2017 #2 Penn State vs #1 Oklahoma StateFeb 15, 2017 by Christian Pyles
Four Dark Horses In Oklahoma State vs. Penn State Dual
Four Dark Horses In Oklahoma State vs. Penn State Dual
Here's a look at the four key dark horses in the National Duals championship between No. 1 Penn State and No. 2 Oklahoma State at OSU's Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday.
Live This Week: Feb. 16 - Northern Colorado at Air Force | Feb. 17 - Purdue at SDSU | Feb. 17/18 - New England Prep Championships | Feb. 18 - Iowa at Edinboro | North Dakota St at South Dakota St | Feb. 19 - #2 Penn State at #1 Oklahoma State (Exclusive Live Broadcast)
Going into every dual, conventional wisdom dictates the predictions for the match's outcome. But without fail, these predictions are thrown out the door and we find ourselves stunned when upsets occur, only to make the same mistake over and over again. Just one week ago, Missouri was favored in six matches and won three against Northern Iowa. These types of upsets have been happening all season long, and they still catch us off guard.
Knowing this, let's take the time to identify the dark horses in the National Duals championship between No. 2 Penn State and No. 1 Oklahoma State at OSU's Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday. These are wrestlers who few will consider legitimate shots at a win, but are prime examples of the guys who are all too often counted out.
HELP OK STATE SELL OUT GALLAGHER IBA AND BREAK ATTENDANCE RECORD, BUY TICKETS HERE
A four-time New York State champion, Piccininni is in the midst of a strong freshman campaign. Incredible freshmen in the past such as Kyle Snyder and J'den Cox have maybe given us irrational expectations for other first-year NCAA wrestlers. The lightning-fast dynamo Piccininni is currently ranked 11th in the country. Oklahoma State freshmen tend to make real gains toward the end of the season, so improvement from Piccininni shouldn't surprise us. Standing opposite Pich is a fantastic true freshman in Nick Suriano. We haven't seen Suriano have that "freshman moment" all year. Even in defeat against Thomas Gilman, Suriano didn't let the moment overtake him. So is Suriano simply unflappable? Or is he due for a letdown and a freshman moment in front of a hostile Oklahoma State crowd? Suriano's head hands are elite, but Piccininni's speed in his leg attacks may be the secret to getting in deep against Suriano.
Jimmy G is quietly turning in a strong second semester. Since the new year began, he's 7-2 with losses to Anthony Ashnault and Colton McCrystal. His schedule has been fairly competitive as well. He has knocked off Tommy Thorn, Luke Pletcher, Topher Carton, and Cole Martin already. While his opponent, Dean Heil, represents a very difficult stylistic matchup (in that Heil doesn't get taken down, like at all), Gulibon's pedigree is still high, and his high crotch may be the best way to take down Heil since head inside is a relative death sentence.
A dark horse who's ranked ahead of his opponent? Yeah, that's right. Crutchmer may be among the most overlooked wrestlers in this dual due to his last outing against Mark Hall. What you must understand is that match to match, Crutchmer is rarely the same wrestler. I'm sure this is frustrating for the OSU coaching staff, but the guy who lost to Hall in a lopsided decision in the Scuffle finals is the same one who beat Alex Meyer (who beat Hall) soundly at home a few weeks later. You don't know what you'll get each week, but he's generally very tough at home. His throws and power double only need to connect one time to do real damage.
Where McCutcheon stacks up at 197 is still relatively unknown. He seems to be somewhere between the second and third tier. He's lost to only Brett Pfarr, Aaron Studebaker, and Kollin Moore this year. He and Weigel are just separated by one spot in the 197 FloRankings. McCutcheon is an adept scrambler and underrated rider. Weigel will have a decided size advantage against McCutcheon, but his bottom skills are where the rubber will meet the road. Weigel is one of the best turners at this weight. His ability to get and control wrists is freaky. If McCutcheon can get away, the upset could be there for the taking.
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Going into every dual, conventional wisdom dictates the predictions for the match's outcome. But without fail, these predictions are thrown out the door and we find ourselves stunned when upsets occur, only to make the same mistake over and over again. Just one week ago, Missouri was favored in six matches and won three against Northern Iowa. These types of upsets have been happening all season long, and they still catch us off guard.
Knowing this, let's take the time to identify the dark horses in the National Duals championship between No. 2 Penn State and No. 1 Oklahoma State at OSU's Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday. These are wrestlers who few will consider legitimate shots at a win, but are prime examples of the guys who are all too often counted out.
HELP OK STATE SELL OUT GALLAGHER IBA AND BREAK ATTENDANCE RECORD, BUY TICKETS HERE
125
Dark Horse: No. 11 Nick Piccininni, OK State; Opponent: No. 2 Nick Suriano, PSUA four-time New York State champion, Piccininni is in the midst of a strong freshman campaign. Incredible freshmen in the past such as Kyle Snyder and J'den Cox have maybe given us irrational expectations for other first-year NCAA wrestlers. The lightning-fast dynamo Piccininni is currently ranked 11th in the country. Oklahoma State freshmen tend to make real gains toward the end of the season, so improvement from Piccininni shouldn't surprise us. Standing opposite Pich is a fantastic true freshman in Nick Suriano. We haven't seen Suriano have that "freshman moment" all year. Even in defeat against Thomas Gilman, Suriano didn't let the moment overtake him. So is Suriano simply unflappable? Or is he due for a letdown and a freshman moment in front of a hostile Oklahoma State crowd? Suriano's head hands are elite, but Piccininni's speed in his leg attacks may be the secret to getting in deep against Suriano.
141
Dark Horse: No. 13 Jimmy Gulibon, PSU; Opponent: No. 1 Dean Heil, OK StateJimmy G is quietly turning in a strong second semester. Since the new year began, he's 7-2 with losses to Anthony Ashnault and Colton McCrystal. His schedule has been fairly competitive as well. He has knocked off Tommy Thorn, Luke Pletcher, Topher Carton, and Cole Martin already. While his opponent, Dean Heil, represents a very difficult stylistic matchup (in that Heil doesn't get taken down, like at all), Gulibon's pedigree is still high, and his high crotch may be the best way to take down Heil since head inside is a relative death sentence.
174
Dark Horse: No. 7 Kyle Crutchmer, Oklahoma State; Opponent: No. 9 Mark Hall, PSUA dark horse who's ranked ahead of his opponent? Yeah, that's right. Crutchmer may be among the most overlooked wrestlers in this dual due to his last outing against Mark Hall. What you must understand is that match to match, Crutchmer is rarely the same wrestler. I'm sure this is frustrating for the OSU coaching staff, but the guy who lost to Hall in a lopsided decision in the Scuffle finals is the same one who beat Alex Meyer (who beat Hall) soundly at home a few weeks later. You don't know what you'll get each week, but he's generally very tough at home. His throws and power double only need to connect one time to do real damage.
197
Dark Horse: No. 9 Matt McCutcheon (aka Mouse aka McCutchison), PSU; Opponent: No. 8 Preston Weigel, OSUWhere McCutcheon stacks up at 197 is still relatively unknown. He seems to be somewhere between the second and third tier. He's lost to only Brett Pfarr, Aaron Studebaker, and Kollin Moore this year. He and Weigel are just separated by one spot in the 197 FloRankings. McCutcheon is an adept scrambler and underrated rider. Weigel will have a decided size advantage against McCutcheon, but his bottom skills are where the rubber will meet the road. Weigel is one of the best turners at this weight. His ability to get and control wrists is freaky. If McCutcheon can get away, the upset could be there for the taking.
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