XICHIGAN WEEK
Ohio State blows out Indiana, 38-15. Now, it's time to do the same to That Team Up North.
Ohio State matched Penn State pin for pin in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, and lead the Nittany Lions by 5.5 points through two rounds of competition.
Heading into postseason, Ohio State's advantage over Penn State is that it expects to advance more of its 10 wrestlers further into the tournament than Penn State will. Penn State, meanwhile, scores more bonus points than any team in the country.
Think of it as the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object, if you like a relevant cliché.
| Team | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OHIO STATE | 85.5 |
| 2 | PENN STATE | 81.5 |
| 3 | MICHIGAN | 64.5 |
| 4 | IOWA | 39.0 |
| 5 | ILLINOIS | 29.0 |
Three opening round pins from Ohio State wrestlers kept things even with their rivals to the East, as Joey McKenna, Bo Jordan and Myles Martin each scored victories by fall; Nathan Tomasello and Kyle Snyder each added tech falls.
Luke Pletcher won via a one-point decision (try to look surprised), and Te'Shan Campbell lost another match in which he failed to score an offensive point (try to look surprised). Micah Jordan and Kollin Moore each had opening-round byes.
Things were a little more measured in the second round, however, as the #PinChain stayed on the sidelines and only Martin managed a tech fall. Tomasello and Snyder each earned major decisions, while their teammates, save Campbell, each managed to win by decision.
That means nine of 10 Buckeyes advance to the Big Ten semifinals, versus eight for the Nittany Lions. Those additional advancement points matter, and Tom Ryan will count on Campbell to advance later in the day in the consolation bracket, though he has perhaps the toughest wrestleback match in the tournament, facing Iowa freshman (and St. Paris Graham alumnus) Alex "The Bull" Marinelli.
Through the quarterfinals and including placement points as they currently stand, Ohio State leads the team race 85.5 to 80.0. Even better, nine of 10 Buckeyes have earned their automatic bids to the NCAA tournament in Cleveland.
| Wt | Result | Team Points |
|---|---|---|
| 125 | No. 3 Nathan Tomasello, victory by tech fall over No. 14 Carson Kuhn (Penn State), 21-6 | 2.5 |
| 133 | No. 2 Luke Pletcher, decision over Garrett Pepple (Indiana), 5-4 | 1.0 |
| 141 | No. 1 Joey McKenna, victory by FALL over Javier Gasca III (Michigan State), 2:12 | 3.0 |
| 149 | No. 5 Ke-Shawn Hayes, major decision over No. 12 Eric Barone (Illinois), 12-1 | 2.0 |
| 157 | No. 4 Micah Jordan - BYE | 1.0 |
| 165 | No. 8 Isaiah White (Nebraska), decision over No. 9 Te'Shan Campbell, 6-1 | 0.0 |
| 174 | No. 2 Bo Jordan, victory by FALL over Josh Ugalde (Maryland), 1:37 | 3.0 |
| 184 | No. 2 Myles Martin, victory by FALL over Max Lyon (Purdue), 2:46 | 3.0 |
| 197 | No. 1 Kollin Moore - BYE | 1.0 |
| HWT | No. 2 Kyle Snyder, victory by tech fall over Fletcher Miller (Indiana), 24-9 | 2.5 |
| Wt | Result | Team Points |
|---|---|---|
| 125 | No. 3 Nathan Tomasello, major decision over No. 6 Luke Welch (Purdue), 14-3 | 2.0 |
| 133 | No. 2 Luke Pletcher, decision over No. 7 Dylan Duncan (Illinois), 4-3 | 1.0 |
| 141 | No. 1 Joey McKenna, decision over Vince Turk (Iowa), 4-0 | 1.0 |
| 149 | No. 5 Ke-Shawn Hayes, decision over No. 4 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska), 7-6 | 1.0 |
| 157 | No. 4 Micah Jordan, decision over No. 5 Tyler Berger (Nebraska), 4-3 | 1.0 |
| 174 | No. 2 Bo Jordan, decision over Joey Gunther (Iowa), 8-3 | 1.0 |
| 184 | No. 2 Myles Martin, victory by tech fall over No. 7 Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin), 23-8 | 2.5 |
| 197 | No. 1 Kollin Moore, decision over No. 8 Eric Schultz (Nebraska), 10-6 | 1.0 |
| HWT | No. 2 Kyle Snyder, major decision over No. 7 Shawn Streck (Purdue), 17-6 | 2.0 |
Semifinal action kicks off at 6 p.m. on BTN Plus.
Nine semifinalists means nine NCAA tickets punched for the Buckeyes thus far.
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) March 3, 2018
Tomasello
Pletcher
McKenna
Hayes
M. Jordan
B. Jordan
Moore
Martin
Snyder
#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/sOurUFbq8k
