184 has everything you want in a weight at the NCAA Tournament - rivals at the top, worthy contenders, and numerous dark horses. Take a look below for a full preview and predictions for this incredible weight.

The Favorites

The top 2 at 184 have been clear all season long - Myles Amine and Aaron Brooks. Amine came out on top in the Big 10 finals in a thrilling, 6-4 overtime match. However, Aaron Brooks won a tight, 3-1 match at their dual in January. As the 1 and 2 seeds respectively, Amine and Brooks are the favorites to make the finals and settle the score with a national title on the line. 

The path to the semis for Amine will start with the pig-tail winner between Jack Jessen and Colin McCracken. From there, Amine will face the winner of Jeremiah Kent and Dakota Geer. Though Geer is a two-time All-American, he’s struggled lately and Amine should move on to the quarterfinals. In the quarters, Amine will most likely face the #8 seed - Iowa State’s Marcus Coleman. Though Coleman has put together a solid season at 17-4, his most recent losses to Jeremiah Kent prove he’s not on the same level as Amine. In the semi-finals, Amine will likely face off against Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen who has been outstanding this year. Keckeisen is currently 24-1 on the year with his only loss coming to Aaron Brooks back in December,  3-2. Keckeisen will be a worthy challenger to Amine and is capable of pulling the upset and making the finals. Amine will have to be at the top of his game to make the finals and have a chance to win his first national title.

Aaron Brooks doesn’t have a walk in the park to the finals either. In the second round, Brooks will face the winner of returning All-American Hunter Bolen and Iowa’s Abe Assad. Then, in the quarters, Brooks will likely have Ohio State’s Kaleb Romero who’s had 2 close losses to Myles Amine this year (1 in overtime). If Brooks wins those two matches, he should have a rematch with his NCAA finals opponent from last year - Trent Hidlay. Brooks controlled the majority of that match and earned a stall point in the 3rd period to go ahead 3-2. Hidlay responded with a single-leg and almost finished on the edge of the mat but Brooks was able to hold on for the win and national title. Their potential rematch in the semi-finals will be one of the most anticipated of the tournament. 

Brooks’ win over Trent Hidlay in the NCAA finals

Other Contenders

While all eyes have been focused on Myles Amine and Aaron Brooks, Parker Keckeisen and Trent Hidlay are both capable of wrecking that potential finals match. We’ve already mentioned how impressive these two have been this season but it’s worth diving a little deeper into their resumes. Keckeisen has built a 24-1 record this year and has 16 of his wins by bonus - 2 pins, 4 techs, and 11 major decisions. If anyone outside of Aaron Brooks can spoil Amine's final shot at an NCAA title, it's Parker Keckeisen.

Trent Hidlay is undefeated on the season at 17-0 and has 15 bonus point wins - 4 pins, 3 techs, and 8 major decisions. Though he did lose to Aaron Brooks last year, Hidlay surprised everyone when he defeated Myles Amine in a freestyle bout at the 2020 RTC Cup. Hidlay should meet Brooks in the semi-finals and if things go like their last match, he’ll be in the match until the end and have an opportunity to come out on top and make the finals in Detroit. 

Hidlay’s Win over Amine at the 2020 RTC Cup

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Sleepers And Landmines

There are two first-round matches at 184 that could result in the winner being a landmine. First, the 13-20 seed matchup between Kyle Cochran and John Poznanski. Cochran had a breakout performance at the Southern Scuffle with wins over All-American Hunter Bolen and #11 seed Jonathan Loew. Poznanski took 4th at last year’s NCAA tournament but has struggled this season with losses to Isaiah Salazar, Kyle Cochran, Rocky Jordan, and Layne Malczewski. The winner of this match will take on 4 seed Parker Keckeisen. While Keckeisen will be a major favorite, Cochran and Poznanski have shown they’re able to compete with any 184-pound wrestler in the country. If Keckeisen isn’t at his best - he could meet a landmine in Cochran or Poznanski.

The other first-round matchup that could result in a bracket buster is the 15-18 seed matchup between All-American Hunter Bolen and Iowa’s Abe Assad. The winner of this match will wrestle Aaron Brooks in the second round. Make no mistake, Brooks is the favorite in this match but Hunter Bolen and Abe Assad are both incredible wrestlers with high-level wins in their past. For instance, Bolen has 3 wins against Trent Hidlay and only lost to him 2-1 in their dual in February. Back in their true freshman year, Assad took out Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen in 2019 in a tight, 6-5 match. Bolen and Assad are dangerous wrestlers to meet in the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament and could present us with a shocking early-round upset.

Cochran’s win over Jonathan Loew in the finals of the Southern Scuffle:

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Champ Prediction

Though Trent Hidlay and Parker Keckeisen are worthy contenders, I’m predicting we see round 3 between Myles Amine and Aaron Brooks in the finals on Saturday night in Detroit. Amine was able to make adjustments in their second match at  Big 10s with his ankle pick for two takedowns. However, there’s one coaching staff that has shown they know how to make adjustments after a loss - Penn State. Sanderson and company did it last year with Nick Lee and Carter Starocci and I predict they get the job done this year with Aaron Brooks. Should Brooks and Amine meet in the NCAA finals, expect Brooks to wrestle a more reserved first and second period so he has “more in the tank” to close out the match and win his second straight NCAA title.

Jump ahead to 1:41:45 to watch the Big Ten Finals between Brooks and Amine:

Full Predictions

1st - Aaron Brooks (Penn State)

2nd - Myles Amine (Michigan)

3rd - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)

4th - Trent Hidlay (NC State)

5th - Kaleb Romero (Ohio State)

6th - Bernie Truax (Cal Poly)

7th - Kyle Cochran (Maryland)

8th - Trey Munoz (Oregon State)

R12 - Taylor Venz (Nebraska)

R12 - Marcus Coleman (Iowa State)

R12 - John Poznanski (Rutgers)

R12 - Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech)