Big Ten Wrestling Tournament 2023 preview, predictions

The 2023 Big Ten Wrestling Tournament is upon us as all 14 teams vie for the conference title, individual champions and a lot of NCAA qualifiers in two weeks. With that, On3 provided previews and predictions of all 10 weight classes.

Located in Ann Arbor this year, the hometown Michigan Wolverines are the defending conference champions after winning it out in Nebraska last season. However, Penn State is the favorite to take the team crown and certainly the favorite to have the most individual champions in 2023.

Let’s dive into the preview and predictions for this year’s tournament, revealed below.

Big Ten Wrestling Tournament Preview, Predictions

125 lbs.

The pick: Spencer Lee, Iowa

Contenders: None

Simply put, this is Lee’s weight class to lose. Of course, he has his eyes on bigger goals, such as his fourth NCAA title in two weeks. But barring injuries or forfeits, Lee will roll to a Big Ten title in Ann Arbor. That’s no disrespect to guys like LIam Cronin (Nebraska) or Eric Barnett (Wisconsin), but Lee won’t be stopped.

133 lbs.

The pick: Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State

Contenders: Jesse Mendez, Ohio State; Lucas Byrd, Illinois

Like Lee, Bravo-Young likely won’t be stopped at all for the rest of the season. The Nittany Lion looks for his third national title and won’t be caught at Big Tens barring something unforeseen. Lee is in his own class, so we slotted contenders for this weight class. It’s been quite the debut season for Mendez and Byrd is always a reliable guy to go far in loaded brackets. But it’s Bravo-Young by a mile.

141 lbs.

The pick: Beau Bartlett, Penn State

Contenders: Real Woods, Iowa

The way this bracket ended up with the top two guys, Woods is the favorite since he was pre-seeded at No. 1 overall. Plus, the Hawkeyes star has a 4-1 win over Bartlett, the Nittany Lion’s sole defeat this year. But Penn State always wrestles its best this time of year, thanks in large part to head coach Cael Sanderson. It’s undeniable at this point. So for now, we’ll pick Bartlett to win the title and hopefully we see these two battle it out in Tulsa for the rubber match.

149 lbs.

The pick: Austin Gomez, Wisconsin

Contenders: Sammy Sasso, Ohio State; Max Murin, Iowa; Shayne Van Ness, Penn State

We don’t want to sleep on Northwestern’s Yahya Thomas, but since Gomez is the pick, we’ll knock the Northwestern wrestler down a small peg. Sasso is the No. 1 seed but Gomez lit up last year’s Big Ten Tournament and we want more of that. They’re both national title contenders. Murin and Van Ness could certainly change things though.

157 lbs.

The pick: Levi Haines, Penn State

Contenders: Peyton Robb, Nebraska; Will Lewan, Michigan

Haines is a true freshman and we shouldn’t be shocked that Penn State produced another stud so quickly. Robb is undefeated and the top seed but a potential final against Haines would be pressure packed. Haines is on a tear this year since burning the redshirt and looks like a national title contender already. Lewan could shake things up in front of the home crowd though, including a potential semifinal bout against Haines.

165 lbs.

The pick: Cameron Amine, Michigan

Contenders: Dean Hamiti, Wisconsin; Patrick Kennedy, Iowa; Alex Facundo; Carson Kharchla, Ohio State

Honestly, any of the top five guys in the pre-seeds could win the whole thing. But we’ll go with the Wolverine to win it in front of the Ann Arbor faithful. Hamiti was so impressive as a freshman last year and earned the No. 1 seed. Kennedy is a sleeper, Facundo is an impressive freshman and Kharchla might be overlooked right now despite his skill.

174 lbs.

The pick: Carter Starocci, Penn State

Contenders: Mikey Labriola, Nebraska; Ethan Smith, Ohio State

We like Starocci to win his third national title in three weeks, so naturally we’ll pick him to win the Big Ten. Labriola and Smith could give him a run for his money in the finals, but Starocci is so technically sound and freakishly athletic. Sure, Bravo-Young might be the flashiest, but this writer always thought Starroci might be the best of Penn State’s current crop of national champions. 

184 lbs.

The pick: Aaron Brooks, Penn State

Contenders: Kaleb Romero, Ohio State

Matt Finesilver (Michigan) would go on the contenders list, but Brooks and he would be bound for a semifinal match. Romero is the only serious challenger to Brooks for the title but even that isn’t enough. Brooks is in line for his third national title and winning another Big Ten title is basically barely breaking a sweat. All joking aside, Brooks is clearly the king of this weight class until proven otherwise.

197 lbs.

The pick: Max Dean, Penn State

Contenders: Silas Allred, Nebraska; Zac Brunagel, Illinois; Cameron Caffey, Michigan State; Jacob Warner, Iowa

Dean and Warner met in last year’s NCAA finals and based on the top five guys in the pre-seeds, any one of them winning would not be a surprise. But for now, we’ll play it safe and take the defending national champion to win a lot of close ones and win the Big Ten. Warner could very well take out Dean in a semifinal match and win it all as a No. 5 seed.

285 lbs.

The pick: Mason Parris, Michigan

Contenders: Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State; Tony Cassioppi, Iowa

Parris won the last time out over Kerkvliet but this matchup is very, very close. We’ll stick with the Wolverine for now but that could very well be a rematch in the NCAA finals in Tulsa. Cassioppi can shake things up, but it’s likely a two-man race between Parris and Kerkvliet for the conference crown.