It's the most wonderful time of the year, the week of the NCAA Championships! You can check out all 10 glorious brackets here on FloArena. When you're done perusing the 33-man fields, smash that scroll button and read on for our breakdown of all ten weight classes of the 2017 NCAA Championships. 

NCAA Draw Analysis: Penn State | Ohio State | Missouri | Michigan | NC State | Iowa

125 Pounds

Darian Cruz will be looking to silence his doubters and defend his title this week in Cleveland, but standing in his way are three contenders that he didn't have to wrestle last year. Nathan Tomasello is back down from 133 pounds and looking to collect his second 125-pound title as well. And Nick Suriano, who, like Cruz, sports an undefeated regular season record, and is looking for redemption after an injury kept him out of 2017's tournament. Finally, Spencer Lee, the #3 seed, was in high school last year, which obviously kept him from participating last year in St. Louis. 

Astonishingly, 11 of this year's 16 seeded 125-pounders did not compete in the 125-pound tournament in 2017. If Cruz can maneuver through this beefed up bracket, it will go down as one of the most challenging title defenses in recent memory.

Spey’s Spredictions

1st: Nick Suriano (Rutgers)

2nd: Spencer Lee (Iowa)

3rd: Darian Cruz (Lehigh)

4th: Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State)

5th: Sean Fausz (North Carolina State)

6th: Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern)

7th: Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State)

8th: Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State)

R12: Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley)

R12: Sean Russell (Edinboro)

R12: Zeke Moisey (West Virginia)

R12: Ethan Lizak (Minnesota)

Bracket Breakdown

There really is no way to fill out this bracket and not think something is wrong by the time you get to the placement rounds, but somebody has to finish fourth! It pained me not picking Cruz, Lee, or NaTo to win it all, and I would not be surprised in the slightest if one of them did. But I think Suriano was the best 125-pounder last year before his injury and I think he's the best 125-pounder this year. So I have him beating the defending champ in the semis and then taking out Lee, whom I think wins the rubber match against NaTo in the finals.

Elsewhere, I have Bresser pulling off a minor upset over the streaky Ethan Lizak on Thursday night. I also have Sebastian Rivera taking out Taylor LaMont in the same round. LaMont's missed some time this year and I like Rivera to win the battle of talented redshirt freshmen. 

Zeke Moisey was the toughest guy to pick to lose in the blood round. He's been improving steadily, avenging several losses he took earlier this season. But I'm sold on Rivera, whom I think defeats Moisey in the round of 12 and then pulls off another upset against Nick Piccininni in the consi quarters. 

This bracket really is wild though, and I found it impossible to avoid head-scratchers like All-American Ryan Millhof losing in the round of 16 when I put pen to paper. But with this much talent in one field, something has to give. 

Dark Horses

Conner Brown (South Dakota State)

Rayvon Foley (Michigan State)

Brown has spent most of the season on the top 20 bubble, but if he pulls off the upset over Luke Welch in round one, he'll have a believable path to the podium. True frosh RayVon Foley draws Darian Cruz in the first round and will in all likelihood then head to the consolation pigtail. His path to an All-American step will have to come the hard way, but I love his fearlessness and potential. Even if Foley falls short of a top eight finish, he's matches are a must-see. 

Watch Lee and Nato in an instant classic in the Big Ten semifinals:

133 Pounds

The highlight of the season at 133 pounds actually took place up at 141 pounds, when #1-ranked Seth Gross courageously bumped up a weight class to take on #1-ranked Bryce Meredith in a home dual in Brookings, South Dakota. Meredith prevailed, but that kind of challenge-seeking attitude is why I'm taking the Jackrabbit to win it all and feeling pretty solid about it.

