2018 NCAA Championships

Projecting The 285lb Seeds For The 2018 NCAA Tournament

Projecting The 285lb Seeds For The 2018 NCAA Tournament

Projecting the top eight seeds at 285 pound for the 2018 NCAA Tournament in Cleveland.

Feb 22, 2018 by Wrestling Nomad
Projecting The 285lb Seeds For The 2018 NCAA Tournament

The regular season is over, and we've arrived at the final weight class in our seeding projections for the 2018 NCAA tournament. Today we're predicting how the 285-pound seeds will shake out in Cleveland.

The biggest shakeups at heavyweight this year came when Nathan Butler and Michael Boykin beat Nick Nevills at the Southern Scuffle in early January and of course when Adam Coon beat Kyle Snyder in the Ohio State vs. Michigan dual on Feb. 11.

This weekend kicks off the conference championships portion of the season, beginning with Pac-12s at Oregon State. Below are our projections for the "All-American" seeds and who will be the top eight seeds at heavyweight.

Projected Seeds: 125133 | 141149157165174184197

1) Kyle Snyder, Ohio State

The Big Ten winner is going to get the one seed. I predict Snyder repeats his 2016 Big Ten finals performance and beats Coon, but it's certainly possible the Olympic champion falls once again to the Michigan senior.

2) Adam Coon, Michigan

This season, Coon took out Snyder, Nick Nevills, Sam Stoll, and Tanner Hall. Barring a collapse at the conference championship, he'll be seeded no worse than two. His win over Snyder raised two questions: Is he a legitimate Hodge contender, and why hasn't any heavyweight won three titles since 1989?

3) Nick Nevills, Penn State

A lot of "ifs" and "thens" for this seed to hold. Nevills has to get third at Big Tens, which would likely mean he beat Sam Stoll again. Malik McDonald probably won't be seeded ahead even if he wins ACCs, but it could get dicier. Finally, Nathan Butler not winning Pac 12s would keep Nevills in the three or four range.

Nick Nevills, PSU vs. Jacob Kasper, Duke:

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4) Jacob Kasper, Duke

If Kasper holds form and wins ACCs, he should be either the four or five. His only losses this year are to Nevills and Tanner Hall, who could finish anywhere from first to third at Pac-12s. Hall's finish should not hurt or help Kasper much.

5) Sam Stoll, Iowa

Stoll's only losses are to Nevills and Coon, along with a win over Tanner Hall and placement/common opponents above Amar Dhesi at Midlands. The wild card there is if Youssif Hemida beats him at Big Tens, as they did not wrestle in the dual. However, Stoll majored Hemida last season.

Sam Stoll, Iowa vs. Tanner Hall, ASU:

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6) Youssif Hemida, Maryland

Like with a lot of these seeds, the Pac-12 results this weekend will provide a ton of clarity for the second weekend of conference championships. Hemida beat Nathan Butler and Amar Dhesi but lost to Tanner Hall this year.

7) Amar Dhesi, Oregon State

Who truly knows how the Pac-12 will play out, but Dhesi had the best regular season out of conference and beat Hall and Butler head-to-head in dual meets.

8) Mike Hughes, Hofstra

Hughes leads Division I in pins entering the postseason and has wins over the likes of Derek White and Thomas Haines. His only losses are to Kasper and Nevills, so if he takes care of business and wins EIWAs, a top eight seed is well within reach.