Everything you need to know about the Big 12 Wrestling Championships & Iowa State’s chances for a title

Photo Courtesy of Big 12 Conference

Tulsa, Okla. –  The Big 12 Championships are here, and the Cyclones are a legitimate contender to notch their first team title since 2009.

Iowa State and Oklahoma State are the favorites on paper with Missouri not far behind.

“Winning the close matches and the bonus points are gonna be the difference,” said head coach Kevin Dresser. “The Big 12 has gotten so much tougher over the years, even since I got here in 2017. From Saturday morning on you’ve got to be ready to go. It used to be Saturday morning if you were a top-three-seeded guy you didn’t need to worry too much, but it’s not like that anymore. It’s got great depth and it’s a great preparer for the NCAA Tournament.”

Here is everything you need to know to support the Cyclones this weekend.

THE SCHEDULE, BRACKETS AND FIRST ROUND MATCHES

Big 12 Championship Schedule:

Saturday, March 9
Session 1: Preliminary & Quarterfinal Matches — 10 a.m. (ESPN+)
Session 2: Semifinal & Consolation Quarterfinal Matches — 5 p.m. (ESPN+)

Sunday, March 10
Session 3: Consolation Semifinals and Placing Matches — Noon (ESPN+)
Session 4: Finals — 7:30 p.m.  (ESPN2)

How to watch/listen:

Live Stats: TrackWrestling
Watch: ESPN+ (Sessions 1-3) & ESPN2 (Finals)
Listen: Varsity App & Cyclones.com
[Joe Sinclair, pxp; Ryan Rohlk, pxp; Nate Carr, analyst]

You can find full brackets here.

Iowa State’s First Round Matches

125: No. 6 Kysen Terukina vs. Conrad Hendriksen (OU, 12-10)
133: No. 2 Evan Frost vs. Jace Koelzer (OU, 13-10)
141: No. 1 Anthony Echemendia vs. Garrett Kuchan (AF, 7-11)
149: No. 1 Casey Swiderski: Bye
157: No. 4 Cody Chittum vs. Brooks Gable (AF, 1-17)
165: No. 2 David Carr vs. Mateo de la Pena (CBU, 7-6)
174: No. 2 MJ Gaitan: Bye
184: No. 5 Will Feldkamp: Bye
197: (Unseeded) Julien Broderson vs. No. 8 Austin Cooley (WVU, 13-9)
285: No. 2 Yonger Bastida vs. Xavier Doolin (UNCO, 9-7)

How does the Big 12 Conference determine who gets a first-round bye?

First-round byes are determined randomly to avoid favoritism towards any specific team, ensuring an equal opportunity to score team points. First-round matches offer the highest possibility of scoring bonus points, crucial in the team race.

Last season, Iowa State had six first-round byes, which posed challenges in earning team points and staying competitive against top teams. This season, Iowa State has only three first-round byes, putting them in a favorable position to accumulate team points, especially with potential bonus points in five out of seven first-round matchups.

Here are what first-round bye’s look like for Iowa State’s biggest competitors:

Oklahoma State: 3
125: No. 2 Troy Spratley (18-5)
149: No. 4 Jordan Williams (9-6)
174: No. 3 Brayden Thompson (9-8)

Missouri: 4
125: No. 1 Noah Surtin (14-2)
141: No. 6 Josh Edmond (11-7)
165: No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (16-0)
197: No. 3 Rocky Elam (9-2)

WHAT ARE IOWA STATE’S REALISTIC CHANCES OF WINNING A TEAM TITLE?

Iowa State could potentially have five wrestlers in the finals: Frost, Echemendia, Swiderski, Carr and Bastida. There is also a real argument to be made for Gaitan who has a very realistic pathway to the finals if he wrestles well.

Other wrestlers need to focus on earning as many team points as possible to support Iowa State’s title bid. Every point counts, and even unseeded wrestlers like Broderson could be decisive.

Statistician Chris Andringa’s analysis suggests that if Iowa State wrestles to their seeds, they can tie for first with Oklahoma State.

Potential Team Scoring (according to preseeds):

ISU: 126.5
OSU: 126.5
MIZZ: 115.5

“First off, we don’t want to tie. We don’t like ties, alright. We’ll clear that up.” Dresser said.

For instance, if Broderson earns one unexpected point, the Cyclones’ total would rise to 127. Now we’re looking at Iowa State winning the Big 12 instead of splitting the title.

This postseason lineup is one of Dresser’s strongest yet, giving the Cyclones control over their destiny.

“We’re going to need the guys that aren’t the highly seeded guys,” Dresser said. “This is a team effort. We need all 10 guys pulling along.”

Thankfully for Dresser, his team is more motivated than ever.

“I’m ready to kill,” Echemendia said. “That’s how I’m coming into the postseason. I’m ready. I’m just going to give it my all. The work is done and we’ve just got to throw it out there and show everybody what we can do.”

WHAT DID THE TEAM HAVE TO SAY THIS WEEK?

Catch up on everything Coach Dresser, Echemendia and Feldkamp had to say when previewing the Big 12 Championships:

WEIGHT-BY-WEIGHT PREVIEW ON REACTION TIME

You can also find it here if you prefer an alternative option over Youtube.