Spey’s Spredictions

1st: Seth Gross (South Dakota State)

2nd: Stevan Micic (Michigan)

3rd: Luke Pletcher (Ohio State)

4th: Scott Parker (Lehigh)

5th: Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State)

6th: John Erneste (Missouri)

7th: Jack Mueller (Virginia)

8th: Dom Forys (Pittsburgh)

R12: Austin DeSanto (Drexel)

R12: Montorie Bridges (Wyoming)

R12: Josh Terao (American)

R12: Dennis Gustafson (Virginia Tech)

Bracket Breakdown

I see a lot of chalk in the championships rounds, except for when #7 seed Austin DeSanto faces off against his nemesis, #10 seed Jack Mueller, for the fourth time this year. Mueller blanked DeSanto twice at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, winning 4-0 and 7-0. DeSanto was actually beating Mueller a few weeks later at the Southern Scuffle before injury defaulting. I definitely think it's possible that DeSanto avenges those losses, but for now, I'm taking the guy that has the three wins against zero losses in head-to-head matches. 

That loss would set DeSanto up for a blood-round match with John Erneste, and I don't see Erneste dropping that one either, making DeSanto one of the more difficult picks I've made to finish in the round of 12.

Elsewhere, I think Scott Parker is wrestling the best he has all year. Parker recently won EIWAs over a very tough Chaz Tucker (who beat DeSanto in the semifinals of the same tournament), and I'm picking Parker to finish a couple slots above his seed. I also like senior Dom Forys to finally make it on to the podium after coming up short in three previous attempts. 

Dark Horses

Cam Kelly (Ohio)

Jason Renteria (Nebraska)

Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado) 

Although just barely outside the top 20, Cam Kelly is quietly having an excellent junior campaign. As the lone Bobcat in the tournament, he'll be responsible for all the team points Ohio earns in its home state. 

Jason Renteria is your definition of a bracket buster. The true freshman has just 12 varsity matches to his name, but don't be surprised if he makes a deep run at the tournament. And Rico Montoya has beaten both #8 seed Montorie Bridges and #6 seed Scott Parker, so we know he's capable of beating All-American caliber wrestlers. 

Watch Gross and Meredith in the historic clash of #1s:

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141 Pounds

While 125 pounds had four title contenders that I could see all winning a championship, 141 pounds goes six deep, with one of the most crowded top tiers of any weight class. The quarterfinals are going to be out of this world. Bryce Meredith, Jaydin Eierman, Yianni Diakomihalis, Joey McKenna, Dean Heil, and Kevin Jack have been trading blows all season, and how those six finish the season is one of the most intriguing storylines of the NCAAs. 

Spey’s Spredictions

1st: Bryce Meredith (Wyoming)

2nd: Jaydin Eierman (Missouri)

3rd: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell)

4th: Joey McKenna (Ohio State)

5th: Dean Heil (Oklahoma State)

6th: Kevin Jack (North Carolina State)

7th: Michael Carr (Illinois)

8th: Tyler Smith (Bucknell)

R12: Mason Smith (Central Michigan)

R12: Josh Alber (Northern Iowa)

R12: Brock Zacherl (Clarion)

R12: Nick Lee (Penn State)

Bracket Breakdown

I like Bryce Meredith's draw and think he beats Big Ten champ Joey McKenna to make the finals. I think McKenna stops Kevin Jack in the quarters as Jack is still shaking off a perplexing loss to Brent Moore in the ACC finals.

On the other side of the bracket, I think it's Yianni Diakomihalis and Jaydin Eierman in a rematch of their thrilling clash in South Florida. We're in for a treat no matter who wins, but I think Eierman once again pulls out a victory, although it's by no means a sure thing. Then in the finals, I think the senior Meredith goes out on top.

Dean Heil is gunning for his fourth All-American honor and third title but amazingly only has the #6 seed. I think he falls to the freshman phenom Diakomihalis in the quarters. Though the two have yet to wrestle each other, Yianni is too good of a scrambler and is just a bad matchup for Heil. I am picking Heil to win the fifth-place match and get redemption over Jack, who beat Heil in a dual meet in Italy. 

Picking Jack to finish sixth doesn't sit well with me, as he is also good enough to win a title, but there are just too many hammers in the 125-pound bracket and something has to give. 

