A Case For Seth Gross To Win Big Tens
A Case For Seth Gross To Win Big Tens
The 133-pound bracket at Big Tens will be loaded. Here's a case for why Seth Gross will come out on top.
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The depth of the 133-pound field at the Big Ten Championships might make that the most anticipated weight class of the entire conference weekend. The bracket will include the top four 133-pounders in the country: Seth Gross, Austin DeSanto, Roman Bravo-Young, and Sebastian Rivera.
Earlier this week, JD Rader made a case for Austin DeSanto to be the Big Ten champ at 133, but my money is on Seth Gross. Earlier this year, Gross, DeSanto, and Rivera were all in the same bracket at Midlands. Gross won that bracket and will be favorite to win this one.
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The #1 Seed Could be a Huge Advantage
One reason I'm picking Gross to come out on top of this bracket is that his #1 seed might allow him to avoid seeing DeSanto, RBY, and Rivera until the finals.
While Roman Bravo-Young is the #4-ranked wrestler in the country, he will probably earn the #2 seed according to Nomad's article projecting the seeds for 133. The three seed should go to DeSanto, but Sebastian Rivera's situation is a bit more complicated.
While he is clearly one of the best 133-pounders in the country, his inactivity due to injury may result in him being seeded on the same side as RBY and DeSanto. Nomad expected him to be the 11 seed in his article. The seeding committee could choose to put him on the same side as Gross, but if they don't, Gross will only have one opponent ranked in the top four instead of two. This improves his chances of winning.
Gross has Wins Over DeSanto, RBY, and Rivera
Another reason I'm going with Gross over this field is that he already has wins over the other three while DeSanto is the only one who has a win over Gross.
Gross and DeSanto met twice in December this season. DeSanto took their first meeting in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and Gross won the rematch in the Midlands finals.
In the semifinals of Midlands, Gross had a wild and controversial one-point win over Sebastian Rivera. Gross wasn't able to get his traditional offense to work in that bout, but he found a way to win with an improbable six-point throw from the bottom position.
Gross also beat Roman Bravo-Young in Wisconsin's dual with Penn State. Like Gross' wins against DeSanto and Rivera, this was a one-point affair. Gross scored most of his points early and held on for the 6-5 win.
Any one of these four is certainly capable of beating all the rest, but Gross is the only one who has done it. I'm going with Gross.
Gross has Won at the Highest Level
In addition to beating all three of the top competitors this year, Seth Gross has also won on a higher level than the rest of the field.
Gross has an NCAA title, two NCAA finals appearances, and has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials by winning the Bill Farrell. None of the rest of this group has done those things. Gross' résumé suggests that he knows how to get it done at a high level which is another reason I'm going with the Wisconsin Badger.
