The debate for which regular season tournament is the toughest is always a fun topic of discussion. Each and every year, Cliff Keen Las Vegas is at or very near the top of the list. It packs both the depth and high-end talent that make this a great early-season barometer for many individuals.  

Action starts Friday, December 2, and you can watch every match live on FloWrestling and follow the tournament on FloArena.

We're rolling out our previews for Cliff Keen Las Vegas over the next three days for the lightweights, middleweights, and upperweights. We'll begin with the lightweights today, which include three fields that boast not only strong depth but also NCAA champion contending-level talent as well.

125 Contenders

No. 2 Joey Dance, Virginia Tech
No. 4 Connor Schram, Stanford
No. 13 Joshua Terao, American
No. 15 Dalton Macri, Cornell
No. 17 Sean Russell, Edinboro
No. 20 Austin Assad, Michigan
Jose Rodriguez, Ohio State
Brent Fleetwood, Central Michigan

Joey Dance has been in the finals the past two years at Cliff Keen Las Vegas. He lost to NCAA champions Nahshon Garrett and Nathan Tomasello, respectively. This year, I think Dance is likely to get over the hump and get the CKLV title.

His toughest competition will likely come from Connor Schram, whose style will keep him in the match. Dance is not likely to score multiple takedowns on a top five guy. He has shown that in the past, but typically it's a one or two TD match. When you factor in Schram's defense and top game, I think he can keep it close.  

Ohio State fans are anxious to see how Jose Rodriguez will stack up at 125 this year for the Buckeyes. He enters the field that will have six other ranked competitors. The opportunity for Rodriguez to get himself ranked will be there. He's been impressive thus far and has lost only one match, a one-point defeat at the hands of All-American Darian Cruz.  

Dalton Macri missed the Grapple at the Garden for Cornell, so I'm curious if he'll compete. He suffered a brutal loss to Vargas a few weeks back. This will be an opportunity for the Big Red sophomore to rebound. Austin Assad will compete in his first competitive tournament wearing the Michigan singlet.  

I see this going Dance's way. He's looked solid so far this season, earning a dominating win over then-No. 2 Dylan Peters. Outside of NCAAs, there's typically only a handful of guys who can compete with Dance, and I don't think Schram has the neutral offense to challenge him. Dance will convert a leg attack or maybe a slide by into a takedown, which will likely be enough.

CP's Predictions:
1. Joey Dance, Virginia Tech
2. Connor Schram, Stanford
3. Dalton Macri, Cornell
4. Josh Terao, American
5. Jose Rodriguez, Ohio State
6. Sean Russell, Edinboro

133 Contenders

No. 2 Nathan Tomasello, Ohio State
No. 5 Earl Hall, Iowa State
No. 10 Stevan Micic, Michigan
No. 13 Drew Templeman, Wyoming
No. 17 Mark Grey, Cornell
Anthony Tutolo, Kent St
Mitch McKee, Minnesota
Ali Naser, Arizona State

If you've read or listened to anything 133-related, you know I'm all in on a big year for Nathan Tomasello. Coming off of surgery, it will be trial by fire for the NCAA champ. Tomasello's first competition will have some talent, but not likely anyone who can challenge him score for score.  

For me, the intrigue lies in the 133 semifinal between Steven Micic and Earl Hall. If the tournament is seeded like I expect, we could be in for a great one. Hall can score about 10 different ways. Upper body, several leg attacks and tilts on top are just a few of his scoring combos. Micic is great from ties and can get to the legs consistently with elbow control.  

Mitch McKee and Ali Naser are solid unranked guys who may struggle to earn a seed but will not be a coveted draw by any of the elite 133s. Though Micic took a loss to Brendan Fitzgerald, I don't see anyone from outside this top three being challenged by anyone below.  

I'm taking a flier on Micic over Hall. Though Micic's propensity to give up a big move is troubling, I'm expecting him to pick his spots and negotiate his way to a few takedowns against Hall. Whether it's Hall, Micic, or someone who pulled an upset, I don't see anyone truly challenging Tomasello. I'm not worried about rust for Tomasello. I think he'll consistently get to his high crotch, single, and go-behinds against either guy.

CP's Predictions:
1. Nathan Tomasello, Ohio State
2. Stevan Micic, Michigan
3. Earl Hall, Iowa State
4. Mark Grey, Cornell
5. Ali Naser, Arizona State
6. Drew Templeman, Wyoming

141 Predictions

No. 2 Joey McKenna, Stanford
No. 11 Bryce Meredith, Wyoming
No. 12 Logan Everett, Army
No. 13 Ke-Shawn Hayes, Ohio State
No. 14 Brock Zacherl, Clarion
No. 15 Joey Palmer, Oregon State
No. 17 Tyler Smith, Bucknell
No. 18 Kyle Springer, EMU
No. 20 Jared Prince, Navy
Dennis Gustafson, Virginia Tech

Whoa boy. This is a meat-grinder (wait until you get to 174 though). With eight ranked guys in the mix, this weight is set up for tough competition in the early rounds. Someone like Jared Prince notched serious wins a year ago, including one over NCAA finalist Bryce Meredith.  

I think Ke-Shawn Hayes could turn some more heads this tournament. He was right in the match with Kevin Jack, nearly scoring a first period takedown. A turn for Jack in the second changed the match, but I left with the impression that he can compete with the upper-echelon 141s. Is he ready for a Joey McKenna or Bryce Meredith? I'm not ready to go that far. Then again, who could forget when another Buckeyes freshman stunned us all in Vegas (Hunter Stieber takes out NCAA champ Kellen Russell)?  

To me, I see this final coming down to Meredith and McKenna. McKenna was my preseason pick to win it all, so obviously I think he is the favorite here. But you can't overlook the Meredith/McKenna semifinals from last season at NCAAs. Though McKenna earned the first takedown, Meredith had the edge on the mat, earning riding time and a late takedown of his own. At this point in the season, McKenna seems to be wrestling better, so he's my pick.  

Meredith and McKenna's NCAA semifinal:

CP's Predictions:
1. Joey McKenna, Stanford
2. Bryce Meredith, Wyoming
3. Ke-Shawn Hayes, Ohio State
4. Brock Zacherl, Clarion
5. Jared Prince, Navy
6. Logan Everett, Army

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