It has been well discussed that PSU puts up lots of bonus points and that's one of the keys to their run. I give them tons of credit for being good enough to do this. Having said that, when you go into the tournament with 7 number one seeds the bracket is tailer made for you to score massive bonus points. In the first round they wrestled the 7 worst wrestlers in their brackets (32 seeds). Then the next round, if chalk, these 7 guys only wrestled 16 seeds. When it comes to racking up bonus points, it's handed to them on a silver platter in the 1st 2 rounds. Our draws were freaking tough! I guarantee if you switched the positions in the brackets with all the OSU and PSU guys the bonus points would probably be pretty darn close. We must go into the tournament with a bunch of 1 seeds to beat PSU.
Bonus points at Nationals
- Thread starter Cowboy1989
- Start date
I believe that it is a stretch to say that bonus points were "handed to them on a silver platter". I don't remember reading any discussion that any of their #1's or 2's weren't deserved. All of their 1/2's are gifted wrestlers or not so gifted wrestlers who worked their butts off or both as was the case for any wrestler who got a 1 or 2 seed this year.
However, I do see the main point of your argument; PSU had higher seeds and would/should be expected to garner more bonus points. It would be nice/interesting for our resident Statistical Analyst to put this in his number cruncher and give us the 411.
Let us say: historic bonus points per seed as compared to each team's results, this year and the past
However, I do see the main point of your argument; PSU had higher seeds and would/should be expected to garner more bonus points. It would be nice/interesting for our resident Statistical Analyst to put this in his number cruncher and give us the 411.
Let us say: historic bonus points per seed as compared to each team's results, this year and the past
They absolutely earned the 1 seeds. That's not my argument. Their path to earn bonus points was MUCH easier than ours was - can't really argue that, it's simply a function of the bracket. We need to earn a bunch of 1 seeds to rack up all those bonus points to beat them.
You have already anticipated one of my posts. I have not finished the work yet, but I already know the answer.
Based on 2010 - 2025 the expected bonus points for their seeds was 26. They scored 41.5. The old record for bonus points was 40 (1992 Iowa adjusted for today's bonus scores).
The rarest result in a final is tech fall. It had only happened twice in the past 150 finals, yet Mesenbrink did it against the #3 seed/returning finalist. FYI - one of the other two was identical - #1 Zain Retherford over #3 Lavion Mayes.
By any measure their bonus point total was amazing. The only knock relative to history is the advent of the 3 point takedown - though even that is mixed (fewer pinfalls / more tech falls).
Eh, I think Rocco got saved by couple of refs not seeing singlet pulls away and got one of the easiest path to finals. Compare his path to other 1 seed of theirs, SVN. I guarantee you, if Rocco had to face any of Ferrari/Sinclair/Max, he wouldnt be in finals.
That many bonus points is amazing, I agree, but I'm not surprised by it, because when I look at who their seven 1 seeds wrestled, wrestler by wrestler I expected it. They will I predict that next year they will not have as many 1 seeds
OSU had tough bracket for so many weights, except maybe 133, that's where we got the most bonus points too. Higher seeds = More bonus makes sense.
But 7 number 1 seeds, 4 champions is the story for PSU.
But 7 number 1 seeds, 4 champions is the story for PSU.
spradley had to wrestle 3 national champions in his 6 matches. So his bones point were down this year. More AA than I can count. So being a one seed helps
I literally text Chase because I was aggravated by how many bonus points we left on the table in the first round.
You guys over-estimate how many bonus points #1 seeds typically score. PSU outscored what a typical #1 seed scores.
In the last 15 tournaments the #1 seed has average 3.1 bonus points. This year PSU seven #1 seeds averaged 4.9 bonus points, and that was with Lilledahl only getting 1 bonus point.
It was not seeding alone that explained their bonus points. For example:
- a typical #3 seed scores 2.1 bonus points, but Blaze had 4.5.
- a typical #9 seed scores 1.2, but Mirasola had 1.5.
- only Davis, with zero bonus, failed to out-bonus the average wrestler at his seed, but even then the difference was less than a point.
For the heck of it just use statistics from the tournaments after takedowns became 3 points and backpoints changed to 2 pts, 3pts, and 4 points and see what you get.
These are the average bonus points for number one seeds the last five years. This year's PSU team is a little above average. You can't use older statistics- they are not comparable to our current scoring system, current wrestling styles and techniques and emphasis on scoring bonus points.
Tournament Year Total #1 Seed Bonus Points Average Bonus Pts / Seed
2026 56.5 5.65
2025 52.0 5.20
2024 59.5 5.95
2023 49.0 4.90
2022 53.0 5.30
5-Year Average 54.0 5.40
Scoring Context
Tournament Year Total #1 Seed Bonus Points Average Bonus Pts / Seed
2026 56.5 5.65
2025 52.0 5.20
2024 59.5 5.95
2023 49.0 4.90
2022 53.0 5.30
5-Year Average 54.0 5.40
Scoring Context
Actually if this year's PSU 1 seeds averaged 4.9 bonus pts they are below average for the last 5 years. Certainly nothing amazing for 1 seeds in recent years.
The amazing thing they did was having seven 1 seeds on one team to begin with and that's what OSU will have to counter to beat them.
The amazing thing they did was having seven 1 seeds on one team to begin with and that's what OSU will have to counter to beat them.
BTW our true frosh Jax scored 6 bonus pts. Messenbrink, a junior, flowrestlings pound for pound #1 and the outstanding wrestler of the tournament scored 5.5.
Your numbers are pretty far off.
2026 = 48
2025 = 35
2024 = 39
2023 = 23
2022 = 21.5
I have a database of every match that was ever wrestled at the NCAA tournament. Where did you get yours?
I'm sure your source is right then. I did an ai search, then just did a different one and got conflicting info. So using your numbers the average bonus points the last three years since the scoring system has changed are 3.9, 3.5, 4.8
So if PSU's 1 seeds averaged 4.9 as you said they beat the average significantly.
Oof. Its all A, no I especially when it comes to sports stats. It amazes me how many already answered questions LLMs gets wrong. I use, and test, AI at work and would not recommend it for anything where precision is required.
I tried to ask it a couple of things about only this years average freshman placement compared to the other classes and it took several tries to get it right because it kept putting guys in the wrong class and then wrong place. Basically ended up giving it all the info and by that point I could’ve easily done it myself. Last time I try anything like that.