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New Rankings
Following last week’s heartbreaking loss to Virginia Tech, NC State (5-1, 3-1) dropped out of the top-5 to #7 in the NWCA Coaches Poll. And consequently, the Hokies jumped up to #4.
After an exciting weekend of duals, there has been a lot of movement in the latest @nwcawrestling Coaches Poll.
— NCAA Wrestling (@ncaawrestling) February 10, 2021
1⃣ @Hawks_Wrestling
2⃣ @umichwrestling
3⃣ @pennstateWREST
4⃣ @HokiesWrestling
5⃣ @MizzouWrestling
6⃣-2⃣5⃣ https://t.co/iVAZpRzV39#NCAAWrestling pic.twitter.com/zAmG2mAarX
Another action-packed week of wrestling resulted in some major shake-ups in individual rankings too. See where our guys fall in FloWrestling’s latest batch below:
- 125 - Camacho #3 (previous: 2)
- 133 - Trombley #12 (13)
- 141 - T. Wilson #9 (10)
- 157 - H. Hidlay #2 (2)
- 165 - T. Bullard #13 (13)
- 174 - D. Bullard #13 (13)
- 184 - T. Hidlay #3 (3)
- 197 - Trumble #4 (5)
- 285 - D. Wilson #19 (17)
Camacho drops to #3 and is leapfrogged by last week’s opponent, Sam Latona. Trombley doesn’t get punished for his beatdown at the hands of Korbin Myers. The #1 at 197 dropped a match over the weekend, so Trumble moves up. And Deonte Wilson continues to be disrespected despite further establishing himself as the best heavyweight in the ACC. Aside from that, everything stays pretty much the same.
Duke Dual
How to Watch: ACC Network Extra
The ACC has really stepped up in recent years to become the second-best wrestling conference in the country, pound-for-pound. Five teams in the top-25, two in the top-10 - but the one black sheep is Duke.
A little shuffle in the @nwcawrestling rankings, but still goin' strong with 5 in the Top 25 ‼️ pic.twitter.com/M65t3SPYBe
— ACC Wrestling (@ACCWrestling) February 9, 2021
The Blue Devils have been bringing up the rear the last several years, with their dual lineups leaving much to be desired. However, considering their academic standards and complete absence of scholarships, you have to be impressed with some of their individual success. They scored an All-American in every season from 2014 to 2019. But their best chance at one this season, 174-pounder Matt Finesilver, is out for the season. That leaves them with no ranked wrestlers, and little chance at winning a bout this Friday night when they come to Reynolds for the regular season finale.
See projected lineups and my predictions below:
- 125: #3 Jakob Camacho vs. Logan Agin (Camacho major; 4-0 NCSU)
- 133: #12 Jarrett Trombley or Ryan Jack vs. Drake Doolittle (Trombley tech fall; 9-0 NCSU)
- 141: #9 Tariq Wilson vs. Patrick Rowland (Wilson tech fall; 14-0 NCSU)
- 149: Ed Scott vs. Josh Finesilver (Scott decision; 17-0 NCSU)
- 157: #2 Hayden Hidlay vs. Brandon LaRue (Hidlay pin; 23-0 NCSU)
- 165: #13 Thomas Bullard vs. Eric Carter (Bullard pin; 29-0 NCSU)
- 174: #13 Daniel Bullard vs. Conor Becker (Bullard major; 33-0 NCSU)
- 184: #3 Trent Hidlay vs. Luke Chakonis (Hidlay tech fall; 38-0 NCSU)
- 197: #4 Isaac Trumble or Nick Reenan vs. Kaden Russell (Trumble decision; 41-0 NCSU)
- 285: #19 Deonte Wilson vs. Jonah Niesenbaum (Wilson major; 45-0 NCSU)
This dual will be a blowout - if Vegas took NCAA Wrestling wagers, this would be one you bet the farm on. The Blue Devils’ best chance at an individual victory comes in the form of Josh Finesilver at 149. He is the only Duke wrestler with a winning record on the season, and will take on arguably NC State’s weakest spot in the lineup in true freshman, Ed Scott. However, I really like Scott in this matchup. And it would be a nice win for his resume heading into the seeding of the ACC tournament, and hopefully NCAAs.
Tune in at 7PM on Friday night to see the final dual action of the year. This should be a nice way to cruise into the postseason, especially considering the grueling three-week stretch of ranked ACC foes we just faced. Go Pack!