@PackWrestle Breakdown of 2020 ACC Championship

2020 ACC Brackets | ACC Championship Info | 2020 NCAA Allocations
VIEW: Quest for Back-to-Back ACC Gold | NC State Notes Packet
LISTEN: #PackMentality Pop-Ins Podcast: Ep. 63 – ACC Championship Preview

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State wrestling team will head up to Pittsburgh this weekend, and looks to capture back-to-back ACC Titles at the 2020 ACC Championship.

	2020 ACC Championship
Date	Sunday, March 8
Time	Starts 11 AM - Finals 7 PM
Location	Pittsburgh, Pa.
Arena	Peterson Events Center
Tickets	$10 adult, $5 children
TV (Finals)	ACC Network
Streaming (Prelims)	Mat #1 Mat #2
Live Stats	TrackWrestling
Social Media	@PackWrestle

A six-team, one-day tournament, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in each of the 10 weight classes receive a bye into the semifinals. The tournament is double elimination as well.

For the third straight season, NC State won the ACC Regular-Season Championship going a perfect 5-0 in conference duals. The Pack received a pair of No. 1 seed, and seven of the 10 Pack participants will have byes into the semifinals after being seeded either first or second in their weight class.

Here is a breakdown of each weight class and the top contenders:

125
NCAA bids: 3 | Coaches Panel Rankings Top-33: 3
Defending Champion: Jack Mueller (Virginia)
NC State: #18 R-Fr. Jakob Camacho (18-6) – No. 2 seed

Camacho stated his ACC slate with a close 5-2 loss to Mueller back in January. Since then, Camacho won each of his last four conference duals, including 9-4 over UNC's Melendez who is the third seed and he will face in the semifinals – Duke will forfeit so Melendez also gets a first round bye.

Sitting in the other half of the bracket is Muller, ranked No. 2 this season with a perfect 12-0 record. He won the ACC title last year, then advanced to the NCAA Finals.

133
NCAA bids: 5 | Coaches Panel Rankings Top-33: 5
Defending Champion: Micky Phillippi (Pitt)
NC State: #29 R-Fr. Jarrett Trombley (18-7) – No. 3 seed

Trombley went 3-2 in ACC duals, and will face Duke's Campbell in the first round (Trombley scored a 17-4 major in the dual). Waiting in the semifinals is UNC's Hernandez. Hernandez claimed a 1-0 win over Trombley in the dual.

In the other half of the bracket, Pitt's Phillippi is the returning champion and went a perfect 5-0 in ACC duals. With a 23-1 record, he ranks fifth nationally.

141
NCAA bids: 3 | Coaches Panel Rankings Top-33: 4
NC State: #12 R-Jr. Tariq Wilson (23-5) – No. 1 seed

The top three seeds in this weight class all went 1-1 against each other in duals. Wilson went 4-1 in ACC duals, and claimed the top seed, as he downed UNC's Sherman in the dual (6-0) and split a pair of matches with Virginia Tech's Moore (5-3 at Cliff Keen, 3-7 in the dual). Wilson awaits the winner of Virginia's Courtney and Pitt's Matthews.

Sherman and Moore will meet in the semifinals after another Duke forfeit.

149
NCAA bids: 2 | Coaches Panel Rankings Top-33: 3
NC State: #33 R-So. A.J. Leitten (18-8) – No. 3 seed

Leitten will make his first appearance at the ACC Championship, as he enters as the third seed after posting a 3-1 mark in conference duals. He starts off with Duke's Unger in the first round, who Leitten beat 14-0 in the dual. Waiting in the semifinals is Virginia Tech freshman Andonian as the second seed, who pinned Leitten in the dual.

In the top half of the bracket, UNC's O'Connor is ranked third nationally and drew the top seed. He went 5-0 in ACC action this year, posting the most team points in the conference (24).

157
NCAA bids: 5 | Coaches Panel Rankings Top-33: 5
Defending Champion: #2 R-Jr. Hayden Hidlay (26-1) – No. 1 seed

Hidlay is looking to become only the 11^th wrestler in NC State history to win three ACC titles, as he was the ACC champion at 157 pounds as both a freshman and sophomore. He once again went 5-0 in conference duals, and enters 21-0 all-time vs. ACC foes.

Hidlay recorded one of five NCAA allocations for this weight. He awaits the winner of UVA's McCoy and Virginia Tech's LaPrade in the semifinals, with UNC's Headlee in the other half of the bracket as the second seed.

165
NCAA bids: 4 | Coaches Panel Rankings Top-33: 4
NC State: #10 R-Jr. Thomas Bullard (21-5) – No. 2 seed

One of the weights to watch, 165 pounds qualified four spots for the NCAAs and those four that earned the spot all ranked between #7-12 nationally.

Bullard reached the ACC finals last year, and after a 3-0 mark in conference duals this season he enters as the second seed. He awaits three-time All-American Virginia Tech's McFadden in the semifinals as he drew the third seed. Bullard downed McFadden 2-1 in Reynolds in the dual. McFadden is ranked seventh nationally, Bullard 10^th.

In the top half of the bracket, #12 UNC's Monday will face #11 Wentzel of Pitt in the semifinals.

174
NCAA bids: 4 | Coaches Panel Rankings Top-33: 5
NC State: #12 R-Jr. Daniel Bullard (23-5) – No. 2 seed

A weight with five nationally ranked wrestlers and four NCAA allocations. Bullard drew the second seed after a 4-1 ACC mark. He awaits Duke's Eaglin in the semifinals, they did not wrestle each other in the dual. Bullard's #12 national ranking is the highest in the weight class.

The top seed is Pitt's Gregg Harvey who went a perfect 4-0 in conference duals, including a 10-8 battle vs. Bullard in the dual.

184
NCAA bids: 3 | Coaches Panel Rankings Top-33: 3
NC State: #3 R-Fr. Trent Hidlay (22-3) – No. 2 seed

The other marquee weight class this season, the top three seeds are all ranked in the top-six nationally and all three posted a 1-1 record against each other in duals.

Hidlay enters his first ACC Championship as the second seed, going 4-1 in ACC duals. He awaits Pitt's Bonaccorsi in the semifinals, as Hidlay scored a 6-3 win over him in the dual.

In the top half of the bracket, Virginia Tech's Hunter Bolen is the top seed. Bolen is #2 nationally, Hidlay is #3 and Bonaccorsi is #6.

197
NCAA bids: 1 | Coaches Panel Rankings Top-33: 1
NC State: So. Tyrie Houghton (15-10) – No. 6 seed

Houghton sees action at his first ACC Championship. He started the last two ACC duals for the Pack at 197. Last weekend he went up to the National Collegiate Open and captured third place with a 5-1 record.

The only NCAA allocation from this weight came from top-seeded #8 Aiello of Virginia who went a perfect 5-0 in ACC duals.

285
NCAA bids: 5 | Coaches Panel Rankings Top-33: 5
NC State: #25 So. Deonte Wilson (18-8) – No. 2 seed

The third weight with five NCAA allocations, as well as five wrestlers ranked in the latest Coaches Panel Rankings.

Wilson went 4-1 in ACC duals, as was seeded second. He awaits #21 Miller of Virginia in the semifinals, after Wilson scored a 5-1 decision in the dual.

Defending champion Thomas of Pitt is the top seed and ranked #10 nationally. He went 4-0 in conference duals this season.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Daniel Bullard

Thomas Bullard

Jakob Camacho

Hayden Hidlay

Trent Hidlay

Tyrie Houghton

A.J. Leitten

Jarrett Trombley

Deonte Wilson

Tariq Wilson