The 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships are nearly here! But you already knew that, didn't you? This is our eighth preview article, there's no way you're just now hearing about the NCAAs. 

Anyway, we're pumped, and we're pumped that you're pumped for it. And we know you're pumped because how could you not be pumped with these brackets? Now let's dig into 184. 

NCAA Brackets in FloArena

Previews: 125 | *133* | 141 | *149* | 157 | *165* | 174

Like the Joker to Batman, or Thanos to the Avengers, or Finn DeTrolio to Vito Spatafore, the 184-pound weight class has been the arch nemesis of rankers all season long. Myles Martin stabilized the top spot, starting the preseason as No. 1 and remaining there as he went undefeated in the regular season. After that, however, the rankings resembled a swirling miasma of numbers from week to week.

Weird things happened at this weight class. For instance, despite the propensity for the top half of the top 20 in a typical weight class to be relatively consistent, especially later in the season, there was a new No. 2 in five of the last six weeks of the regular season. 

The No. 2 seed, All-American Shakur Rasheed, wrestled just 18 Division I opponents this season. Shak beat everyone he faced, but only three of his opponents received seeds in the top 20. Rasheed also forfeited out of the Big Ten Championship final. We put student-athlete safety ahead of everything else, so we won't quibble with the decision not to wrestle, we're just mentioning it to point out how difficult that makes it to place Rasheed in the hierarchy of the division.

184 also stands out in being less reliant on the Big Ten conference for depth. Five of the top 15 seeds are from the ACC. Three of the top 11 are from the EIWA. That is rare, not just this year, but in any year in recent memory. 

The good news is that very shortly, out of the chaos will coalesce a new order. There will be questionable calls and arguments about upsets, but we will have by one way or another a champion and seven more All-Americans. And at least we can finally stop relying on the eminently fallible human rankers. 

The Favorite

#1 Myles Martin (Ohio State)

These Other Guys Are Really Good Too

#2 Shakur Rasheed (Penn State)

#3 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech)

#4 Emery Parker (Illinois)

#5 Max Dean (Cornell)

#6 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa)

#7 Nick Reenan (North Carolina State)

#8 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh)

#9 Taylor Venz (Nebraska)

#10 Sammy Colbray (Iowa State)

#11 Louie DePrez (Binghamton)

#12 Cash Wilcke (Iowa)

#13 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt)

#14 Dylan Wisman (Missouri)

#15 Chip Ness (North Carolina)

Myles Martin isn't invincible, but he's looked pretty untouchable this season. Martin was held to a regular decision on quite a few occasions, but he's won every takedown battle in every match he's wrestled, and has scarcely even been threatened from neutral. 

Shakur Rasheed is also undefeated, but he has wrestled a fraction of competition that most every other contender has this season. Which isn't a knock on his talent, just a fact that he's gotten less reps against the top contenders this season than anyone else, often by a large margin. For example, Rasheed has two matches against wrestlers in the top 15, while Taylor Venz has 12 matches against top 15 opponents with five wins. Chip Ness, who has a win over Venz, has had nine.

That will likely change soon enough, as after an opening-round match against No. 31 Kevin Parker of Princeton, Rasheed will probably have to go through four more top 15 competitors to reach the top of the podium. This is just one of innumerable reasons to get pumped up for the NCAAs.

Landmines

Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)

Jackson Hemauer (Fresno State)

Will Schany (Virginia)

Oklahoma State's lineup shufflings were great for the fans, as it helped the Cowboys put out a better lineup for dual meets despite suffering a rash of injuries to several of their starters. It did not do any favors for their seeds. Dakota Geer spent much of the season up at 197 filling in for an injured Preston Weigel, and was punished by the established seeding criteria for his lack of matches at 184. Two-time FloNats champion Dakota Geer is better than his No. 26 would suggest, and he represents a major challenge for anyone unlucky enough to draw him in the bracket.

Will Schany spent most of the year in the top 20 thanks to an excellent performance at the CKLV. Jackson Hemauer did a spell in the rankings thanks to a late-season charge for the Bulldogs of Fresno State. Neither wrestler should be slept on by any of their potential opponents.

Session I

Matches to Watch:

Nick Gravina vs. Cash Wilcke

Cam Caffey vs. Dylan Wisman

Nick Reenan vs. Dakota Geer

Chip Ness vs. Tate Samuelson

For as wild as 184 has been all season, we still don't expect there to be ton of upsets in the first round. There very well could be some unexpected results, we're just not going to predict they happen here. 