Speaking of redemption, I'm picking Josh Alber to avenge a loss to Nick Lee in the round of 16. Lee was only winning by one point when he pinned Alber after a 50/50 upper-body lock position in the semifinals of the Southern Scuffle. I think Alber gets the win this time. 

However, Alber will be denied in the blood round by Michael Carr, who has come on strong with a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Tournament and a convincing 10-6 victory over Lee in the semis of that tournament. I also have Tyler Smith, who was on an 18-match winning streak until he was beaten by Diakomihalis in the EIWA finals, upsetting Brock Zacherl in the blood round and making the podium.

Dark Horses 

Ryan Diehl (Maryland)

Brent Moore (Virginia Tech)

Evan Cheek (Cleveland State)

Ryan Diehl has beat All-American Tommy Thorn twice this season and is going to be a tough out for anyone. It's also a testament to the weight class that Thorn isn't even seeded this year. Brent Moore showed he's a threat when he beat Jack in the ACC finals. 

Last but not least, Evan Cheek is Cleveland State's sole qualifier, so look for him to show out in front of his hometown crowd. He stunned previously undefeated Brock Zacherl in the EWL finals, so he's proven himself capable of accomplishing a shocker. 

149 Pounds

Last year's Hodge Trophy winner Zain Retherford returns as the prohibitive favorite. The Zain Train has been rolling along, undefeated since the 2014 NCAA tournament. Retherford's closest competition the last three years has been Brandon Sorensen. Unfortunately for the Hawkeye senior, Brandon is 0-6 lifetime against Zain.

But as Retherford has separated himself from Sorensen, Sorensen has separated himself from the rest of the 149 pound field, losing only three times in the last three years to opponents not named Zain Retherford. After those two, however, the weight class become more interesting. 

Spey’s Spredictions

1st: Zain Retherford (Penn State)

2nd: Brandon Sorensen (Iowa)

3rd: Grant Leeth (Missouri)

4th: Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)

5th: Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State)

6th: Troy Heilmann (North Carolina)

7th: Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa)

8th: Justin Oliver (Central Michigan)

R12: Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State)

R12: Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State)

R12: Ryan Blees (Virginia Tech)

R12: Matt Kolodzik (Princeton)

Bracket Breakdown

I've got Zain over Sorensen in the finals, as  both seniors finish their legendary careers in Cleveland. I see mostly chalk in the championship side of the bracket, except for a minor upset of All-American Matt Kolodzik, the #11 seed, over #6 seed Justin Oliver on Thursday night. Oliver's two uncharacteristic losses in the MAC Championships has me worried about his podium chances. 

However, I still have Oliver winning in the bloodround to snag an All-American honor, but I would not be surprised in the slightest if Boo Lewallen wins, should that be how the bracket pans out. In the other round of 12 matches, I like Max Thomsen to squeak by Matt Kolodzik, Ryan Deakin to cruise by Ryan Blees, and, in one of the most difficult picks to make, Ke-Shawn Hayes to stop 2014 NCAA champ Jason Tsirtsis. 

I'm betting also on banking on Grant Leeth to harness the power of his neck brace to beat junior world silver medalists Ryan Deakin in the third place match, but that's close to a toss up match in my opinion. 

Darkhorses

Jared Prince (Navy)

Dane Robbins (Air Force) 

Jarrett Degan (Iowa State)

Jared Prince was a round of 16 finisher last year as a freshman at 141 pounds. He's been in and out and then back in the Midshipmen lineup this year at 149 pounds. Prince showed he has the ability to make some noise in this bracket with his strong third place finish at the EIWAs. 

At a service academy a littler further west of Annapolis, Dane Robbins has proven to be a dangerous opponent with wins this season over the #15 seed Ronnie Perry and the #9 seed Archie Colgan. And finally, Jarrett Degan is the lone Cyclone at the 2018 tournament in a rebuilding year for first year head coach Kevin Dresser. If Iowa State is going to score any points at this year's NCAAs it's going to be Degan that earns them. 

