I feel like some of the seeds could look a little deceiving. Using rankings are a better view as to what the matchup looks like in my opinion. The rankings I use are InterMat’s that can be found here. Brackets can be found here.
125lbs: #24 Reece Witcraft (19-10) – 31 Seed
First Round Match: #2 Patrick Glory, Princeton (20-0)
Despite a strong Big 12’s, Witcraft’s minimal resume at 125lbs this season put him at the unfortunate 31 seed. With that he gets the two seed Pat Glory in the first round. On paper Glory is a heavy favorite, but having him in the first round could be a benefit for Witcraft. It sounds like Witcraft has his health under control, and Glory has a history of struggling in the first round with the weight cut. It’s doubtful, but Witcraft has the big move potential to shock everyone.
On the backside Witcraft would get another opponent from the EIWA in either Ryan Miller or Brett Ungar. Ungar was the EIWA finalist, while Miller was 3rd. Miller is a bigger threat in neutral, while Ungar is tough from top. Both are winnable matches from Witcraft, but it would be his biggest win this season. If he wins there it would be harder to predict the bracket, but has the ability and would have the momentum to likely make the round of 16.
Prediction…