One wrestler who could defy his seed is Nick Gravina of Rutgers. The Gravy Train was derailed by a multitude of injuries, but there are few if any grittier and gutsier wrestlers in the NCAA. Gravina and Wilcke both made the bloodround last year (Wilcke up at 197, Gravina at 184) and this will be their first time facing each other in college (they were scheduled to wrestle for fifth at Big Tens but Gravina was a medical forfeit). 

Watch Gravina gut out a win over Mason Reinhardt of Wisconsin to ensure no worse than sixth place at Big Tens:

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Cam Caffey has an unorthodox style that is a joy to watch and often gives his opponents fits. Unfortunately, Caffey did not have his style working for him at Big Tens and he had to wrestle back for ninth and hope for a wild card, which he received. Wisman will be a very tough challenge in the first round, as he owns a win over All-American Max Dean this season. 

Reenan versus Geer may be one of the best first-round matches in the entire tournament. Reenan is a Final X competitor who started the season red hot before slowing down after missing some time due to injuries. Geer ping-ponged between 184 and 197 before settling back down at 184 for the postseason. This will be no picnic for Rick Neenan. 

Chip Ness is an All-American senior but has struggled with consistency during the regular season. He'll need his A game early, as he drew the talented (and large) true frosh from Wyoming, Tate Samuelson.

Session II

Matches to Watch:

Taylor Venz vs. Ryan Preisch

Nino Bonaccorsi vs. Emery Parker

Lou DePrez vs. Drew Foster

Chip Ness vs. Shakur Rasheed

Thursday evening is when the NCAAs really begins to pick up a full head of steam, and we think that will be very apparent once the 184-pounders take the mat. Our love of chalk is pretty well established by this point in the previews, but even we couldn't help ourselves and are picking Nino Bonaccorsi of Pitt to upset Emery Parker. Parker has missed time this season due to injury, and we think the young redshirt freshman Bonaccorsi will be hungry to establish Pittsburgh as his city. If he wins, we fully expect Kyle Bratke to tweet out, in all caps no less, a statement to that effect. 

If we're wrong, well, it wouldn't be the first time!

Watch Nino power through the very talented Jelani Embree of Michigan at the CKLV:

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If we were feeling particularly saucy, we'd also predict an upset by Lou DePrez over Drew Foster. But we're not, and so we didn't. But if you all wanted to take a risk in your NCAA pools, a No. 11 DePrez over No. 6 Foster is not a bad bet. 

Speaking of making bets, Willie has the scoop on the NCAA betting odds that were just released. He has good advice and you should listen to him.

Finally, keep an eye on Rasheed and Ness. Shak has had a few quality wins this year, including a victory over Sammy Colbray that has looked better as the season wore on and Colbray rose in the rankings, but if he is hampered by the injury that kept out of the Big Ten finals, it could be an opportunity for Ness to break into the quarterfinals. 

Session III

Matches to Watch:

Myles Martin vs. Ryan Preisch

Max Dean vs. Nino Bonaccorsi

Zack Zavatsky vs. Drew Foster

Nick Reenan vs. Shakur Rasheed

These quarterfinals are going to be bales of fun. We are going to be practically drowning in rad matches. We got so jacked up thinking about all the cool bouts this round is going to feature, we picked not one, but two upsets. What is the world coming to?

We did not pick an upset of Myles Martin, however, as we are not feeling that wacky. Martin's matchup with Preisch should be a good one though. Preisch is preternaturally strong, and Martin is otherworldly quick. In this instance, and in so many others, we think speed kills and MyMar makes the semis for the third time. 

But Dean versus Nino? Yeah, we are going to call it. Not that Max Dean isn't a beast. He is, as evidenced by his win over fellow beast Ryan Preisch in the EIWA finals. But we think it's Nino's time and Nino's city, and we want all of you to tweet something to that effect if Bonaccorsi does in fact make it to the semifinal round. 

Watch Dean beat Preisch, which is good evidence that we're making a huge mistake in picking against him in the NCAA quarters:

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We're going back-to-back upsets in the next quarterfinal bout. But at least this one is grounded in actual results. Foster has Zavatsky's number, beating him on the front side and back side of the 2018 CKLV tournament. A lot of season has transpired since then, and Zavatsky could very well have a game plan to solve Foster. Still, this is a nightmare draw for ZZ. 

