Yianni's The Final Boss At 149 lbs
Yianni's The Final Boss At 149 lbs
The bracket at 149 lbs has a lot of possibilities, but Yianni presents a major challenge to the rest of the field.
The bracket at 149 lbs has a clear favorite in Yianni Diakomihalis, but it also has the kind of volatility fans love to see in March. Several wrestlers outside the top 8 seeds could finish, and in fact, have finished on the podium which makes for a chaotic forecast.
The Favorite
#1 Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell
Yianni is a two-time NCAA champ with one loss in his 90 match career, and he's the clear favorite. He's undefeated against everyone he's faced in this field had has a 6-2 victory over last year's NCAA champ Sammy Sasso as well as a 12-6 victory over #3 seed Austin Gomez.
He has yet to see #2 seed Tariq Wilson who's opposite him, so a Wilson vs Yianni final would present a bit of mystery.
Yianni's CKLV final against Sammy Sasso
Contenders
#2 Tariq Wilson, NC State
#3 Austin Gomez, Wisconsin
#4 Sammy Sasso, Ohio State
#5 Ridge Lovett, Nebraska
#6 Bryce Andonian, Virginia Tech
Tariq Wilson is seeded to come out of the bottom half of the bracket. This is his first year at 149 lbs, so he hasn't seen #3 seed Austin Gomez or #6 seed, Jonathan Millner, in his career. He has seen his first round opponent Michael Blockus at CKLV in 2019. Blockus knocked off the two-time NCAA All-American in their lone meeting, but Wilson will still be the favorite to come out of that quarter. He shouldn't overlook tenth seeded Ridge Lovett, however. Lovett is an incredible scrambler who has given Yianni his toughest test of the year when he took him to overtime in the CKLV semis. Lovett starts with All-American Jaden Abas in the first round then will expect to see #7 seed Josh Heil though, so there's no guarantee he makes it to Wilson.
On the top half of the bracket, Sammy Sasso is a big favorite to see Yianni in the semis. He beat the #5 seed Kyle Parco at last. year's NCAAs and will expect to repeat that performance should they meet in the quarterfinals.
The third quarterfinal has Big Ten champ Austin Gomez, All-Americans Yahya Thomas and Jonathan Millner, and Virginia Tech wild man Bryce Andonian. That quarter should be a whole lot of fun.
Ridge Lovett's close bout with Yianni Diakomihalis at Cliff Keen Las Vegas
Sleepers and Landmines
#14 Yahya Thomas, Northwestern
#16 Jaden Abas, Stanford
#17 Zach Sherman, North Carolina
#23 Jarrett Degen, Iowa State
Is it fair to call three All-Americans sleepers? Probably not, but since all are seeded to finish outside the round of 12, they must be included. Yahya Thomas was is the highest finisher of the group, having climbed to the third spot on the podium a year ago. He'll open with Josh Finesilver then, if he wins, he'll expect to see Austin Gomez who bested him 8-6 earlier this season. He has a tough road, but last year proved that he can have success at this tournament.
Jaden Abas starts with Ridge Lovett who beat him soundly at CKLV. Should he lose that, he can definitely go on a run on the back side.
Zach Sherman is the #32 seed, but he was on the podium last year at 141 lbs. He'll have a tough test in Yianni in the second round, but he can find his way back on the podium on the back side.
Jarrett Degen's tournament begins with Willie McDougald who owns two tight victories over him this year. Even if he wins that bout, he'll see Yianni. In either scenario, he'll likely need to storm back in consolations, but his lanky frame and unorthodox style make him a nightmare for anyone. Keep an eye on him to bust the bracket from the #17 seed.
Yahya Thomas' 3rd place bout at NCAAs in 2021
Predictions
1) Yianni Diakomhalis, Cornell
2) Tariq Wilson, NC State
3) Sammy Sasso, Ohio State
4) Austin Gomez, Wisconsin
5) Yahya Thomas, Northwestern
6) Bryce Andonian, Virginia Tech
7) Ridge Lovett, Nebraska
8) Max Murin, Iowa
R12) Josh Heil, Campbell
R12) Kyle Parko, Arizona State
R12) Josh Finesilver, Duke
R12) Jaden Abas, Stanford
It's Yianni until proven otherwise, so I picked him to win a third title. The Tariq Wilson challenge is interesting as the two haven't met, but Yianni has earned the top spot convincingly.
On the back side, I had Josh Finesilver taking out Beau Bartlett and Mike Van Brill to reach the round of 12 and fall to Ridge Lovett. My other round of 12 bouts were Murin over Heil, Thomas over Parco, and Andonian over Abas. As I mentioned earlier, this bracket (outside of Yianni) is quite combustible, so these predictions could fall all the way apart.