Five Thoughts on Day 2 of the NCAA Wrestling Tournament

BRACKETS

RECAP

TULSA — On Friday we wrapped up Day 2 of the NCAA wrestling tournament, and the Pokes … wrestled. Here are my five thoughts on the tournament.

1. It’s not good

There’s really no way to sugarcoat it, but this was a historically bad NCAA tournament for OSU so far. 16th is the worst they’ve finished as a program at the NCAA tournament, and the Cowboys are flirting with worse where they currently stand in 19th at the end of Day 2.

2. Fix’s loss wasn’t as shocking as you might think

I wrote about this prior to the tournament, but Vito Arujau is no joke. He beat Daton Fix in a freestyle match a few years ago. He’s a very high-level wrestler. Tough to see Daton lose like that in Tulsa, but Vito is the truth.

3. Model Penn State

I have no idea how to change all of the things surrounding OSU wrestling to get them back on top, but take whatever Penn State is doing and do that. The Nittany Lions’ model is absolutely dominating college wrestling right now and has for years, so take that thing, and replicate it.

4. Spencer Lee lost

Alright, this is obviously an OSU blog, but the Cowboys’ biggest rival is Iowa. And Tulsa just witnessed what may go down as the most shocking upset in the history of wrestling! Nick Piccininni’s fall in Gallagher-Iba over Lee was mind-blowing, but it wasn’t the level of upset we just saw in Tulsa.

5. Plott scraps

I hear ALL of the criticisms of Oklahoma State wrestling right now, and some are certainly warranted. But one guy that has a style that most want to see is Dustin Plott. He goes after guys, regardless of the score or situation. It’s not the dominant, pinning style that many want, but he keeps trying to score, which is fun to watch and is why he won the last two matches and became an All-American.