NCAA Sleepers 165-285

Rimmelpics.com

Sleepers, bracket busters, upset specials......you get the idea. Here we go:

165: 13-Seed Branson Ashworth (Wyoming)

- It's well-documented that 165 is insane and probably the top seeds are capable of anything so it's tough to really pick a "sleeper" here. Ashworth in an interesting guy to watch though. He was upset at the Big 12 tournament by Fogarty (ND State) in one of those 3-1 sudden victory matches, but that was his first loss since December 2nd at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas. In that stretch he has some impressive wins including Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State). Such a run in a different weight class (or in a Iowa or Penn State singlet) would likely have you ranked in the top five. At 34-4, the junior doesn't have the best draw but is another tough competitor at the loaded weight. 

174: Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern)

- Owning maybe the best Twitter handle, I've always been a fan of the likable @johnnywrestling . He is coming off a 4th place finish at the Big Ten tournament and somehow didn't get a seed. Looking more closely at his results this season, it looks like an excessive punishment for three losses in November. He looks healthy and ready to challenge for a podium spot in his sophomore campaign. 

184: 13-Seed Steven Schneider (Binghamton) 

- To me, Schneider is that veteran EIWA upper weight guy  that seems to fit the mold. The Long Island native has placed all four years at the EIWA tournament and is looking for his first All-American finish in his last attempt. The top ranked guys at this weight are a tough tier to crack, but the veteran Schneider may make waves of his own. Queue Billy Baldwin on Saturday medal matches talking about his Wrestling days at Binghamton. 

197: Kyle Conel (Kent State)

- I fell in love with watching the exciting Conel at the 2016 NCAA Wrestling tournament when he tossed McIntosh (Penn State) a couple times in an awesome attempt at a shocking upset. Conel basically will wrestle with big moves anytime he toes the line, and upon further inspection his record is actually pretty good. Conel doesn't have the best draw, but he will be fun to watch regardless. 

285: 11-Seed Mike Hughes (Hofstra)

- If you have been paying attention to the "dominant" standings, Hughes is not a new name to you. He pins a lot of people and is one of the biggest heavyweights is size this season. A lot of big man matches at NCAA's are razor close, and don't be surprised to see Hughes going deep into the tournament.