157 Pounds

The biggest storyline of this weight class started on January 28, when Jason Nolf injury defaulted in his match against John Van Brill after hurting his knee in a wild scramble. Nolf wrestled two matches at Big Tens winning, via pinfall and by a 15-2 major decision before pulling out of the tournament to default to sixth. If Nolf's fully healed, or at least close to it, by this weekend, he will be the heavy favorite. If Nolf's knee keeps him from repeating as NCAA champ, the door is wide open for quite a few contenders. 

Spey’s Spredictions

1st: Jason Nolf (Penn State)

2nd: Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State)

3rd: Joey Lavallee (Missouri)

4th: Alec Pantaleo (Michigan)

5th: Micah Jordan (Ohio State)

6th: Josh Shields (Arizona State)

7th: Michael Kemerer (Iowa)

8th: Archie Colgan (Wyoming)

R12: Markus Scheidel (Columbia)

R12: Clay Ream (North Dakota State)

R12: Mitch Finesilver (Duke)

R12: Tyler Berger (Nebraska)

Bracket Breakdown

I'm operating under the assumption that Nolf will be ready to go and up to par, which for Jason Nolf means winning a national championship. For Nolf's finals opponent, I like super stud redshirt freshman Hayden Hidlay to stay undefeated up until that match from the #1 seed. 

In the round of 15, I think Archie Colgan continues the hot streak he's on after winning the Big 12s and notches a minor upset over the #8 seed Tyler Berger, who's been more inconsistent this year than he has in the past. 

In the quarters, the only upset I'm predicting is Big Ten champ Alec Pantaleo avenging a CKLV loss to Pac-12 champ Josh Sheilds in one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the bracket, at least in my eyes. 

Colgan is the only seed outside the top eight I have making the podium. Berger, meanwhile, is the only top eight seed not on the podium I think Michael Kemerer stops his AA quest in the bloodround. In the third place match I have last year's finalist Joey Lavallee taking out Alec Pantaleo, but there are any number of different placements from the top 9 seeds that I think our plausible. And all of these predictions hinge Nolf, and Kemerer for that matter, being healthy enough to compete at their usual levels. 

Darkhorses

Kennedy Monday (North Carolina)

Coleman Hammond (CSU-Bakersfield) 

Joe Velliquette (Penn) 

Kennedy Monday has wins over the #8 seed Tyler Berger and two-time All-American Solomon Chishko (who, it should be noted, wasn't in the Virginia Tech line up at ACCs this year), and could make some noise if he goes off on a hot streak in Cleveland. 

Coleman Hammond has a win over #11 seed Clay Ream, and though I don't see him getting passed Michael Kemerer in the first round, he could certainly cause problems in the consolations. Finally, obligatory to shouts to Flo summer intern Joe Velliquette, who looked as good as he has all season a couple weeks ago when he 'stole' an NCAA bid with a fifth place finish at EIWAs.

Watch Hayden Hidlay take out NCAA finalist Joey Lavallee at the 2017 Reno Tournament of Champions:

165 Pounds

Where to begin? This weight class has been, in my so-called professional opinion, the best in the NCAA all year long. The top two seeds enter the tournament undefeated, but the elite talent level goes at least 12 deep at 165. New faces to the bracket this year include #10 seed Evan Wick, #5 seed Alex Marinelli, and the #2 seed David McFadden, who were all on redshirts last season, and also Richie Lewis, the #6 seed, was down at 157 pounds last season. 

I can't remember I time I've been more pumped for Thursday night's round of 16 matches.

Spey’s Spredictions

1st: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois)

2nd: Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State)

3rd: David McFadden (Virginia Tech)

4th: Richie Lewis (Rutgers)

5th: Logan Massa (Michigan)

6th: Alex Marinelli (Iowa)

7th: Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State)

8th: Evan Wick (Wisconsin)

R12: Chad Walsh (Rider)

R12: Isaiah White (Nebraska)

R12: Nick Wanzek (Minnesota)

R12: Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven)

Bracket Breakdowns

I've got all the seeded wrestlers winning their first round matches. The only upset I'm calling for in the electric round of 16 matchups is Evan Wick taking out the #7 seed Logan Massa in a repeat of the Big Ten consolation semifinals.

