NCAA Championship Tournament seeds don't always align with expectations. Outside of the coaches' poll, however, there is essentially no human element is involved. A seed is determined by a national qualifier's body of work over the course of the season, as well as that of his competitors, and then a formula which is applied to everyone.

Two of the nation's top trophy contending teams are set to square off live on FloWrestling on January 3rd in Austin, Texas. Nearly every starter on these teams is ranked which creates a must-watch matchup with serious post-season implications.

Bader and Bray catch up with Anthony Valencia as he and Arizona State prepare for next weekend's NCAA Championships.

Heading into the tournament, Arizona State was projected to dominate the Pac-12 tournament with 91.5 points (25 points more than Stanford). However, the Devils did not claim the title until Kordell Norfleet captured his gold medal. Although it was a highly contested runoff, the Devils finished the tournament with five gold medals, one silver, and three bronzes. 

Wyoming missed their opportunity to see most of Arizona State's starters earlier this season, but now the Sun Devils are joining the Cowboys on the same day they dual West Virginia. With 16 ranked wrestlers in action and six ranked duals, this could have a big impact on the rankings. Here are six reasons to watch.

Some of the best wrestlers in the west will be meeting up in Utah for a strong round-robin event this Saturday, January 23. Arizona State and Wyoming travel to Utah Valley where they'll forgo the typical dual meet structure for individual round-robins that should set up some fantastic individual matchups. As always, COVID-19 could change the starting lineups, but if all teams are full strength, here are the biggest stories we expect to see.

The first major senior-level wrestling tournament since the pandemic has almost concluded and it was wonderful. Senior Nationals from Coralville, Iowa was tremendous. Now for the finals, which I will live blog for you. 

Deakin is a beast. He’s one of those guys who looks huge for every single weight that he competes in. The fact that he has a junior world silver medal at 66kg is beyond comprehension, and it is needless to say that he was enormous for that weight class. When he made the jump to 157lbs in college I thought that he might be giving up some size, and that was definitely not the case. Making 74kg probably won’t be a problem, but I'm curious to see if he continues the trend of always being the biggest guy at the weight. 

Now less than a week away from the first whistle, Senior Nationals registration is starting to heat up. With 49 wrestlers currently signed up at the end of early registration, 74 kg is going to be one of the largest weight classes in Coralville.

The last time Arizona State stepped on a mat together was December 6, 2019. Although head coach Zeke Jones placed a month break on the schedule until the Sun Devils face off against Ohio State on January 6, the time off allowed the squad to compete for spots in the 2020 Olympics.

The Arizona State Sun Devils are the focus of our third edition of "trophy hunters." Their upset dual meet win over perennial power Penn State snapped a 60 dual meet win streak and has ASU squarely in the center of the national conversation.

The Journeymen Collegiate Classic has become a staple of early-season college wrestling. Check out the hammers who will be wrestling this Sunday along with some of the most exciting potential matchups.

We prepare for another NCAA season by taking a look at wrestlers who didn't participate in the last NCAA season due to deferring eligibility, injuries, or something else, and who are planning on being big money in their team's varsity lineup. 

Few weight classes return as much talent next season as 165-pounds. The lone graduate to make the 2019 podium is Lock Haven's Chance Marsteller. Who will emerge champion of this awe-inspiring collection of worthies? We produce our list of contenders below.