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Iowa guys who have a good chance to finish below their ranking...

I'm going to give some guys credit . . . though obviously I hope I end up being wrong on a bunch of them.

• Lee -- #1, don't see a way around it; probably scores 28.5 pts.

• DeSanto -- #1-3; Rivera's health a big factor. Watch out for big DeSanto points if Rivera is <90%.

• Murin -- #5-R12; have no idea how the shoulder holds up to rigors of B1Gs and Nationals, but he is wrestling well enough right now to beat anyone not named Pletcher or Lee; I think McKee and Demas are inconsistent enough to be upset at any time.

• Lugo -- #1-7; weird weight is 149 this year; said it before, 2019-20 Lugo is not wrestling like 2018-19 Lugo; would not be surprised at all to see this version as champ vs. this year's field; but anyone in the Top 7 is capable of beating him in a given match; I think it most likely Lugo places Top 3. If any of these guys fall out of AA, its Sasso (I have a Mike Evans stance on him thus far).

• Young -- #3-6; he's been looking like a guy ripe for upset in many matches, but as I've said many times, he's squirrely; I don't trust squirrels, and he's a veteran squirrel; maybe the weight cut gets to him -- but outside that, I suspect he finds a way to place 3rd/4th. He's exactly the kind of guy a weary, battered body does not want to see on Saturday morning -- he'll do just enough to get the match into OT and then win by attrition in some lengthy scramble in which his opponent's body fails.

• Marinelli -- You gotta say #1-2, but we as PSU fans also have to hope NCAA monkeys are all over his back and planting doubt in his mind. Maybe the Wrestling Gods have him vs. The Exhauster (J. Smith) in the quarters. As a decent human, though, I have to pull for him to make the finals.

• Kemerer -- #2; I feel solid on this one, unless he has an injury setback between now and Nationals.

• Assad -- #6-R16; he's a true freshman; talented, no doubt, but has yet to face the upper echelon or experience the NCAAs: pretty much anything could happen, including a parting of the seas.

Warner/Warnerov -- Which one shows up? I'll predict Warnerov on Thursday, Warner on Friday. #4-6.

Cassioppi -- #3. I think he has this wrestling thing down. Too bad for us that Wood and Hillger aren't giving any signs of stepping up. Isley? Stencel? ... Somebody? ... Bueller?

Yeah, we're going to need some
help, and I'm optimistic, but don't forget the impact of a watered-down field. There is a reason why B1Gs and NCAAs have been totally different animals for PSU. Our guys just have to get to 100% by March and wrestle their hearts out.

does everyone think DeSanto's improvement jump is much more than RBYs? I think RBY gave him more than a match last year at NCAAs - to the point of a call the one time going off the mat making the difference.
 
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I just want to be clear about one thing. With the exception of Kemerer (who is really only an injury question) and possibly Cassioppi, I believe the rest of these Iowa guys WILL wrestle below their rankings. It's not a pipe dream, praying for bad results. They are overranked now and it will show in March.
The other part of the formula is we need to get our guys healthy so they are hitting on all cylinders at NCAAs. Something Cael has done quite well.
WE ARE!!'
 
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does everyone think DeSanto's improvement jump is much more than RBYs? I think RBY gave him more than a match last year at NCAAs - to the point of a call the one time going off the mat making the difference.
DeSanto beat a returning NCAA champ (Gross). RBY's improvement might have been similar, but
(1) we don't have that kind of evidence, at least not yet; -- RBY has yet to face an NCAA qualifier this year;
(2) RBY starts from a little further back.

RBY lost that NCAAs match 7-2, so any one call did not make the difference.
 
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does everyone think DeSanto's improvement jump is much more than RBYs? I think RBY gave him more than a match last year at NCAAs - to the point of a call the one time going off the mat making the difference.

DeSanto's jump is for real. Haven't seen enough RBY vs. tough competition this season to comment on him. Jan 31st will shed light on your question.
 
Alvarez will be a nice test on Sunday for RBY. He has beaten some guys this year including Micky Philippi. However, DeSanto is a favorite to make the finals in March. Anyone who doesn't think DeSanto is a top two guy with Gross isn't being honest.
 
