NC State - Where they stand this season

[Housebuye 2,437]

NC State lost a bunch of their NCAA points from last year, including their champion Machiavello, 4 time AA Jack at 141, and former 3rd placer at 184 Renda. Prior to the season, many NC State fans were wondering if they would be able to challenge for a podium spot, given how many amazing guys they lost. Here is where they stand afte rthe early part of the season:

 

125

Fausz - we all knew he would be the guy, but weren't sure if he would AA. So far, he got a silver at U23s as the 4th stringer in the US (insane performance) and is now 1-0 in folk this season, beating Moisey, a 2 time AA. The class is also far weaker than last year, having lost Suriano, NATO, Cruz, Gilman and a few other top 20 guys. There are only a few AAs at this weight, os Fausz making the podium looks likely. He has to prove he can hold the weight, but he looked amazing yesterday at 125 for the first time this season.

133

Tariq is very good, but we didn't know if NCAAs was a fluke or not. So far, he is undefeated and has some solid wins in the off season too ,but he hasn't faced any top 5 guys since NCAAs. He will by season's end. At this point, it is safe to assume he is an AA, but we don't know how he matches up vs Suriano, Micic or Fix. 

141

Jamal Morris has some ranked wins so far and has climbed as high as 13th. With his top skills, he is the kind of guy that can pull off 1 or 2 upsets at NCAAs and make the podium, but he also could go 0-2. I think he at a minimum pins/techs someone early on. He has a shot to AA, but there are more than 8 guys who are significant favorites over him. 

149

Oliver was a key transfer. We all thought he would end up with a better career after he placed 7th as a freshman. He lost if R12 the last 2 years. The weight has cleared out and honestly he has a chance to win a title. There are 3 or 4 guys who will be favorites over him, but would it really be shocking if he beats Micah? or Ashnault? or Kolodzik? All 3 would be tough, but he might only need to beat 1. I say he is a likely AA, probably finishing around 5th. 

157

Hidlay hasn't looked quite as good as last year. The rumors out of the room is that he looks great, but was so focused on freestyle that he has to adjust back to folk and it is taking some time. He looked solid at U23s, even though he didn't come away with a medal. I think Hidlay gets back into form by season's end. He isn't beating Nolf, but he can make the finals again with the right seed. Problem is, he could very well end up on Nolf's side, especially with that loss to Tyler Berger. Tyler will lose to Nolf at conferences and probably take some other losses too.  I'm very confident Hidlay AAs, but his ceiling is matching last year's performance. Safe money is on him not matching last year's performance, but still picking up top 4ish placing points plus maybe a bit of bonus in a weaker weight. 

165 and 174

Bullard twins. I've been following these guys for a long time, as they are Georgia boys and I'm from there and wrestled there, albeit before they were on the scene. They are excellent scramblers and have some ranked wins. It is going to be tough for either to place this year, but both will probably be seeded 15-20, which suggests after a first round loss they should have a winnable match. Given their styles, sneaking on to the podium is possible. One good scramble can help them make up for their lack of defense on the feet. Not counting on many points here though

184

Reenan has jumped levels. We thought that given his performance at world team trials, but the weight wasn't the strongest one there and DT killed him (as he did to almost everyone in the world this year). Reenan now has 2 top 5 wins (Preisch, Venz) and is looking unstoppable. He is a title contender. He hasn't faced Parker yet and Martin might be a bit too much for him, but he is good enough to win it all. Very confident he AAs and on his best day he can score a lot of team points. He also has the ability to throw anyone, so even if he is behind he is always in the match. 

197

McDonald making his way down here is a great idea. He is a 15-20ish type guy and has been for awhile. Those guys usually don't AA (obviously) but it just takes an upset or two to make the podium. 197 is also impossible to predict at this point, outside of the top 2 guys. He could place as high as 3rd (not happening, but seriously this weight is wide open) or go 0-2. He always wrestles close matches so you never know. 

285

 Wilson - true freshman heavyweight. He was solid but not spectacular in high school. He is definitely getting better as the year goes on. He is terrible on bottom and has poor match awareness, but that is pretty normal for a true freshman, especially at heavyweight. He is enormous too and moves well for a big guy. Once he getes his reps in with Gwiz and his training partners, he will be a force. The weight is weak this year, but he isn't quite good enough to AA at this point. If he fixes his bottom issues, he could sneak on there, but it is a long shot.

Summary

NC State should qualify all weights, besides maybe heavyweight. I think they will qualify all 10. They have up to 5 guys who could be top 3 (125, 133, 149, 157, 184) but is is extremely unlikely all place that high. I do think all place. If they can add just 1 of the other 5 guys to the AA list, they will be top 4 and maybe even higher. I think they end up with 5 AAs (4/5 from their core group and 1 surprise), ending up with somewhere around 80 points. If they perform up to their potential, they will have back to back podium placements.

[Wolfpack05 13]

I agree with your assesment of the line-up. I think we get 5 AA’s this year with a shot at someone sneaking through for 6. 

 

Its so impressive how far this program has come.  Before last year NC State had never placed in the top 4 at NCAAs. Now we have a chance to do it in back to back years.  

The staff has done a great job of helping to grow the fan base. Dual attendance is increasing every year. We have a great atmosphere for home duals.  They are becoming an event people dont want to miss. The administration is extremely supportive of the program. Its a fun time to be an NC State fan. 

 

[iGranby 221]

Im biased - they are my adopted squad. 

The next year that I realistically could see them maybe being out of trophy contention is 23 - and by then who knows who will emerge for them. They're doing very well in recruiting - snagging blue chips and still developing the under the radar guys. 

Pat Pop and the wolfpack staff rock, man. 

Edited December 18, 2018 by iGranby

[1032004 1,454]

1 hour ago, Wolfpack05 said:

I agree with your assesment of the line-up. I think we get 5 AA’s this year with a shot at someone sneaking through for 6. 

 

Its so impressive how far this program has come.  Before last year NC State had never placed in the top 4 at NCAAs. Now we have a chance to do it in back to back years.  

The staff has done a great job of helping to grow the fan base. Dual attendance is increasing every year. We have a great atmosphere for home duals.  They are becoming an event people dont want to miss. The administration is extremely supportive of the program. Its a fun time to be an NC State fan. 

 

 Yeah saw an article about that - https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/article/2018-12-16/how-nc-state-trying-turn-college-wrestling-must-see-event

 

Sounds like their match with Nebraska was a good one - Fausz beating Moisey in the second to last match then Wilson needing a tech in the  closing seconds for the (criteria) Win.

Edited December 18, 2018 by 1032004

[cornercoach 448]

.. it is exciting to see what a solid coaching staff can do with a program...

[Creek chub 219]

As a VT fan, my hat is off to the pack. Coach Pop has built a heckuva program and made the ACC a better wrestling conference. I love our duals against each and I’m a pack fan when they don’t wrestle VT. 

[Wolfpack05 13]

On 12/18/2018 at 5:34 PM, Creek chub said:

As a VT fan, my hat is off to the pack. Coach Pop has built a heckuva program and made the ACC a better wrestling conference. I love our duals against each and I’m a pack fan when they don’t wrestle VT. 

The rivalry we’ve built with VT is a lot of fun.  The duals are always tight and every match is so important to the team race in the ACC tournament. I’ve always had good interactions with VT fans. We both want to win but there is a high level of respect between the two programs.