All young wrestlers at 184 pounds will be overjoyed at the end of this season. The top seven seeds are all seniors, which means this weight class will clear out in less than one week.    This weight class also happens to be pretty deep, leaving some great matchups in the quarterfinals and semifinals. There will be some exciting style matchups as well, if all the seeds hold true. This is not only great for television and fans, it is also good for wrestling.    Top Contenders  Jessman Smith (Iowa) - Smith will enter this tournament as the favorite to win the national title for the second year in-a-row. He is still bitter over placing third last year, and is even more bitter about the one blemish on his record this year, a loss by fall to Wattenberg at the All-Star Classic. Technically, Smith is the best wrestler in this weight class. He has incredible stamina and is constantly on the offensive in his matches. If Smith is wrestling like he has for most of this season, he may be unbeatable in this tournament. There are times when Smith has a tendency to get shut down offensively when his opponents tie him up, so it is important that he does not let that happen at all.    Greg Parker (Princeton) - Parker moved up in weight this season after being an NCAA finalist last year at 174. After some early season struggles, he has gotten back on track, and after his second win of the season over Wattenberg, solidified himself as the second seed at this tournament. Parker wrestles a very funky style. He is great in scramble situations, which has given Wattenberg troubles in both of their matchups. Parker is one of the more exciting wrestlers in this tournament, and he has been a fan favorite since last year's tournament. Opponents not familiar with Parker will have a lot of trouble with him, which is why Wattenberg may be happy to be on his side of the bracket.    Clint Wattenberg (Cornell) - Wattenberg lost what could have been the top seed when he was stacked in the EIWA Championships by Parker. Now, he drops down to third, and will have to get through Lambrecht and Parker just to make the finals. That is a tough task, but one that could earn a wrestler the honor of being the Most Outstanding Wrestler. Next to Smith, Wattenberg may be the second best technical wrestler at this weight. He is excellent on his feet, and can finish double-legs with ease. He is also good on top and tough to score on. Rest assured, Wattenberg will be motivated heading into this tournament. A big performance by him can move his team into contention for winning a team trophy.    Scott Barker (Missouri) - Barker is an intimidating force, but once his opponents figure out how not to get pinned, they have a chance at winning. Barker still has not become a great technical wrestler. He is a brute force. Counting this year, he has now completed full seasons at each of the three upper weights in college wrestling. His strength is amazing, and he has greatly improved his stamina this season. He likes to bait his opponents at times and score on spin-behinds if he can't bull them over and pin them. Barker may be one of the wrestlers in this tournament with the best chance to defeat Smith. He has a style of wrestling that Smith is not accustomed to, and his strength could surprise Smith. If Barker wrestles to the semifinals, a matchup with Smith should be pleasing to the fans.    Josh Lambrecht (Oklahoma) - Lambrecht still suffers from what may have been one of the biggest collapses in NCAA finals history last year when he was pinned after holding a 14-2 lead late in his match. Lambrecht has suffered some injuries this season, but seems to have recovered at this point. Pay no attention to his first round loss at the Big XII Championships. Lambrecht shows up when more is on the line. This year, it is his last shot at that NCAA title on the line for him. Lambrecht is no artist on his feet, but he can score points, but when he gets on top, the match usually ends at that point or somewhere close to it. It is how he rolled through the tournament last year and how he expects to roll through it again this year.    The Others  Mark Becks (Penn State) - Becks has come into his own this season. His only losses this year are three times to Smith and once to Harris. Three of those four losses were by a total of four points. Becks is solid defensively, but offensively he does not seem to have as many weapons as the top wrestlers at this weight. That may be his downfall.    Gerald Harris (Cleveland State) - Harris is an exceptional athlete. He is coming into this tournament primed for an upset win. In his losses to Wattenberg and Lambrecht this year, he was never really in the match. He lost all of his offensive confidence in those matches and was eventually wore out. With experience against top opponents, he should be more prepared in the NCAA Tournament.    High-Impact Freshmen  Alex Clemsen (Edinboro), Pete Friedl (Illinois), Ryan Halsey (Cal Poly), Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State)    NCAA Finals:Jessman Smith (Iowa) vs. Josh Lambrecht (Oklahoma)  
TheMat.com's Pick:Josh Lambrecht (Oklahoma)  
All-American Dark Horse:Ryan Halsey (Cal Poly)