Alvarez will be a nice test on Sunday for RBY. He has beaten some guys this year including Micky Philippi. However, DeSanto is a favorite to make the finals in March. Anyone who doesn't think DeSanto is a top two guy with Gross isn't being honest.

I think he's a Top 2 guy with Rivera.
 
DeSanto beat a returning NCAA champ (Gross). RBY's improvement might have been similar, but
(1) we don't have that kind of evidence, at least not yet; -- RBY has yet to face an NCAA qualifier this year;
(2) RBY starts from a little further back.

RBY lost that NCAAs match 7-2, so any one call did not make the difference.

Not that you are wrong, but DeSanto beat the NCAA champ last year and the runner up the year before that. He was already at the level of knocking off top guys.
 
DeSanto beat a returning NCAA champ (Gross). RBY's improvement might have been similar, but
(1) we don't have that kind of evidence, at least not yet; -- RBY has yet to face an NCAA qualifier this year;
(2) RBY starts from a little further back.

RBY lost that NCAAs match 7-2, so any one call did not make the difference.
1:12 left in match and RBY gets a take down to make it 4-3 him. They reverse the call now RBY is down and has to force a shot. Doesn't get it gets countered and thrown to his back. yes that call decided that match.
 
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1:12 left in match and RBY gets a take down to make it 4-3 him. They reverse the call now RBY is down and has to force a shot. Doesn't get it gets countered and thrown to his back. yes that call decided that match.
Maybe -- but only if we assume DeSanto doesn't escape to tie the match.

I"m not trying to be difficult here. It's just that 1:12 is a lot of time remaining, that lots of things can happen in that time to overcome any one call. Might be different if, say, the ref missed back points or a pin in a wider margin match.
 
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Maybe -- but only if we assume DeSanto doesn't escape to tie the match.
True. I guess my point is one call completely changed that match. And it was a night and day difference then first time they met. I agree though RBY has not been tested this year at least in public like Austin has.
 
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Interesting topic with some interesting responses(by the way, HR does not claim Lambertt either).

I would suggest letting January play out as these next 3 duals for the Hawks are going to answer a lot of questions about the validity of their rankings.

DeSanto - RBY
Murin- Red, Pletcher and then Lee
Lugo - Sasso
Marinelli - White and Joseph
Kemerer - Laboriola, Romero, and Hall
Assad - Venz and Brooks
Warner - Moore, Schultz, and Rasheed

That is a lot of highly ranked match-ups that will not only be very, very entertaining, but will be a great indicator of what "expected" NCAA points might be for Iowa(and PSU for that matter).

Not to rub it in(well maybe a little), but I am lucky enough to be able to see all of these in person! So pumped that January is finally here.
 
Using Intermat Rankings:
Murin #6 - there are at least 3 guys ranked below him who I'd take over him: Woods, Red & Gfeller to start. Murin won't AA.
Lugo #1 - Come on, does anyone see him as national champ? Highly unlikely. Sasso and B Lee won't allow it. See him as a 5-8 guy.
Young #6 - this one is close. Could see him 2-3 spots lower.
Kemerer #2 - love him, but could his knee still be a factor?
Assad #10 - who knows what you'll get from someone this inexperienced? Could finish 5 or 15.
Warner #4 - not enough offense. Another likely 5-8 guy.
Cassioppi #3 - extremely talented but young guys can make mistakes. It happens all the time.
So...we gotta listen to Cenzo and don't give up on this team!!!
WE ARE!!!
So your hope as a fan is another team not being able to live up to billing as opposed to your own guys stepping up? I'm confident that is not what Cenzo meant. But hey, YOU ARE!!
 
Interesting topic with some interesting responses(by the way, HR does not claim Lambertt either).

I would suggest letting January play out as these next 3 duals for the Hawks are going to answer a lot of questions about the validity of their rankings.

DeSanto - RBY
Murin- Red, Pletcher and then Lee
Lugo - Sasso
Marinelli - White and Joseph
Kemerer - Laboriola, Romero, and Hall
Assad - Venz and Brooks
Warner - Moore, Schultz, and Rasheed

That is a lot of highly ranked match-ups that will not only be very, very entertaining, but will be a great indicator of what "expected" NCAA points might be for Iowa(and PSU for that matter).