Finally, once again, keep an eye on Shakur. If he makes it by Ness there's a good chance he's good to go against Reenan, where he will be the favorite, but by the skinniest of razor-thin margins. And the same can be said for Reenan getting by Colbray. If Reenan can get by that hoss, he is going to be primed and ready to go against Rasheed. This was probably the toughest match to pick in this whole tournament. We really wanted to put Mr. Final X in the semis, but ultimately had to go with chalk. We still love chalk, after all.

Session IV

Matches to Watch:

Myles Martin vs. Nino Bonaccorsi

Drew Foster vs. Shakur Rasheed

Sammy Colbray vs. Max Dean (consi)

Lou DePrez vs. Ryan Preisch (consi)

Cash Wilcke vs. Nick Reenan (consi)

Taylor Venz vs. Zack Zavatsky (consi)

It's the most wonderful session of the most wonderful tournament of the year. Semis in the center, bloodround on the ends, all manner of wrestling folks confusing their friends and acquaintances with discussions of dog bones.

Pittsburgh may end up being Nino's city, but this Cinderella run is going to pumpkinize in the semifinals against Myles Martin. At least we got to call a couple of upsets. What a thrill.

In the other possible semifinal bout, both Foster and Rasheed will be seniors fighting for their first trip to the finals. We're picking Rasheed to get it done here. His cross-face cradle is too deadly, as Foster's teammate Jacob Holschalg learned all too well last year. That will set up the MyMar versus Sugar Shak match that we were denied in Minneapolis. 

Watch Rasheed pin Jacob Holschlag in the finals of the 2018 Southern Scuffle:

We really struggled with the bloodround picks. As fans, we all win. But when you're penciling in a winner, you're also picking someone to come up short, and one can't help but fill the twinge of remorse as a decision is made. 

Sammy "Coldspray" Colbray certainly has the horsepower to hang with Max Dean, but we think the experience of Dean is the difference maker.

It's a similar call for DePrez versus Preisch. DePrez could easily prove us wrong, and we would bank on him making the podium next season, but for now we're going with the senior Preisch to finally make it over the hump on his third time wrestling in the round of 12.

For Wilcke, it's bloodround heartbreak for the third consecutive year. It would please us very much to be wrong, but Reenan has improved so dramatically since his 0-2 true freshman year and we don't see him being denied a place in the top eight.

For Venz and Zavatsky, we are retroactively hoping our upset pick of Foster over ZZ in the quarters does not come true, as that would prevent this matchup from potentially happening in the round of 12. But since we did actually make that upset pick, we're now taking Zavatsky to reverse the result from the last time these two met, which was in the 2018 consolation semifinals. This is another complete toss-up, so it is with little confidence that we make the aforementioned pick.  

Session V

Matches to Watch:

Zack Zavatsky vs. Max Dean (third)

Drew Foster vs. Nino Bonaccorsi (fifth)

Ryan Preisch vs. Nick Reenan (seventh)

At this point in the tournament, and especially at this weight class, we can all recognize how foolish it would be to honestly expect these exact results to take place. 

But brackets are the name of the game, and this is what we wrote down. These would be the first All-American honors for Bonoccorsi, Preisch and Reenan. For Zavatsy, Dean and Foster, it would be their second. 

Session VI

Myles Martin vs. Shakur Rasheed

Even Penn State fans will recognize that Martin has both a greater probability of making the finals than Rasheed, and a greater probability of winning the title. That doesn't mean Rasheed has no chance, it's just looking at things objectively.

Thought both wrestlers are undefeated on the season, Martin's resume is more impressive, and his list of credentials more expansive. 

For example, not to pick on Taylor Venz, but he is an All-American that Martin and Rasheed have both beaten recently. Rasheed won by scoring two takedowns to none. Martin won by scoring five takedowns to none. Also, go to the 3:50 mark of the match and tell me Myles is not an alien. It's absurd the things he can do. 

Rasheed does have the home-run ball in his back pocket in the form of this cross-face cradle, but we predicting Martin to go back to the front and win his second national title and fourth All-American honor, cementing his status as one of the greatest Buckeyes ever to don the Scarlet and Grey. 

Spey's Spredictions

1. Martin
2. Rasheed
3. Zavatsky
4. Dean
5. Bonaccorsi
6. Foster
7. Preisch
8. Reenan

For our entire bracket, please see below:

Here is my 184 pound bracket. It was very difficult. pic.twitter.com/uSSj98N5cw

— The King of Chalk (@SpeyWrestle) March 17, 2019

Nomad wraps up his five previews with 197 next, then we'll conclude our series with the heavies. Pittsburgh can't come soon enough!