James Hackney
#13 Mizzou (11-4)
Mizzou finished the regular season at #10 but is ranked slightly lower as a tournament team. They’ll come into the Big 12 tournament this weekend and should be back to 100% healthy with Allan Hart back in the lineup. They’ll have five guys seeded in the top four, and nine of ten seeded total. It appears that Connor Brown will get the start at 133lbs and will need to steal one of the qualifying spots to qualify. The Big 12 has the second most qualifying spots after the Big 10 and looks to be the second strongest conference. Mizzou has some tough matches but has a good chance to qualify 8-10 guys. I think Mizzou could end up being a better tournament team than dual team after their Scuffle performance, and this will be their chance to prove that.
125lbs: #17 Noah Surtin (17-5) – 5 Seed, 6 AQ
With six qualifying spots up for grab, Surtin doesn’t have too much wiggle room in a stacked 125lb bracket. As the five seed he is likely to see the four seed #12 Trevor Mastrogiovanni in the quarters. Surtin beat him 9-6 last year with a takedown, four point turn, and three escapes. Mastrogiovanni has struggled with injuries this season and struggles from bottom, so if Surtin stays aggressive and rides like he can, I think he can get the upset. If he wins there then he’d likely see one seed #8 Killian Cardinale in the semis. Last season Surtin was bounced from the tournament against Cardinale in a match that he was leading late in the third period. Cardinale has also struggled with injuries, but when he’s healthy, he is dangerous from every position. I think Surtin has the potential to win this, especially if he gets back to his leg attacks like he did against Terukina. I’ll take Surtin getting the upset over Mastrogiovanni but coming up just short against Cardinale and dropping one to LaMont or Teske in the wrestlebacks.
