I'm fired up for Midlands and a rematch between Alex Marinelli and Evan Wick has me particularly intrigued. The two met up last year in the NCAA consolation semifinals where Wick came away with a 16-3 win. 

Although we like to think of Division I athletes as professionals, we have to remember that they are still young men that are growing in the sport and are susceptible to the influence of circumstances. One of those circumstances happens to be which side of the bracket they’re on. So, while I'm not ready to throw out the 16-3 result all together I think that it will probably look a little bit different this time around. 

Length + Technique = Real Problems

Getting turned twice on the backside of a bracket when you already know that you’re going to be an All-American isn’t the most reliable stat. However, I think that everyone can agree that Wick’s length is an issue. Wick becomes particularly dangerous again guys with stockier frames like Marinelli. His ability to get his hands locked on a cradle is pretty impressive, but it's not all about his length, there is a lot of technique involved too. I want you to pay close attention to Wick’s legs when he is locking up a cradle, more specifically his left toes. When he wants to set up a cradle he throws his right leg in on a cross-body ride and starts driving his left leg across the body until his hands are locked. 

NOW, this is where it gets interesting. 

Because Wick uses his left leg so well to get the weight over to the far side of his body, he then has the option of either finishing in a more conventional manner like in the first clip or rolling through on the cradle as you see in the second clip against Chance Marsteller. Usually rolling through a far side cradle without having a cross face secured is a BIG no-no, but in the case of Wick there is SO much weight anchoring down that far side that when he rolls it’s simply too difficult to defend in time. In fact, he even fooled the guy commentating the match. Watch the clip again and listen for yourself. 

Conversion Time.

A topic that Nomad and I kick around the office quite a bit is "conversion time." The amount of time that it takes from the start of a leg attack to the time that the official throws his hand in the air signifying the takedown. The best wrestlers in the world have the fastest conversion time; it’s one of the things that has made Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Snyder so effective at the world level. 

Alex Marinelli has a great conversion time on his straight single leg, and he's going to need it against someone as rangey as Wick. I want you to watch how Marinelli not only hustles to an angle on his single leg, but he improves his position by popping his head out after he's already lifted the leg in the air. All of which took about three seconds.