My WAY TOO EARLY thoughts are as follows:
125 Suriano - will place 1-3. Obviously we all hope for our 1st NC, but that will come down to the tourney. Whoever wins it will have to be on fire and steal it from the others.
133 Scott D - possible R12 at this point. Heading in to the year, I would have said definite R12, probable AA, but he is just not looking great right now. He needs to ramp it up in a big way.
141 MVB - possible NCAA qualifier - he is coming on a bit, but needs to keep the momentum moving forward. Let's not forget #20 Headlee was what, first match back off injury? Needs to keep getting better, and needs a good BT tournament to get to NCAA on an auto bid. 1-2 at NCAA.
149 DeLuca - Definite NCAA Qualifier. Definite sleeper candidate for the tournament. He could go pretty far if he has a good tournament. Kid has the chops, but like others, needs to get better between now and then to make any noise.
157 JVB - Definite NCAA qualifier. I don't think he makes it to R12, but should have a good showing in March. He is ultimately a beneficiary of Lewis's questionable decision to move up.
165 Lewis - R12. I just don't think he can AA at this weight. He would have been a sure fire AA at 157, and possibly a high AA. Its a shame. We will see though...he does seem to be filling out and getting stronger. This Sunday will be a big test and show us where he stands. His advantage is that he is a total nut job, lol, so anything is possible in March... a lot like Perrotti. Brackets will be extraordinarily important with respect to how he places at NCAAs, as he is technically very very good.
174 Grello - NCAA Qualifier. It seems to me Grello is coming on in a big way. Just my opinion, but I don't think there is any chance we go back to Pagano. That is moving backwards. March will be a great experience builder for a young guy who is just starting to scratch his potential. But I have always been a big Grello believer, even when a lot of people were down on him.
184 Gravina - R12, possible AA. Gravina has R12 written all over him. If he gets a big upset, he will AA. I just don't know if he can do it at this point. Will depend on how well he stays out of trouble with his shoulder early on in the tournament. A couple easy wins out of the gate could make a huge difference. Beyond that, his offense is always going to hold him back.
197 Mulligan - who knows. Correnti came on out of nowhere last year, and made us all believers, after we were thinking bust. Maybe Mulligan can do the same. 197 is a hard weight to win at when you are young. That said, the effort looks pretty damn bad on the mat, and you can see the coaches are not pleased with him (although they were positive after the Nebraska match). They are pushing him hard right now it seems. Things will have to change significantly for him to be a factor for us.
HVY Gross - Sad to say no NCAA. I was very hopeful for him with the way last year ended, but it doesn't seem to be coming together for him this year.
