Time for Hawkeyes to do their talking on the mat

PHILADELPHIA - Tom Brands' comments were short and sweet.

It could be the Iowa wrestling coach didn't have much to say. Or the time for talking is over and the time for doing is here.

“The idea is to be in this position at the end of the tournament where you're answering questions that are fun to answer,” Brands said. “I'll leave it at that. We have work to do. Zero hour is upon us.”

The time has come for the second-ranked Hawkeyes to try to win their fourth straight title at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in the Wells Fargo Center.

The Hawkeyes, with nine qualifiers, are a contender, proving naysayers wrong with another unbeaten dual season and a runner-up finish in the Big Ten tournament. But defending 125-pound NCAA champion Matt McDonough and Montell Marion, a national finalist at 141 last year, are the only Hawks who have performed on this stage.

“The generic answer says they are ready because they've been getting ready for big competition,” Brands said. “What do I expect? The same ferocious competitor, tough in mind and body and spirit. Battle. Does that guarantee automatic results in our favor? No, but it ups our chances.”

Six Hawkeyes are projected as All-Americans according to seeds. McDonough (23-1) is picked second, Marion (9-3) and senior 197-pounder Luke Lofthouse are fifth. Tony Ramos (21-4) at 133 and Derek St. John (19-4) at 157 are sixth and Big Ten champion heavyweight Blake Rasing (17-5) is seeded seventh.

Aaron Janssen (11th at 165), Ethen Lofthouse (ninth at 174) and Grant Gambrall (12th at 184) are in the field for Iowa.

“Our expectations are high,” Brands said. “We expect a lot. Our guys live the way they live to get the results they want. Now is the time to see it all shake out.”

A clear favorite hasn't surfaced in the team race. Boise State, coached by former Hawkeye All-American and four-time Mount Vernon state champion Greg Randall, and Oklahoma State qualified all 10 wrestlers. Penn State, ranked fourth, is fresh off a one-point win over Iowa in the Big Ten meet. Cornell is ranked No. 1.

“You don't know what's going to happen ever. You could have a high-powered team and you don't know what's going to happen,” Brands said. “It comes down to being ready to go ... Battle, be ready, do what you do best, those types of things and routine. We feel good if our guys do what I just described.”

Cornell is looking to become the first Ivy League school to win an NCAA championship.

“I talked to our kids earlier. I said the only thing you can count is you don't know what to count on,” Coach Rob Koll said. “That's pretty much the forgone conclusion.”

What: Division I Championships

When: Today, 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (Iowa times); Friday, 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

TV: Friday sessions and Saturday consolation finals, ESPNU; Saturday finals, ESPN

Radio: KXIC-AM (800)