Sean Mael
133
#14 Matt Schmitt (3-1) vs. #12 Jack Skudlarczyk (1-0)
Thoughts:
I am really excited for this match. Schmitt has made one real positional mistake this season and it cost him dearly in his first bout of the season, but apart from that he has been excellent.
Schmitt gets to legs early in bouts and scores quickly and then rides hard on top and typically will get a turn. He is a hammer and is very hard to beat if you let him dictate the pace. Schmitt is one of the more technical and strong 133lb guys in the country.
Skudlarczyk is really funky, is tough on top and is an excellent scrambler. This match is an almost alarming contrast of styles and it will be interesting to see who manages to come out on top here.
These two met at the 2019 Big 12 Tournament a couple seasons ago and Matt Schmitt walked away with a 15-0 technical fall win. Skudlarczyk made great strides last season and was an NCAA qualifier for the Panthers, but I do not think he has entirely closed the gap on Schmitt.
I look for Schmitt to come out hard and dominate the first 3 minutes of this match and then coast to a major decision here. Schmitt has very quietly been wrestling lights out since his unfortunate season-opening gaffe.
Prediction
