2023 NCAA Wrestling Tournament Preview, Picks

The 2023 NCAA Wrestling Tournament is upon us and Tulsa (Okla.) will see three crazy days of college wrestling. The preview and picks are in, ahead of the three-day tournament.

After the conference tournaments, the automatic bids were handed out and at-larges were earned. 33 wrestlers in each weight class will fight for their chance to win a national title and get to the All-American podium (in the top eight).

Below are this year’s picks for the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Tournament.

NCAA Wrestling Tournament Picks

125 lbs.

The pick: Spencer Lee, Iowa

Contenders: Pat Glory, Princeton

Dark Horse: None

Lee is on another level, as we detailed ahead of the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeye goes for his fourth NCAA title and a spot in college wrestling history. He’s virtually unstoppable and it would be a monumental upset for anyone to beat him at this rate. Glory is a returning NCAA finalist, but lost to Michigan’s Nick Suriano, a two-time champion with the Wolverines and Rutgers. Glory is 0-2 all-time versus Lee, but those bouts took place in 2019, both bonus point wins for Lee. He might be the only guy to give him a fight this weekend. We’ll still roll with Lee.

133 lbs.

The pick: Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State

Contenders: Daton Fix, Oklahoma State; Vito Arujau, Cornell; Michael McGee, Arizona State

Dark Horse: Sam Latona, Virginia Tech

Like Lee, this weight class is owned by Bravo-Young. RBY won the last two titles at this weight over Fix and we’ll likely see the third finals bout. Arujau can’t be slept on though. He could very well get by Fix and get to the finals. McGee has an interesting draw but would get Bravo-Young in the semis. Watch out for Latona. He’s been dangerous throughout his career and might raise some eyebrows.

141 lbs.

The pick: Andrew Alirez, Northern Colorado

Contenders: Real Woods, Iowa; Cole Matthews, Pitt; Brock Hardy, Nebraska

Dark Horse: Beau Bartlett, Penn State

Alirez is the No. 2 seed and undefeated on the year. He might be popular in the wrestling community but we don’t think he gets talked about enough. We’ll go with him this weekend. But Woods is a real threat. He’s an undefeated No. 1 seed for a reason and stepped it up a level since transferring from Stanford. Matthews is sneaky good (yes, we know he’s No. 3). Hardy could make some noise and take out his fellow Big Ten wrestler and Bartlett at No. 6 is very interesting. He’s been amazing since dropping from 149 last year.

149 lbs.

The pick: Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell

Contenders: Sammy Sasso, Ohio State; Kyle Parco, Arizona State; Brock Mauller, Missouri

Dark Horse: Austin Gomez, Wisconsin

This weight is similar to 125 where it is top-heavy. Diakomihalis is in his own world and also goes for his fourth NCAA title. We fully expect him to do it barring some massive upset. 149 has more contenders for someone to see him in the finals. A 1-2 matchup is expected at 125, but the bottom half of this bracket could get nuts. Sasso was a finalist in 2021 while Parco and Mauller are on a collision course for the quarterfinals. Yes please. Heck, Gomez was a Big Ten champion last year but a disqualification two weeks ago ultimately gave him an at-large bid and the No. 15 seed. But he could definitely beat Sasso in the second round.

157 lbs.

The pick: Levi Haines, Penn State

Contenders: Austin O’Connor, North Carolina; Peyton Robb, Nebraska; Ed Scott, NC State

Dark Horse: Bryce Andonian, Virginia Tech

Just like Big Tens, Haines is the pick here. Cael Sanderson gets his guys up at the right time and the Penn State freshman looks like something absolutely special. He’s the No. 2 seed while the No. 1 O’Connor is undefeated. He was the champ at 149 back in 2021 and battled injuries to an All-American finish last year. He could easily win his second title. Robb was undefeated until he ran into Haines in the Big Ten finals and a semifinal rematch is enticing. Scott beat O’Connor before in his career and that potential quarterfinal is juicy. Andonian could blow this whole thing up with a fireworks display and potential quarterfinal against Haines.

165 lbs.

The pick: David Carr, Iowa State

Contenders: Keegan O’Toole, Missouri; Quincy Monday, Princeton; Shane Griffith, Stanford

Dark Horses: Julian Ramirez, Cornell; Dean Hamiti, Wisconsin

This weight class is stacked. A two-time finalist and 2021 champion (Griffith) is the No. 9 seed. How crazy is that? Carr is the pick though. He won it all at 157 two years ago and finished third last season. He knocked off O’Toole, the defending champion, twice this season and we’ll pick him to do it again, should O’Toole make the finals. Hamiti is very dangerous on his side but Carr’s side is where it gets interesting. Monday made the 157 final last year and could certainly get back to the big stage. A potential quarterfinal between Carr and Griffith is must-see TV. So is the entire weight. Look out for Ramirez to maybe make a run straight to the semifinals.

174 lbs.

The pick: Carter Starocci, Penn State

Contenders: Mikey Labriola, Nebraska; Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech; Ethan Smith, Ohio State

Dark Horse: Peyton Mocco, Missouri

Starocci is the pick for his third straight title in a Nittany Lion singlet. He can still become the first, and maybe only, five-time champion should he choose to use all of his eligibility. He beat Lewis in last year’s final, but the Virginia Tech star won it all at 165 in 2019. Smith is sneaky good and could make a run to the finals to face his Big Ten foe as well. But Labriola is the No. 2 seed for a reason and it could be an all Big Ten final in that scenario. Watch out for Mocco, he could turn the bottom half of the bracket upside down.

184 lbs.

The pick: Aaron Brooks, Penn State

Contenders: Treny Hidlay, NC State; Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa

Dark Horse: Trey Munoz, Oregon State

It’s pretty much chalk here with the top four seeds. But the two-time champ Brooks is the No. 3 seed but the pick again to win it all. He’ll likely get Keckeisen in the finals, but Munoz can change that as well. It’s tough to pick Hidlay over Brooks, but you have to give the NC State wrestler credit as the No. 2 seed. But this is pretty much Brooks’ weight class here.

197 lbs.

The pick: Rocky Elam, Missouri

Contenders: Nino Bonaccorsi, Pitt; Max Dean, Penn State; Bernie Truax, Cal Poly; Ethan Laird, Rider

Dark Horses: Michael Beard, Lehigh; Jacob Warner, Iowa

Pick a winner, any winner. Elam is the choice here but man this is the toughest weight class to call this year. Any one of the guys mentioned above could win it all. Dean won it last year and Warner was the runner-up. Beard used to wrestle at Penn State, transferred and has been on a tear. Heck, Beard could knock off Bonaccorsi, the No. 1 seed in the semifinals or see his former school in the form of Dean in that round as well. Have fun with this weight class.

285 lbs.

The pick: Mason Parris, Michigan

Contenders: Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State; Wyatt Hendrickson, Air Force; Cohlton Schultz, Arizona State

Dark Horse: Tony Cassioppi, Iowa

Parris is undefeated and the pick to win his first NCAA title. He beat Kerkvliet in the Big Ten finals and that could very well be the NCAA final as well. The two rivals are tied 3-3 in their all-time meetings. Hendrickson is the No. 2 seed but since he’s at Air Force, he might be slept on compared to the traditional wrestling powers. Schultz was last year’s runner-up before falling to Gable Steveson, considered the greatest heavyweight of all-time. Cassioppi is a dark horse since he could meet up with Parris in the semis, so maybe an upset? But we’re not banking on it.