In the quarterfinals, one of the most intriguing matchups is EWL champ #4 Chad Walsh and #5 Alex Marinelli. Walsh has just one loss on the year, to Chance Marsteller, which he avenged in the EWL finals. Marinelli, on the other hand, came in to the Big Ten tournament undefeated but took three losses in East Lansing. I think Marinelli gets back on track and makes the semis, but it's no sure thing. 

Then in the semis, which should be stupendous no matter who makes it to penultimate championship round, I have Isaiah Martinez and Vincenzo Joseph returning to the finals for the second straight year. I've got IMar over Cenzo, reversing last year's NCAA finals but replaying the Big Ten finals of a couple weeks ago. 

But even if I'm wrong about all that, we still all win, as there's almost no combination of matchup that won't be thoroughly entertaining for the fans. 

The consolations should be all sorts of craziness, and I can it playing out many different ways. I've got Wick making it passed Nick Wanzek in the bloodround to outplace his seed and two-time All-American Chad Walsh getting denied by Logan Massa in one of the toughest matches to predict. But stay woke on the consolation round of 16, as plenty of top caliber wrestlers will be fighting for survival. 

Darkhorses

Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley)

Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton)

Romero transfered from Boise State after then BSU president Bob Kusta shamefully and deceitfully shut down the program in order to make room for his pet project of a varsity baseball team. The sophomore has been ranked in the top 20 for most of the year and could make some noise for the Utah Valley Wolverines. 

Senior Jonathan Schleifer has also spent a good amount of time in the top 20 this season, and though I don't see him winning his first round match against Vincenzo Joseph, a deep run in the wrestlebacks is not out of the question.

174 Pounds

Although Bo Jordan started the season in a virtual dead heat with Mark Hall and Zahid Valencia as favorites to win in March, it's been Mark and Zahid who have pulled away as the season progressed. In fact, because the All-Star Classic does not count as an official match, both Hall and Valencia enter the tournament undefeated, whereas Jordan has suffered five official defeats this year and enters the tournament as the #6 seed. 

Valencia and Hall, on the other hand, earned the #1 and #2 seeds, respectively. They are joined by the #3 seed Daniel Lewis among the ranks of undefeated title contenders, making 174 pounds the only weight class to have more than two undefeated competitors this season.  

Spey’s Spredictions

1st: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State)

2nd: Mark Hall (Penn State)

3rd: Jordan Kutler (Lehigh)

4th: Daniel Lewis (Missouri)

5th: Myles Amine (Michigan)

6th: Bo Jordan (Ohio State)

7th: Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa)

8th: Jadaen Bernstein (Navy)

R12: Ethan Ramos (North Carolina)

R12: David Kocer (South Dakota State)

R12: Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State)

R12: Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern)

Bracket Breakdown

I have the finals playing out similarly to the All-Star Classic, with Valencia getting his hand raised. But keep in mind, Hall has a habit of proving people that pick against him wrong, so don't be surprised if this ends up being yet another one of those instances. 

I think Daniel Lewis takes his first two losses of the season, to Hall in the semifinals and to Jordan Kutler in the third-place match. Kutler's only losses of his season are to Hall twice and Valencia once. Lewis faced neither of the top two seeds, so's there's little go on in predicting the first meeting between these two studs, should we get to see that matchup.

I've got it mostly chalk the rest of the way. I think Lewis and Kutler beat Myles Amine and Bo Jordan, respectively, in the consolation semis, and then I think Amine takes out his conference rival Jordan for the third straight time to earn a fifth-place finish. Kutler and Lewis are new to 174 pounds this year, so their intrusion in the bracket is bound to disrupt somebody's tournament, even if these specific predictions do not pan out. 

The toughest blood-round match to call was Jacobe Smith falling to Taylor Lujan. Those two were involved in an epic Big 12 semifinal match, and I'm going with the Big 12 champ Lujan to make it two in a row, though I wouldn't count Smith out entirely. Conversely, I enjoyed penciling Jadaen Bernstein in as an All-American, because the Midshipmen senior has qualified for four NCAA tournaments but has yet to reach the podium, losing the last two consecutive seasons in the round of 12. That kind of redemption is easy to root for. 

