The middle weights for Cliff Keen Las Vegas feature a nice blend of established competitors and young talent in Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday.

The 149, 157, and 165 weight classes will prove to be integral weights in both the individual NCAA landscape as well as the team race for this year's CKLV.

149 Pounds

Ranked Entries
No. 5 Micah Jordan, Ohio State
No. 6 Solomon Chishko, Virginia Tech
No. 7 Justin Oliver, Central Michigan
No. 8 Pat Lugo, Edinboro
No. 10 Christian Pagdilao, Arizona State
No. 16 Zac Hall, Michigan
No. 19 Joey Delgado, Oregon State

Pre-Seeds
1. Solomon Chishko, Virginia Tech
2. Micah Jordan, Ohio State
3. Justin Oliver, Central Michigan
4. Pat Lugo, Edinboro
5. Andrew Crone, Wisconsin
6. Joey Galasso, Cornell
7. Zac Hall, Michigan
8. Christian Pagdilao, Arizona State
9. Joey Delgado, Oregon State

It's a bit odd to see Solomon Chishko seeded ahead of Micah Jordan given their head-to-head history. Jordan has never lost to Chishko (3-0 since the two got to college). So while Chishko may earn the No. 1 seed based on a superior NCAA tournament, very few will give him the nod to win the title.

Along the way for the two top dogs will potentially be familiar opponents. Chishko could see Lugo in the semi's. He beat the Edinboro sophomore in the dual earlier this season. Similarly for Jordan, he will potentially see All-American Justin Oliver, who he dominated earlier this year.

If Christian Pagdilao is back and healthy, he's someone I'm curious to watch. When healthy at 100 percent, he's problematic and has beaten several All-Americans. Zac Hall has been strong filling the 149 void with Alec Pantaleo's redshirt. This could be a potential breakout performance for the Wolverine.

Jordan's ability to proficiently attack both legs is something I don't think anyone in this field can prevent, including Chishko. Jordan additionally keeps most guys at bay with his positioning and controlling of the hand fight. In Chishko and Jordan's matches, there are very few instances where Chishko is able to get to legs.

Where this could get interesting is if they make Jordan the No. 1 seed, and we have a Chishko/Oliver semifinal. I believe I'd favor Chishko but only slightly.

CP'S PREDICTIONS:
1. Micah Jordan, Ohio State
2. Solomon Chishko, Virginia Tech
3. Justin Oliver, Central Michigan
4. Christian Pagdilao, Arizona State
5. Pat Lugo, Edinboro
6. Zac Hall, Michigan

157 Pounds

Ranked Entries
No. 2 Dylan Palacio, Cornell
No. 5 Brian Murphy, Michigan
No. 10 Russell Parsons, Army
No. 11 Collin Heffernan, Central Michigan
No. 18 Josh Shields, Arizona State
No. 20 Jake Ryan, Ohio State

Pre-Seeds
1. Dylan Palacio, Cornell
2. Brian Murphy, Michigan
3. Collin Heffernan, Central Michigan
4. Russell Parsons, Army
5. Victor Lopez, Bucknell
6. Casey Sparkman, Kent State
7. Sal Mastriani, Virginia Tech
8. Joshua Shields, Arizona State

There's potential for an amazing rematch here between Brian Murphy and Dylan Palacio. It was an 8-7 classic at NCAAs with Murphy being the winner. Both would go on to earn NCAA honors that tournament. Based on the field here, they're a cut above the competition, and I'd be fairly surprised to see either upended by anyone else.

Murphy and Palacio's 8-7 NCAA bout:


Casey Sparkman comes in with a little momentum after knocking off Jake Ryan last week in their dual. I'm excited to get eyes on Joshua Shields once again. He has been pretty impressive after what has been a very busy month for the Sun Devils. His progression throughout the year is something to monitor.

The Murphy/Palacio match is one where I'm anticipating a different result from the last one. If you go back and rewatch the match, Palacio was in deep on a single and had a swing and a miss on a trip that led him to give up a crucial four points. He would lose 8-7. I think he has a more consistent leg attack, a slightly better top game, and they're about even in the scrambles (both elite).

CP'S PREDICTIONS:
1. Dylan Palacio, Cornell
2. Brian Murphy, Michigan
3. Collin Heffernan, Central Michigan
4. Josh Shields, Arizona State
5. Russell Parsons, Army
6. Sal Mastriani, Virginia Tech

165 Pounds

Ranked Entries
No. 2 Isaac Jordan, Wisconsin
No. 5 Logan Massa, Michigan
No. 9 Dylan Cottrell, WVU
No. 13 Keaton Subjeck, Stanford
No. 14 Anthony Valencia, Arizona State
No. 15 Tyrel White, Columbia
No. 18 Austin Matthews, Edinboro
No. 19 Dane Pestano, Iowa State

Pre-Seeds
1. Isaac Jordan, Wisconsin
2. Logan Massa, Michigan
3. Dylan Cottrell, West Virginia
4. Anthony Valencia, Arizona State
5. Keaton Subjeck, Stanford
6. Austin Matthews, Edinboro
7. Brandon Womack, Cornell
8. Tyrel White, Columbia

Love this weight! It features established talent ready to be challenged by the elite youth. Isaac Jordan isn't a name that elicits a rabid response from fans, but people need to recognize how outstanding this guy has been for three years and change. His success lies in the multiple dimensions of his game. He's defensively excellent. You probably won't get to his legs. If you do, it's unlikely you'll finish. He's a hammer on top, able to both ride and turn. Additionally he's got grit and toughness that get him out of tough situations. I think a lot of Logan Massa, and I'd be pretty surprised to see him take out Jordan.

I do think Massa is a cut above the rest of the field, however. His ability to consistently attack legs (maybe better than anyone, including Jordan) will separate him from the rest. I worry about him on the mat and in scrambles with Jordan. Also, if Jordan gets to his legs, he's a very high-percentage finisher.

I'm hopeful we'll get a Anthony Valencia/Dylan Cottrell rematch at some point. In November, Cottrell had a great counter and rideout that were ultimately the difference in the mat. Valencia is figuring things out still. I think he makes the necessary adjustments and finishes those attacks. We could see Keaton Subjeck give Valencia some issues as well. We already saw Subjeck challenge Vincenzo Joseph off of his attacks. Enter another volume shooter, Anthony Valencia.

If it wasn't glaringly apparent, I'm taking Jordan to win this tournament. I do think he'll see Massa in the finals. We'll get to learn a lot about Massa in this tournament. I think we'll be able to safely place him on a tier one way or the other after this tournament.

CP'S PREDICTIONS:
1. Isaac Jordan, Wisconsin
2. Logan Massa, Michigan
3. Anthony Valencia, Arizona State
4. Keaton Subjeck, Stanford
5. Dylan Cottrell, West Virginia
6. Austin Matthews, Edinboro

Popular Right Now:

Updated NCAA D1 Rankings, In Depth Team Scores Released
Cliff Keen Las Vegas Lightweight Preview
CKLV Pre-Seeds Released!
Top Photos From Cliff Keen Las Vegas
Top 7 Upsets of NCAA Wrestling Weekend
NCAA Box Scores: All Results And Matches Posted