The Big Ten champion Michigan Wolverines have an NCAA championship in their sights this week in Detroit, Michigan. After upsetting Penn State in the conference tournament, Michigan sends 9 wrestlers to the final tournament of the year, 8 of which are seeded 8th or better. If Michigan wants to secure a national championship, they will need to have another exceptional performance.

I breakdown each and every weight for the Wolverines heading into the tournament, with rankings of the likely match-ups and some notes on my thoughts on their chances in their respective brackets. Let's dive in

- R1 - (32) HM Patrick McCormick (UVA)

- R2 - (16) #10 Drew Hildebrandt (PSU)

- QF - (9) #6 Devin Schroder (PUR)

- SF - (4) #4 Brandon Courtney (ASU)

- F - (2) #2 Vito Arujau (COR)

Tough draw overall for Suriano, with a top 10 opponent in R2. Suriano did beat him earlier in the year, 2-1. Anthony Noto (17-seed) could very well upset Hildebrandt, too, as he’s the MAC champion and 30-1 on the season.

Suriano is and should be the favorite at this weight class.

- R1 - (27) #17 Malyke Hines (LEH)

- R2 - (11) #15 Devan Turner (ORST)

- QF - (3) #4 Michael McGee (ASU)

- SF - (2) #2 Daton Fix (OKST)

- F - (1) #1 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU)

Ragusin did lose 10-0 to McGee, so an upset there would be pretty shocking. If Ragusin loses in the QF, he’d need 1 win to lock up AA status.

- R1 - (9) #7 Allan Hart (MIZZ)

- R2 - (8) #9 Grant Willits (ORST)

- QF - (1) #1 Nick Lee (PSU)

- SF - (4) #5 Real Woods (STAN)

- F - (2) #2 Jaydin Eierman (IOWA)

Really tough draw for Micic, here, needing to beat a pair of top 10 wrestlers to get to the quarters against #1 Nick Lee. Doubtful he makes it there, but hey, if there’s a time to put it together this year, this is it.

- R1 - (25) #20 Jarret Jacques (MIZZ)

- R2 - (9) #11 Kaleb Young (IOWA)

- QF - (1) #1 David Carr (ISU)

- SF - (4) #4 Ed Scott (NCST)

- F - (2) #2 Ryan Deakin (NW)

Jarrett Jacques barely missed out on AA status last year, and is a 4x national qualifier. Kaleb Young would likely be waiting for Lewan in the 2nd round, who beat Lewan back in 2020 by a score of 7-3. #1 David Carr, the defending national champion, would then be waiting in the QF. Last year, Carr defeated Lewan 10-2 at the NCAA Tournament.

The likely bet is Lewan drops R2 or QF, then fights his way through a few consolation matches against similarly seeded guys.

- R1 - (27) #21 Bubba Wilson (NEB)

- R2 - (11) #11 Izzak Olejnik (NIU)

- QF - (3) #3 Alex Marinelli (IOWA)

- SF - (2) #2 Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ)

- F - (1) #1 Evan Wick (CP)

Pretty tough draw for Amine, here. First round match-up against #21 Wilson is unfortunate, especially given Amine fell 5-3 to him last month. If Amine avenges that loss, he has NIU’s

Izzak Olejnik in round 2. Amine defeated Olejnik in the 2019 MSU Open 2-1 in an overtime bout, but lots of time has passed since then.

For any advancement beyond that, Amine would have to beat the #3, #2, and #1 ranked wrestler in a row for a national championship. That’s pretty unlikely, so he’ll have to win a couple in wrestlebacks for AA status.

- R1 - (30) #33 Jacob Nolan (BING)

- R2 - (14) #16 Chris Foca (COR)

- QF - (6) #8 Dustin Plott (OKST)

- SF - (2) #3 Mekhi Lewis (VT)

- F - (1) #1 Carter Starocci (PSU)

Not a bad bracket for Massa at all. Should be able to get through the first two rounds without an issue. #8 Plott is a solid wrestler, but Massa should be the favorite to get to the semis relatively comfortably. Then, he’ll most likely have a national champion in #3 Lewis awaiting him. Massa & Lewis never met in college, but Massa defeated Lewis twice in freestyle, at the 2020 RTC Cup and 2019 Senior Nationals

Massa’s got a pretty favorable path compared to the other side, where you have Carter Starocci, Michael Kemerer, and Hayden Hidlay all as possible title contenders. The bet is Starocci wins out of that bunch.

- R1 - (32) NR Colin McCracken (KENT)

- R2 - (17) #15 Jeremiah Kent (MIZZ) or (16) #18 Dakota Greer (OKST)

- QF - (9) #8 Zach Braunagel (ILL)

- SF - (4) #4 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) or (5) #6 Bernie Truax (CP)

- F - (2) #2 Aaron Brooks (PSU)

I put a few “OR”s in this one because a few match-ups are pretty interesting. Would expect Amine to cruise in R1 and R2, then I’m expecting Braunagel of ILL to be waiting in the quarters. Amine should win this one, as well, but Braunagel is a solid wrestler. From there, you run into a really solid freshman in Parker Keckeisen. The Northern Iowa wrestler has a sole loss this season, to #2 Aaron Brooks, and is a legit title contender.

Get through that bout and it’s looking like an Amine vs. Brooks III, this time for a national title. If Michigan wants a chance for the team title, that’s a must-win.

- R1 - (29) #30 Benjamin Smith (CSU)

- R2 - (13) #17 Jake Woodley (OU)

- QF - (5) #5 Nino Bonaccorsi (PITT)

- SF - (1) #1 Max Dean (PSU)

- F - (2) #2 Stephen Buchanan (WYO) OR (3) #3 Eric Schultz (NEB)

Pretty tough bracket here for Brucki. He should cruise to the second round, but will have to avenge an earlier 4-2 OT loss against #17 Woodley if he wants to get the quarters. If he does, Bonaccorsi is the returning national finalist, and then the big ten champ Max Dean would be waiting in the semis.

Brucki has a way of keeping just about every single match close, so it’s not outside of the realm of possibility he gets to the semis, but it’s a tough path for him to place even at his seed with this bracket.

- R1 - (26) #26 Ben Goldin (PENN)

- R2 - (10) #11 Nathan Traxier (VT)

- QF - (2) #2 Cohlton Schultz (ASU)

- SF - (3) #3 Tony Cassioppi (IOWA)

- F - (1) #1 Gable Steveson (MINN)

Couldn’t ask for a better draw for Mason Parris. Parris majored Goldin 2 years ago, so he should be clear there. Though Traxier is solid, Parris would be the favorite to reach the QF. Parris & Schultz of ASU haven’t met before, but usually that means an advantage for Parris. This is the key match for Parris to get by. Though Cassioppi is the 3-seed, Parris would bring a 3-0 record into that match-up with 3 bonus wins.

Avoiding both Steveson and Kerkvliet is huge, given all 4 losses Parris has suffered this year was to those wrestlers. Though Schhultz and Cassioppi are tough wrestlers, you like Parris’ chances there compared to a couple guys he’s already lost to this year.