Dark Horses

Seldon Wright (Old Dominion)

Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech)

Seldon Wright was a surprise qualifier last year but has been in and out of the top 20 bubble for most of this season. Wright has a tough rematch with Christian Brucki in the first round. Brucki beat Wright at the MAC Championships a couple weeks ago. But even if Wright loses Thursday morning, he'll likely see either Dylan Lydy or Johnny Sebastian if he can win his first consolation match. Wright owns a victory over both of them this year, setting him up for at least a round of 16 match if he again prevails in Cleveland. 

Hunter Bolen has stepped up admirably as a true freshman in Tony Robie's first year as head coach of the Hokies. Bolen split matches with #10 seed Ethan Ramos this year, and that's who he'll face in the first round of the NCAAs. It's certainly no sure thing but rarely do unseeded wrestlers draw opponents they hold wins over in the same season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

184 Pounds

Bo Nickal is the only undefeated wrestler in the weight class. He comes in as the #1 seed and favorite to repeat as 184-pound national champion. Myles Martin, the last guy to beat Nickal—and in fact, the guy responsible for Nickal's last two losses—is also in the bracket as the #2 seed. Nickal has beaten Martin twice so far this year, which are also Martin's only two losses on the season, in a dual meet and in the Big Ten finals. 

As with 149 pounds, the #1 seed has separated himself from the #2 seed, and the #2 seed has in turn as separated himself from the rest of the field. An upset of either Nickal or Martin before the finals is unlikely, but beyond that is very much up in the air. 

Spey’s Spredictions

1st: Bo Nickal (Penn State)

2nd: Myles Martin (Ohio State)

3rd: Ryan Preisch (Lehigh)

4th: Domenic Abounader (Michigan)

5th: Pete Renda (North Carolina State)

6th: Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech)

7th: Taylor Venz (Nebraska)

8th: Nick Gravina (Rutgers)

R12: Emery Parker (Illinois)

R12: Drew Foster (Northern Iowa)

R12: Bryce Carr (Chattanooga)

R12: Max Dean (Cornell)

Bracket Breakdown

Although Myles Martin has proven he can rise to the occasion and defeat the otherwise untouchable Bo Nickal, the lifetime series is still 6-2 in favor of Nickal and I can't ignore a record that lopsided.

ACC champ Pete Renda and Big Ten third-placer Dom Abounader are both wrestling extremely well, which makes their expected semifinal match an extremely difficult choice. The last time those two wrestled was way back in the 2016 NCAAs in which Renda prevailed in sudden victory. Interestingly, both wrestlers redshirted the next season as seniors. I'm picking Abounader here, but consider it a toss-up. 

I'm going chalk the rest of the way, except for in the consolation round, where #14 seed Nick Gravina has an expected round of 16 match with #11 seed Ricky Robertson. Gravina defeated Robertson in a dual meet earlier this year, and I'm picking Gravina to do it again in Cleveland. After that bout, Gravina would likely have a match with the #8 seed Drew Foster. These two haven't wrestled each other in college, but this should be a close one. Going off common opponents this year, Foster beat Chip Ness, who beat Gravina, whereas Gravina beat Robertson and Taylor Venz, who both have wins over Foster this season. In the end, I picked Gravina, if for no other reason than to spice up the podium with a nonstop eight seed, but your mileage may vary.

Dark Horses

Chip Ness (North Carolina) 

Michael Coleman (Navy) 

Speaking of Chip Ness, his win over Gravina earlier this year is evidence that he's capable of a deep run in the NCAAs. Another guy with a quality win under his belt this season is Michael Coleman, who defeated #13 seed Steve Schneider at the EIWAs a couple weeks ago. The bottom half of the top 20 of the 184-pound field saw a lot of turnover this year, so I wouldn't rule seeing some unexpected results in Cleveland. 

