Most sports fans consider this time of the year to be March Madness because of the ensuing NCAA basketball championships. However, many other collegiate teams are also closing out their respective seasons; most notably, wrestling.

The Iowa State wrestling team will begin its post-season on Saturday with the Big 12 championship in Ames. Then, the qualifying athletes will participate in the NCAA championship later this month.

Despite being ranked seventh in the nation, the Cyclone grapplers have only a fraction of the following that the basketball programs possess.

I think the main reason for this is lack of exposure by the media. Even in the great wrestling state of Iowa this sport always seems to take a back seat to hoops.

Other than the state tournament, local newscasts and sports talk shows rarely have footage of high school wrestling. And when is the last time you’ve seen highlights from a collegiate dual meet on ESPN’s SportsCenter?

This minimal amount of publicity is not able to attract very many new fans. It’s a shame because wrestlers are arguably the best conditioned and most dedicated athletes on the collegiate scene.

Not only do they have to worry about head-to-head competition, but wrestlers are constantly under the stress of reaching specific weights before the matches just so they can compete. They also must be in peak physical condition because they are relentlessly battling each other for up to seven minutes with only a few brief breaks in the action.

When I first began watching wrestling, I was sort of skeptical, since I was accustomed to watching the high-flying and fast paced sport of basketball. However, I was immediately hooked after being on the edge of my seat for the majority of my first college-level dual meet.

What makes wrestling so unique is that the coaches are continually interacting with their respective wrestler by barking out specific instructions throughout the match. Not too many sports are characterized by such direct and intricate player-coach communication during the actual competition.

Another aspect of wrestling that separates it from the other major sports is that there aren’t any long breaks in the action due to time-outs or television requirements. This helps to keep the crowd’s attention throughout the meet but unfortunately doesn’t leave a lot of time to go score some nachos from the concession stand. As far as ISU wrestling goes, it’s almost disappointing that there aren’t as many students in the seats as there should be. With six wrestlers ranked in the top ten of their respective weight classes, ISU is packed with talent from the top of its lineup to the bottom.

If our men’s basketball program was ranked seventh in the country, I highly doubt that each home game would not be sold out. The Cyclone wrestlers are also a very disciplined group of athletes. When is the last time you’ve seen an ISU wrestler in the news for throwing down with Ronald McDonald?

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not trying to put down the other sports programs, but I’m just pointing out the fact that the wrestling squad has been basically invisible in the police blotter.

This is probably due to the fact that head coach Bobby Douglas has such high expectations for his team even when it’s not on the mat. He always shows concern for each individual’s injuries, illnesses and academics. It doesn’t matter whether he or she is a red-shirt freshman or an All-American.

Besides winning a national championship and coaching some of the best wrestlers this sport has ever seen, Douglas is also quick to mention the number of doctors, lawyers and engineers that have come out of his programs. This year’s team is loaded with young talent that will make ISU a front runner for the NCAA championship for years to come. The starting lineup consists of only one senior and boasts two freshman who are ranked No. 1 in the country. Throw in a couple of blue chip recruits, and you have the formula for a national title.

This Saturday’s Big 12 tourney in Ames is the perfect opportunity to observe college wrestling at its finest. It will feature four of the top seven teams in the country including top-ranked Oklahoma State.

If you want to see current and future NCAA champions at their finest, then carry a little Hilton Magic into the wrestling environment.

First round action begins at 11 a.m. and lasts all day, so I encourage you to stop in and support your Cyclone wrestling team.

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Eric Taylor is a junior in mechanical engineering from Elysian, Minn.