After winning the ACC regular season title last season, Duke struggled throughout its 2004-2005 campaign on the way to a 9-5 overall record and a 2-3 mark in the conference, good for fourth place.
But the Blue Devils have a chance to redeem themselves at the ACC Championship Tournament Saturday in Greensboro.
Last season, Duke had three No. 1 seeds in the ACC Tournament and earned four individual championships on its way to a third-place team finish. The Blue Devils will be hard-pressed to equal those individual accomplishments, but they could be poised for a better team finish.
Head coach Clar Anderson has preached intensity and aggressiveness all season, but it has not yet translated to action on the mat as the Blue Devils have lost a number of close decisions.
“So far this season we haven’t had savvy, we haven’t had the self-confidence we need,” Anderson said. “We’re going to need that, and we’ve got to win the close matches this time.”
The one wrestler who Anderson says has consistently shown the aggressiveness his team needs is 133-pounder Bryan Gibson. Gibson has been improving all year, capping off his regular season by pinning N.C. State’s Jeremy Hartrum. Gibson, however, is wrestling in the toughest weight class, and he will most like be the third seed behind the nation’s No. 11 wrestler Evan Sola of North Carolina and No. 13 David Hoffman of Virginia Tech.
“I am expecting him to place third, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he upset either of those guys,” Anderson said of Gibson. “He is really tough, and he just needs one break to make it over the top.”
Levi Craig at 174 pounds and Frank Cornely at 184 pounds are the defending conference champions in their respective weight classes, but neither is favored Saturday. Craig will most likely be the third seed in his weight and is coming off a loss to N.C. State’s Kevin Gabrielson, when he was pinned in 43 seconds.
Cornely is the reigning ACC Wrestler of the Week, but a mid-season loss to Virginia Tech’s Steve Borja will leave him with the second seed this weekend.
“Levi lost a couple of tough matches this season and will have to really wrestle well if he is going to win again,” Anderson said. “Frank has really turned it on at the end of the season. He believes that he is going to be an All-American, and it starts this weekend.”
A few other Duke wrestlers have the potential to win or to place high. Wes Kuser at 141 pounds could be seeded anywhere from first to third, 197-pounder Mark Thompson will likely be the third seed and 149-pounder Antwone Floyd will probably be the fourth seed. Heavyweight Venroy July will be seeded fifth or sixth, but he won last season’s tournament at 197 pounds and has the talent to win again.
“I don’t think anyone is going to want to face Venroy this weekend,” Anderson said. “It has taken him a long time to get in shape, but he’s been looking great in the practice room and he could do some damage.”
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