2020 Big Ten Championships 174-Pound Preview
2020 Big Ten Championships 174-Pound Preview
Take an in-depth look at the 174-pound weight class at the 2020 Big Ten Championships complete with Bratke's top eight predictions.
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Championship season is upon us and before you know it, the nation's toughest conference will be doing battle inside the RAC with NCAA Championship berths and seeding on the line.
Watch the 2020 Big Ten Championships Live on Flo
March 7-8 | 10 AM & 11 AM Eastern
A couple of quick notes before we get into it: the first number you'll see is the projected Big Ten Championships seed. The number in parentheses is where the wrestler is ranked in our perfect individual rankings. You'll find at the bottom of the article, I've gone the extra mile and predicted every automatic qualifier.
Projected 174 Seeds
Automatic Qualifiers - 9
- (#1) Michael Kemerer, Iowa
- (#2) Mark Hall, Penn State
- (#4) Dylan Lydy, Purdue
- (#7) Mikey Labriola, Nebraska
- (#6) Devin Skatzka, Minnesota
- (#8) Kaleb Romero, Ohio State
- (#20) Joey Gunther, Illinois
- (#23) Layne Malczewski, Michigan State
- (#24) Tyler Morland, Northwestern
- Philip Spadafora, Maryland
- Jared Krattiger, Wisconsin
- Willie Scott, Rutgers
- Max Maylor, Michigan
- Diego Lemley, Indiana
What a fun weight! Mark Hall is, of course, an NCAA champion who has been to the finals three straight years, Michael Kemerer is a two-time All-American, and Mikey Labriola and Devin Skatzka were on the podium last year. That doesn't even include Dylan Lydy who lost to Labriola in the bloodround last year.
The last time we saw Michael Kemerer before this season was two years ago at the NCAA Championships in Cleveland when he was a 157-pounder. After missing all of last season due to injuries and bumping up two weight classes, the Hawkeye has looked better than ever. Kemerer is undefeated on the year and has just one match on the year (Mikey Labriola) that was decided by two points or less.
Despite his loss to Michael Kemerer inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Mark Hall has been incredible this season. This is the highest percentage (77%) of bonus-point victories he's ever racked up in a Penn State singlet and it's the most pins he's recorded (11) in the regular season since his true freshman campaign.
Dylan Lydy is the only wrestler seeded in the top five in this bracket that has not yet been on the podium at the NCAA Championships but this season has been nearly flawless going 28-1 with his only loss coming to Kemerer. Lydy started the year ranked #12 but has shot up the rankings after winning titles at CKLV and Midlands and beating #6 Devin Skatzka, #7 Mikey Labriola, #9 Anthony Valencia, and #11 Kimball Bastian.
Devin Skatzka caught fire at the end of last season but struggled early to keep the momentum going this season. However, in two of his last four matches, he kept Mark Hall to a 7-4 decision and ended the season with a big win over Mikey Labriola. Skatzka was the five seed last year at the Big Ten Championships and finished third. Can he do it again?
After a disappointing season last year where he didn't end up starting in the postseason, Kaleb Romero bumped up to 174 and has found his groove. The Buckeye started ranked #20 but has skyrocketed up into the top 10 and has some big wins over Anthony Valencia and Devin Skatzka. Will Romero show he can take another step up and break into tier two of this weight?
Bratke's Predictions
- Mark Hall, Penn State
- Michael Kemerer, Iowa
- Dylan Lydy, Purdue
- Devin Skatzka, Minnesota
- Mikey Labriola, Nebraska
- Kaleb Romero, Ohio State
- Tyler Morland, Northwestern
- Joey Gunther, Illinois
- Layne Malczewski, Michigan State
I don't think Michael Kemerer's win over Mark Hall was a fluke, but I'm not picking it to happen again. This matchup won't be going down inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena and I think now that Hall has felt Kemerer he will make the right adjustments and win his third Big Ten title.
Watch Kemerer beat then #1 Hall.
I'm really interested to see how this year's version of Dylan Lydy stacks up against Mark Hall. They haven't hit since last January when Hall won 6-2, but Lydy has clearly jumped levels, but does he have enough offense to upset Hall? I'll take Hall, but this will be one of the semifinals I'm looking forward to the most.
Watch Hall and Lydy's last matchup.
Skatzka is 1-1 against Labriola this season, but the Gopher won the last matchup and beat Labriola twice at last year's Big Ten Championships. Give me Skatzka to turn it on in the postseason once again. I can't pick him higher than third though as he is 0-5 all-time against Lydy.
Watch Skatzka take out Labriola at last year's Big Ten Championsips.
Romero has been outstanding this season but is 1-5 against the wrestlers seeded ahead of him with his lone win coming against Skatzka who he split with this year. I just can't see him breaking into the top five of this loaded weight.
Watch Romero's win over Skatzka.
This is a rare weight where matches will be wrestled past eighth place due to the number of automatic qualifiers this weight gets. While battling injuries Tyler Morland has been very solid this season and recently beat Joey Gunther. He may not be the most exciting wrestler in the country, but I believe Gunther will earn an automatic bid and qualify for the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in his college career. Layne Malczewski has had a very good freshman season and I believe he caps it off with a trip the NCAAs.
Watch Morland's win over Gunther.
There's a high likelihood that these predictions will go horribly wrong and make me look foolish, but no matter what happens it will be a blast to watch. Let me know how you see it all going down @Kbratke.