Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands says the Hawkeyes will be ready for Thursday’s start of the NCAA Championships in Des Moines. The Hawkeyes will be looking to bounce back after placing a disappointing third in the tam race at the Big Ten Championships.
Iowa also failed to crown an individual champion. “I don’t think our guys struggle with attitude issues, I think it’s a matter of doing what you do to get the last peak or edge out of you,” Brands says. He says everything else you do is geared toward this event.
Brands hopes a partisan Hawkeye crowd at Wells Fargo Arena will be a plus for his team. He says the fans expectations won’t have dropped at all for this national tournament.
Iowa will be looking to improve upon last year’s third place finish at the NCAA meet. “We have capable guys, nine going, and that’s an improvement over a year ago. You don’t like going with less than 10, but nine is better than eight. The path has been laid in front of them at each weight, the brackets are out, the seeds are out and one match at a time and do what you do best,” Brands says.
Penn State is favored to win a third straight team title.