With under two months remaining until the NCAA tournament, the Buckeyes are right back where they have been for the past four years–a strong contender for No. 2, but they’ll need some help to take No. 1. The Buckeyes have improved their lineup all season, and are a very clear No. 3 right behind Iowa and Penn State right now. Ohio State will travel to face Penn State to close the regular season two weeks from Saturday, while Iowa and Penn State will have a blockbuster dual meet this Friday night.
(Yes, Ohio State did lose a dual to undefeated Virginia Tech early in the season. But the Ohio State lineup is much better now than it was then those two schools met.)
The Buckeyes have serious National Championship contenders at three weight classes right now. Kollin Moore is a strong favorite at 197 pounds, while Luke Pletcher is the favorite at 141 pounds, though close trailed by Penn State’s Nick Lee. Sammy Sasso, after his two Top 5 wins this weekend, should move up to No. 1 or No. 2 at 149 pounds and will be a serious contender in March.
After that, Ohio State has potential contenders to go deep in five more weight classes. Kaleb Romero can beat almost anyone at 174 pounds, and should be favored to earn a Top 8 finish and All-American status. Ethan Smith has lost a lot of tight battles to top wrestlers at 165 pounds, but with the right draw at the NCAAs, he could put up some serious team points. The same is true for Jordan Decatur at 133 pounds. Decatur just burned his redshirt and clearly needs a bit of work–as almost all freshmen do–but he can hang with the best already, and he has two months to improve. Similarly, Rocky Jordan and Gary Traub can both compete well, and they should be able to earn the Buckeyes some team points at the NCAAs.
That just leaves 125 and 157 pounds as the potential problems for Ohio State. Malik Heinselman qualified for the NCAAs last year, and he’s clearly talented. He has had a lot of trouble winning matches this year, as he just does not seem to have the strength to finish his shots and earn points. Elijah Cleary is in a little bit of a better stead at 157 pounds, but he’s not a top-level wrestler like the eight Buckeye starters above. Quinn Kinner is moving up to that weight class, though, and Cleary is a talented competitor. Ke-Shawn Hayes will also likely return from injury at some point. The Buckeyes have options at 157 and definite possibility for improvement, but for now it’s one of the weaker two weight classes.