Due to the effects of COVID-19, IAwrestle has simulated the 2020 NCAA wrestling tournament using the prediction engine built by WrestleStat. The algorithm predicts match scores in addition to predicting the winner, which is how bonus calculations were made for each match. We will be publishing our updates around roughly the same schedule as the NCAA Sessions were previously set to run in Minneapolis.
Simulated NCAA Schedule
March 19th | Session II – 6PM
March 20th | Session III – 10AM
March 20th | Session IV – 7PM
March 21st | Session V – 10AM
March 21st | Session VI – 6PM
After Session I of the 2020 NCAA (Simulated) tournament the Iowa Hawkeyes are in the lead over Penn State and Oklahoma State. The Hawks lead the field with 16 and a half points, with the Nittany Lions the next closest team at 12 points. All ten Hawk wrestlers advanced on the championship side of the bracket and of their group moving forward only one is not favored in their next round matchup.
Lots of familiar faces
The next round poses many rematches from earlier in the season for the Hawkeye wrestlers. Top-seeded Spencer Lee is slated to face Rutgers’s Nic Aguilar at 125 pounds. Sophomore Max Murin will meet Minnesota’s Mitch McKee for their season rubber match, with McKee taking the most recent meeting at the Big Ten tournament. Freshman Abe Assad will square off with Michigan State’s Cameron Caffey, who won both the regular season and postseason meeting in New Jersey. At 197 Jacob Warner will face Penn State’s Shakur Rasheed for what will be the fourth time this season. Warner won the dual meeting, but Rasheed got revenge in the Big Ten semifinals. In their medal match at BIg Ten’s Rasheed had to default out of the match. Tony Cassioppi will take on Ohio State’s Gary Traub who he has won two straight against.
We will see if the Hawkeyes can continue their momentum in the next session.
Cyclones sit in top ten after opening session
The Cyclones pushed through six of their nine wrestlers on the championship side of the bracket as Alex Mackall, Ian Parker, Jarrett Degen, David Carr, Sammy Colbray, and Gannon Gremmel all advanced in the opening session.
Dropping to the backside were Todd Small, Chase Straw, and Marcus Coleman who will begin the next session in the opening consolation round.
The Cyclones opening round was good for eight points, and the team sits seventh in the team standings.
Panthers need to claw back
The Panthers sent qualified seven for the NCAA tournament, but it looks like they will have some work to do after losing three of their wrestlers to the backside after the first session. Picking up first round wins were Michael Blockhus, Max Thomsen, Bryce Steiert, and top-seeded Taylor Lujan. Taking losses were Jay Schwarm, Jack Skudlarczyk, and Carter Isley.
| Team Standings | ||
| 1 | Iowa | 16.5 |
| 2 | Penn State | 12 |
| 3 | Oklahoma State | 10 |
| 4 | Nebraska | 10 |
| 5 | Ohio State | 9 |
| 6 | Arizona State | 8 |
| 7 | Iowa State | 8 |
| 8 | North Carolina State | 7 |
| 9 | Minnesota | 6.5 |
| 10 | Lehigh | 6 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 6 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh | 6 |
| 13 | Campbell | 6 |
| 14 | Princeton | 5 |
| 15 | Northwestern | 5 |
| 16 | Northern Iowa | 5 |
Brackets: