Big 12 Wrestling Tournament: Schedule and Storylines to Follow for OSU

OSU heads to the Big 12 tournament at the BOK Center in Tulsa on Saturday. The Cowboys are heavily favored to walk away with their seventh straight title. Here are a few storylines to watch.

1. Who’s coming out at 165?

OSU has had a problem this season that most programs could only dream of. It is absolutely stacked up and down the lineup with All-Americans, and really can’t find a place to put them all.

The lower-weights sorted themselves out in a really unfortunate way. All-American Boo Lewallen suffered two brutal shoulder injuries which have ultimately held him out all season and brought Kaden Gfeller up to 149, where he’s filled in nicely. At the upper-weights there have been injuries and some juxtaposing of the lineup that has utilized a lot of wrestlers this year. With Preston Weigel returning to the lineup, John Smith has chosen to drop the lineup back down and return Jacobe Smith to 174 and Dakota Geer to 184. The only question that currently remains is who ends up at 165? Joe Smith and Chandler Rogers are said to be wrestling it out for the spot. We don’t know at the moment who will go on Saturday. Smith has indicated that he will let us know this week. Media availability is usually on Tuesday and we hope to learn more then.

2. Will Wyatt Sheets win it?

Allocations for the NCAA tournament were released and the Big 12 only received one at 157. Sheets will have to win the conference tournament to get an automatic bid for the NCAA tournament. He’s more than capable of doing it. He’s looked really good of late. It’s still a tall task to win your first conference tournament.

3. Kaid Brock’s chance to silence the doubters?

Brock has had a bit of a rocky go at 141 this season after coming up from 133 his first two years. He’s lost to a handful of guys that will be in this bracket in regular season matches and will probably find himself at around the 5-6 seed. Here he has an opportunity to avenge some of those losses and win his first Big 12 title.

I’ll have additional previews, bracket analysis and more leading up to the weekend.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

Saturday, March 9

Session I (Preliminary & Quarterfinal Matches) 11:00 a.m.-FloWrestling
Session II (Semifinal & Consolation Rounds) 5:00 p.m.-FloWrestling

Sunday, March 10

Session III (Consolation Semifinals, 3rd & 5th Place Matches) 12:00 p.m.-FloWrestling
Session IV (Championship Matches) 7:00 p.m.-Fox Sports