Watch the #3 seed Ryan Preisch pin the #9 seed Max Dean in the finals of the 2018 EIWAs to secure Lehigh's first conference championship in over a decade:

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197 Pounds

Folks, what are we going to do about 197 pounds? The weight class has been nothing short of a quagmire with new, inexplicable losses occurring every week all season long. The #5 seed, Shakur Rasheed, lost to the #1 seed, Kollin Moore, at the Big Tens a few weeks after Rasheed's technically official backup, Anthony Cassar, beat Moore in a dual meet. Second-seeded Ben Darmstadt and #7 Frank Mattiace have split their season series 1-1. Third-ranked Jared Haught lost to #6 Willie Miklus, who lost to unseeded Daniel Chaid, who lost to #4 Michael Macchiavello, who beat #1 Kollin Moore—but who also lost twice to #3 Jared Haught. 

And it only gets more confusing from there. Last year, Cash Wilcke earned an at-large bid as the 34th invite after Jake Smith had to pull of the tourney due to an injury after earning an automatic qualifying bid. Wilcke went on to wrestle in the blood round in St. Louis, losing to Kevin Beazley by one point and missing out on an All-American honor by the narrowest of margins. This year, Wilcke qualified as the #14 seed after a disappointing sixth-place finish at the Big Tens, whereas Beazley, a redshirt senior, finished fourth at the same tournament, qualifying for the NCAAs, but then had to regrettably end his collegiate career by bowing out of this year's NCAAs due to an injury.

What I'm saying is expect the unexpected when it comes to 197 pounds.

Spey’s Spredictions

1st: Ben Darmstadt (Cornell)

2nd: Michael Macchiavello (North Carolina State)

3rd: Kollin Moore (Ohio State)

4th: Jared Haught (Virginia Tech)

5th: Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State)

6th: Willie Miklus (Missouri)

7th: Shakur Rasheed (Penn State)

8th: Frank Mattiace (Penn)

R12: Scottie Boykin (Chattanooga)

R12: Cash Wilcke (Iowa)

R12: Stephen Loiseau (Drexel)

R12: Nate Rotert (South Dakota State)

Bracket Breakdown

There are close to a dozen 197-pounders who wouldn't shock me if they won the title this year. As mentioned, this is a very deep field in which just about anything can and has happened over the course of the season. Ultimately I picked Ben Darmstadt, the guy who avenged his only loss of the season, to stand atop the podium. However, of all the champs I picked, I have the least amount of confidence that this one will be correct. No offense to Darmstadt, that's just a testament to the depth of quality 197-pounders this year. 

I have it just about all chalk in the first two rounds, except I think #9 seed Preston Weigel beats #8 seed Nate Rotert in the round of 16. Rotert just won the Big 12 Tournament, but he didn't have to beat Weigel to do so, as Weigel was upset in the semifinals by Jake Smith. I think Weigel gets back on track in Cleveland and makes the quarters before falling to #1 seed Kollin Moore in the quarters. I then have Weigel battling through the consolations with wins over Cash Wilcke in the blood round and Shakur Rasheed in the consolation quarterfinals, before taking another loss to Jared Haught in the consolation semis and then finally capping off the season with a win over Willie Miklus for fifth. 

Miklus will have to beat Rotert in the blood round to see Weigel for a Saturday morning placement match. The only other upset I'm picking is Michael Macchiavello over Moore in the championship semifinals. Macchiavello beat Moore in a late-season dual meet, so despite Moore winning the Big Tens and Macch dropping his last match in the ACC finals two weeks ago, this would be only a mild upset if can be considered one at all. 

Like several of the other brackets, I did not like the look of things when I got finished filling out 197. A guy like Jared Haught in fourth place simply looks wrong. But also like some of the other weights, it's a crowded top tier and something has to give. Apologies for the caveat, but expect many of these predictions not to come to fruition. 

Dark Horses

Jacob Holschlag (Northern Iowa)

Chris Weiler (Lehigh)

Kyle Conel (Kent State)

Kyle Conel is a beast, and I wouldn't be surprised if he upset a few seeded wrestlers with some pinfalls of a couple gnarly throws.