Not to rub it in(well maybe a little), but I am lucky enough to be able to see all of these in person! So pumped that January is finally here.
Just an opinion, but White's reverse wrestling isn't going to threaten Marinelli and Marinelli's hand fighting will wear White out and slow him down very noticeably and drastically.
 
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So your hope as a fan is another team not being able to live up to billing as opposed to your own guys stepping up? I'm confident that is not what Cenzo meant. But hey, YOU ARE!!

Those are your words. I didn;t see anywhere in the OP that said anything about our guys stepping up. Nice spin though. :rolleyes::p:D
 
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1:12 left in match and RBY gets a take down to make it 4-3 him. They reverse the call now RBY is down and has to force a shot. Doesn't get it gets countered and thrown to his back. yes that call decided that match.

Actually, that is not what happened. No TD was awarded and WE challenged that there should have been and it the call was NOT reversed. It was close though as it was still 3-2 with less than 20 seconds left, so RBY certainly closed the gap on DeSanto. Very much looking forward to the dual to see where he stands now.
 
So your hope as a fan is another team not being able to live up to billing as opposed to your own guys stepping up? I'm confident that is not what Cenzo meant. But hey, YOU ARE!!
I would say that NittanyChris is pretty blatantly suggesting that Iowa will under perform because that's what Iowa has done for the last decade. Has nothing to do with our guys not exceeding expectations. Iowa just doesn't preform when it counts.
 
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DeSanto beat a returning NCAA champ (Gross). RBY's improvement might have been similar, but
(1) we don't have that kind of evidence, at least not yet; -- RBY has yet to face an NCAA qualifier this year;
(2) RBY starts from a little further back.

RBY lost that NCAAs match 7-2, so any one call did not make the difference.
good points but the final score isn't always indicative of how the match would have unfolded if...
 
Actually, that is not what happened. No TD was awarded and WE challenged that there should have been and it the call was NOT reversed. It was close though as it was still 3-2 with less than 20 seconds left, so RBY certainly closed the gap on DeSanto. Very much looking forward to the dual to see where he stands now.
True I was stating opinion when I said the TD happened. Well mine and Desanto's opinion considering her returned to the mat in the down position. Go get him RBY!!!!
 
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Maybe -- but only if we assume DeSanto doesn't escape to tie the match.

I"m not trying to be difficult here. It's just that 1:12 is a lot of time remaining, that lots of things can happen in that time to overcome any one call. Might be different if, say, the ref missed back points or a pin in a wider margin match.

After they collided with the scorers table. DeSanto ran to the middle and immediately took the down position. He thought he got taken down but he was 100% prepared to escape and start shooting again. I love RBY obviously but you're right, there was a lot more match to be wrestled. Now maybe if there were 5 seconds left, it's a different story.
 
Well I am going to go with past history, in regards to which team peaks in March, and what one peaks early.
 
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I would say that NittanyChris is pretty blatantly suggesting that Iowa will under perform because that's what Iowa has done for the last decade. Has nothing to do with our guys not exceeding expectations. Iowa just doesn't preform when it counts.

I think Chris missed a step. It’s January and rankings will change a lot over the next two months. I believe he expressly stated they are currently over ranked. The next two weeks will be telling as the conference duals will expose any weakness.
 
Looking at the detail (NCAA Results), going back five years ('15-'19) to make sure the data was sufficient, here's what was discovered; both PSU's and Iowa's results are not that disimilar when comparing seeds to actual results.

For wrestlers that finished at their seed or higher (done this way because a #1 seed can't finish higher than champ), both teams (compiling 5 years totals) ended in the high 60's, percent-wise. In other words, nearly 70% of Penn State and Iowa wrestlers finished at or above their seed.

Another way looked at; % of wrestlers that finished within 2 places of their seed. PSU was 83%, Iowa 77%, again very close, suggesting over three-fourths of the guys wrestle close to seed. Of those that didn't, it's equally split between guys that wrestled more than two places higher and those that wrestled two places lower.

There is agreement that Penn State has peaked in March in the past. But what the data suggests is that Iowa hasn't done badly themselves, and this year they have more horses. The next two months plus is sure gonna be fun.
 
Looking at the detail (NCAA Results), going back five years ('15-'19) to make sure the data was sufficient, here's what was discovered; both PSU's and Iowa's results are not that disimilar when comparing seeds to actual results.

