Johnny Hendricks vs Ben Askren

[still alive]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6GLBdhLw5E i know its a little old but i thought it would be nice to see. both these guys have won NCAA titles as juniors and are gonna try and repeat this year. well hope you enjoy if you havent seen it yet.

[colonel kurtz]

askren broke his ankle i believe and is out for the season or atleast most of it.

[cradler1]

askren broke his ankle i believe and is out for the season or atleast most of it.

No he's not. That was a fabrication of a missouri fan on themat.com who thought it was funny. Out a week or so.

[Grappler177]

Shouldn't this be on the college board??

After seeing Herbert wrestle a fair amount (live and on TV) and knowing how Askren completely broke him down, there is no way I see Hendricks being able to stay with Askren.

That said, the rumor is that Askren certified at 165 specifically so he can go with Hendricks. If that is true, it would be GREAT to watch and good for NCAA wrestling. Let's hope we see this happen at the dual between OK State and Mizzou in Feb.

One thing to keep in mind are the rules of weight class and certification. Does anyone know the NCAA rules regarding if he (Askren) can go up or down at any time? I thought there might be a time constraint?

[bluestater]

Ben certified at 165 so that he could cut down for the NWCA All-Star Meet and wrestle Johny. There was confusion at the NWCA on getting out invites, so the match wasn't lined up, so it's not going to happen. There is not a chance in heck that Ben will cut down to 163 at the OSU dual. Missouri has a shot at beating OSU and winning a national title this year, and Ben is extremely hungry for a team title. He would not do anything to hurt the team to satisfy a personal goal.

Though let me tell you, I can't stand Johny Hendricks, and I would love to see him lose to Ben.

[Grappler177]

I am not so quick to agree that Mizzou has a shot at a national title and even less inclined to agree they would win in a dual.

That said, for the sake of this conversation, let me ask how Askren dropping to 65 hurts the team in a dual? He wins a weight they would probably have lost and scores the points (which could be a huge swing) - this is not a knock against Pell, only to say that I can not see him beating JH.

I also like the idea of Pell going 74, which is not a stretch since he was an AA at 84 a few years back. The wildcard is how he matches up with what ever Fr or So OSU puts in the lineup.

[Achilles]

pell did wrestle 174 at a tournament earlier in the season, it might be better for the team if Askren cut down to 165 to wrestle hendricks assuming he would beat him

[bluestater]

Oh goodness. Well, Jason Bryant of Intermat thinks that Mizzou has a shot at the national title. I'm not that biased. Ben cutting down one month before Big 12's would be plain silly. He wrestles near his walking around weight and he doesn't cut that much. A nine pound cut would make a huge difference. THe Tigers also wrestle OU the next day. Should he wrestle at 65 for that, too? At 74, Ben would wrestle #5 Brandon Mason (not exactly a wild card), someone he would beat with bonus points. Pell has a shot at beating Hendricks, and the experience he gains against him at the dual would be invaluable for Big 12's.

[Grappler177]

I am not for or against the Tigers and really just enjoy good wrestling. Time will tell if they can hold it together and perform on the big stage. Big 12's should be interesting and a solid MU team only helps.

As for the weight, I would not think that wrestling 65 one day and 74 the next would be that big of an issue. Now, if he was asked to go the other way (74 then 65) it might be more of a problem.

No bone to pick, just would like to see the match up and also think it gives MU the best chance to beat OK State.

[Achilles]

Actually losing 9 lbs makes your body smaller so it is an issue if he wants to wrestle his best at 174. But I have no clue how big he is or what he walks around at and how good of shape he is in. But i do know that Pell is very big and it would probably do him better to wrestle 174

[Grappler177]

I'll Bite

But only to keep the conversation going ...

Quite frankly, I would not imagine that Askren would have much difficulty cutting the weight for a Friday, then bumping up for a Saturday. I am sure he is in excellent shape, understands his body and is just flat out heads and shoulders above anyone he would see on Saturday. I have also never heard anyone question his gas tank and / or heart.

Now, if he had to drop to wrestle JH on the second day, there might be more cause for concern.

Signed,
A Fan That Likes Good Wrestling

[Grappler177]

Plus ...

Then BlueStater would get to see JH get his butt handed to him. It is all about making her happy.

[bluestater]

Then BlueStater would get to see JH get his butt handed to him. It is all about making her happy.

Now that is a fine philosophy!