Though it was not without controversy, Jacob Holschlag defeated Anthony Cassar in the Southern Scuffle semifinals. Cassar would later beat the #1 seed, Kollin Moore in a dual meet, before ceding the starting job in the Penn State lineup to teammate Shakur Rasheed. Holschalg will have a tough road to the podium but he's a single win away from a victory over the top-seeded wrestler via the transitive property, so he's at least got that going for him. 

Like Penn State, Lehigh also had some question marks about its starting 197-pounder for much of the season. As such, Chris Weiler did not get a ton of matches at the weight and did not earn a seed at this year's big dance. But he did give #2 seed Ben Darmstadt a tough match in the EIWAs and has the talent to go on a deep run in Cleveland. 

285 Pounds

This is a weight class that Kyle Snyder has owned all season long. Or at least Snyder did until Adam Coon forced his way into the conversation by upsetting Snyder in a February dual meet, handing the Olympic champ his first collegiate loss since his freshman year. 

Snyder would have revenge in the Big Ten finals, although he needed all seven minutes of regulation to get it done. There are plenty of talented heavies in this year's 285-pound weight class, but it would be one of the biggest shockers in recent memory of anyone other than Coon and Snyder made it to the finals. 

Spey’s Spredictions

1st: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State)

2nd: Adam Coon (Michigan)

3rd: Nick Nevills (Penn State)

4th: Jacob Kasper (Duke)

5th: Sam Stoll (Iowa)

6th: Amar Dhesi (Oregon State)

7th: Nate Butler (Stanford)

8th: Michael Boykin (North Carolina State)

R12: Jordan Wood (Lehigh)

R12: Tanner Hall (Arizona State)

R12: Youssif Hemida (Maryland)

R12: Derek White (Oklahoma State)

Bracket Breakdown

Heavyweight has been one of the more stable weight classes this season, so I'm going to be incredibly boring and pick nearly 100 percent favorites. That means for Kyle Snyder to duplicate his Big Ten finals win over Adam Coon to win his third NCAA title and for Nick Nevills to replicate the result from the December Keystone Classic finals match against Jacob Kasper and win third place. Neither outcome is an absolute lock, but I see no reason to pick any differently.

I think the fifth through seventh places follow their seeds as well, with the only exception being Michael Boykin providing some fireworks in the consolation rounds, beating #11 seed Michael Hughes and #8 seed Tanner Hall to earn a spot on the podium. Boykin got hot at the 2018 Southern Scuffle, beating Nevills and Nate Butler on his way to a runner-up finish in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Both Nevills and Butler are projected to be All-Americans at the 2018 NCAAs, so I think we could see a similar performance from Boykin in Cleveland. 

Dark Horses

Conan Jennings (Northwestern) 

Antonio Pelusi (Franklin & Marshall)

Cory Daniel (North Carolina)

Conan Jennings made it to the round of 12 last year in St. Louis. If he wants to get that far in Cleveland, he'll have to likely beat a combination of either #15 Thomas Haines and #10 Jordan Wood or #16 Matt Stencel and #9 Derek White (all numbers being tournament seeds). Jennings recently beat the #12 seed Youssif Hemida in the fifth-place match at Big Tens, so we know he's capable of such a feat. 

Antonio Pelusi has an even less likely route to the blood round and an All-American-making match, but I'll use any excuse to highlight a wrestler from tiny liberal arts college Franklin & Marshall, which is the only DIII school that has been grandfathered into DI wrestling competition. 

Finally, Cory Daniel has a win over #14 seed Michael Boykin in the semifinals of the ACCs a couple weeks ago. Daniel is in a similar situation as Jennings when it comes to advancement, but anything can happen when it's the last competition of the season and everyone is going for broke. 

That's our preview, hope you enjoyed it. Apologies to anyone who we picked against. The good news is, we're often wrong, so you probably don't actually want us picking your favorite wrestler to win! 

We'll also be live blogging -- I mean providing live updates of every round here in Cleveland. Hope to see you there!