For wrestlers that finished at their seed or higher (done this way because a #1 seed can't finish higher than champ), both teams (compiling 5 years totals) ended in the high 60's, percent-wise. In other words, nearly 70% of Penn State and Iowa wrestlers finished at or above their seed.

Another way looked at; % of wrestlers that finished within 2 places of their seed. PSU was 83%, Iowa 77%, again very close, suggesting over three-fourths of the guys wrestle close to seed. Of those that didn't, it's equally split between guys that wrestled more than two places higher and those that wrestled two places lower.

There is agreement that Penn State has peaked in March in the past. But what the data suggests is that Iowa hasn't done badly themselves, and this year they have more horses. The next two months plus is sure gonna be fun.

There is one major factor that skews your stats. The last several years Penn State has had a lot better seeds than Iowa. The better the seed the less opportunity to outperform that seed (or not at all with the #1 seed). So in this case, Penn State's nearly 70% looks better than Iowa's nearly 70%. (I appreciate that you fit in an 83% in your analysis...)
 
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1:12 left in match and RBY gets a take down to make it 4-3 him. They reverse the call now RBY is down and has to force a shot. Doesn't get it gets countered and thrown to his back. yes that call decided that match.
I was in the lower bowl for that session. RBY gets the takedown, I see a review/pause and just start watching other matches. Wasn't concerned at all. I was directly behind RBY and Desanto. There was no way that was not a takedown. Possibly the worst call I've ever seen.
 
I was in the lower bowl for that session. RBY gets the takedown, I see a review/pause and just start watching other matches. Wasn't concerned at all. I was directly behind RBY and Desanto. There was no way that was not a takedown. Possibly the worst call I've ever seen.

RBY had ONE leg, never had two. Was not close to a TD. See link. Go to 7:10 in the video and watch for yourself.

 
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RBY had ONE leg, never had two. Was not close to a TD. See link. Go to 7:10 in the video and watch for yourself.

Thank you for the video. It does look like RBY had only one leg and very briefly, so there was not control. What is the rule?

What I also get from the video is that the table should be further from the action. And/or the whole table should be made out of foam.
 
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So your hope as a fan is another team not being able to live up to billing as opposed to your own guys stepping up? I'm confident that is not what Cenzo meant. But hey, YOU ARE!!

You missed my point entirely. Iowa is overranked at multiple positions now. My hope is that, combined with Hall, Cenzo and Lee winning titles and others stepping up gives us a good chance to win it all.
But thanks for your misguided response anyway.
 
With Kemerer I’d be more concerned about the shoulder than the knee. It’s a pretty weak weight class and I’d slot Kem as the second best guy, but health is obviously a big concern with him. I hated watching him injury default out of the consis. IIRC, the female trainer essentially sprinted on the mat and yelling “No mas!”
 
Thank you for the video. It does look like RBY had only one leg and very briefly, so there was not control. What is the rule?

What I also get from the video is that the table should be further from the action. And/or the whole table should be made out of foam.


Agree, no TD.

What I got from the video...if you are tied up for 30 seconds, just a couple head fakes will get your opponent a stall call. WTF.
 
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There is one major factor that skews your stats. The last several years Penn State has had a lot better seeds than Iowa. The better the seed the less opportunity to outperform that seed (or not at all with the #1 seed). So in this case, Penn State's nearly 70% looks better than Iowa's nearly 70%. (I appreciate that you fit in an 83% in your analysis...)
Granted the data isn't perfect, none will be. The way I dealt with the element you mention, is to include equaling your seed along with performing better, so the #1's are mostly accounted for. For example, in the five years studied, there were 10 PSU #1 seeds. 7 won, three came in second. Of the 7 PSU #2 seeds, 5 were equal or better than seed, one placed third, and one did not place. The small numbers of highly seeded PSU guys falling below their seed is about equal to Iowa's, so little to no impact on the overall review.
 
Agree, no TD.

What I got from the video...if you are tied up for 30 seconds, just a couple head fakes will get your opponent a stall call. WTF.
During the long tie up, it was interesting to see RBY very determined to not move his right arm from its protective position. He really did not want Desanto to wind up with inside control. Desanto did some half-assed movements, but RBY did zero movements. If the ref felt like he had to punish somebody, I can see why he would choose RBY to punish.
 
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