125 — No. 5 Andrew Long vs. Ryan Mango (Stanford)

In his first NCAA tournament appearance, Long shouldn’t expect to Chris Kattan in a speedo across the mat on Thursday. Mango, a fellow freshman, went 24-13 and grabbed third in the Pac-10 tournament in his first season with Stanford. Long could face Arizona State’s fourth-seeded Anthony Robles in the quarterfinals. Robles defeated Long in a 12-10 battle in the teams Feb. 7 dual.

133 — No. 10 Nick Fanthorpe vs. Cortlandt Choate (Brown)

After falling short of his third Big 12 championship, Fanthorpe enters the tournament with a No. 10 seed. A possible chance for revenge against Iowa’s Daniel Dennis lies in the quarterfinals if both wrestlers make it there. Dennis defeated Fanthorpe 10-8 in overtime on Dec. 6. Choate, a true freshman, ended the season with a 12-11 record and enters the tournament with an at-large bid. Choate actually split time for much of the season with fellow Brown 133-pounder T.J. Popolizio.

141 — Dalton Jensen vs. No. 4 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State)

Nick Gallick’s season ending injury could have easily led to a Cyclone vacancy at 141 in the tournament. However, Jensen was able to qualify during the Big 12 tournament and bypass a possible at-large bid. Humphrey is the returning NCAA runner-up in the 141 weight class and carries a 29-3 record this season. Jensen lost a close 6-5 bout with Humphrey during the teams’ match up at the Cliff Keen National Duals this season.

149 — No. 7 Mitch Mueller vs. Frank Gayeski (Liberty)

Mueller will take part in his fourth NCAA tournament, carrying a 6-6 record in his previous three years. His best finish was in last year’s event, where he went 3-2 and fell just shy of All-American honors. Gayeski posted a 25-6 record this season and took first place in the NCAA East Regional Championships. Of Gayeski’s six losses, three came on falls.

157 — Andrew Sorenson vs. Anthony Jones (Michigan State)

After securing the starting spot from Nate Carr, Jr. earlier this season, Sorenson will make his first appearance in the NCAA tournament. The bottom half of the 157 bracket features a number of opponents that Sorenson should be familiar with such as Maryland’s Kyle John, who Sorenson defeated earlier this season. Jones recorded a 12-17 record for the Spartans this season and will be taking part in his second NCAA tournament.

165 — No. 4 Jon Reader vs. Chris Brown (Old Dominion)

Reader was poised for a higher seed, but a loss to Missouri’s Nick Marable in the Big 12 championship finals dropped him to fourth and gave Marable the third seed. Brown, a redshirt senior, will be wrestling in his third NCAA tournament with one win currently under his belt. Brown is no stranger to success as he posted a 29-3 record this season and won his third straight Colonial Athletic Association championship.

174 — Duke Burk vs. No. 10 Jordan Blanton (Illinois)

Despite an up-and-down season that saw him temporarily lose his spot as a starter, Burk will be wrestling in his second straight NCAA tournament. A potential rematch with Iowa’s Jay Borschel could occur if both wrestlers advance to the quarterfinals. The Cyclones are no strangers to Blanton as both Burk and sophomore Chris Spangler have gone up against him this season. Burk edged out Blanton by a 9-8 decision at the Midlands, while Blanton defeated Spangler 3-2 on Jan. 16 at Hilton Coliseum.

184 — Jerome Ward vs. No. 1 Kirk Smith (Boise State)

As the top-ranked 184-pounder throughout the regular season, Smith enters the tournament with a 25-0 record and his second-straight Pac-10 championship in tow. However, Ward has made a point of taking highly ranked opponents down to the last minute this season. These two previously met in the first round of last year’s NCAA tournament, which saw Smith escape with a 3-1 decision.

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197 — No. 1 Jake Varner vs. Matt Casperson (Boise State)

Varner enters the tournament as the reigning NCAA champion at 197 pounds and is coming off an undefeated season that included his second Big 12 championship. Casperson, a junior, recorded an 18-15 overall record this season and placed third in the Pac-10 tournament. Casperson appears to save his best stuff for tournaments, boasting a 12-6 record against a 6-8 dual record. A possible third match up between Varner and Craig Brester of Nebraska could take place in the finals.

HWT — David Zabriskie vs. Eric Bugenhagen (Wisconsin)

Zabriskie brings a lot of momentum into Omaha in search of his first NCAA championship, having won his third Big 12 championship and grabbing a No. 1 seed in the process. Zabriskie has achieved All-American honors in the last two tournaments and advanced as far as the semifinals last year. Bugenhagen completed his season with a 16-18 overall record. He went 4-4 in the Big 10 and 7-11 in duals.