At the start of this season, wrestling fans turned away from the 133-pound weight class, defaulting it to two-time NCAA champion Johnny Thompson of Oklahoma State. But then, 125-pound champion Travis Lee bumped up in weight, adding a little mystery.    Six Thompson losses later, Lee and Mark Jayne appear to be the top two wrestlers in this weight class. Thompson will most likely have the lowest seed of his stellar college career, either a No. 3 or a No. 5. While he is the one wrestler you can never count out of winning this tournament, he is the defending champion who has struggled the most this year.    Only three All-Americans return to this weight class: Thompson, Josh Moore and Roberson. A fourth, Cliff Moore, has moved up to 141 pounds this year.    Top Contenders  Travis Lee, Jr. (Cornell) - Lee won an NCAA title at 125 pounds last year, but decided to move up. This helps him in both concentrating on his wrestling, and a freestyle career in which he will compete at 132 pounds. The only slip-up for Lee was at the Midlands, a tournament he showed up at late the night before on a flight from Hawaii. Since that loss, he has won eight matches by major decision, two by technical fall and four by fall. Oh yeah, he also has a 5-2 win over Johnny Thompson that will help him earn the top seed. Lee is not only quick, but he is deceptively powerful as well. He loves to wrestle with his upper body, and he loves to be physical. There is not another wrestler in the nation with that kind of mix. If Lee shows up ready to battle, which he always does, then there may not be much of a chance for the rest of this weight class.    Mark Jayne, Jr. (Illinois) - This is one wrestler who has begun to peak for the postseason. He was as good as he has ever been in the Big Ten Tournament, coming away with the title after a 5-4 win over Foley Dowd. Jayne also owns wins over Johnny Thompson, Darrell Vasquez and Josh Moore this year. While he has lost the head-to-head with Roberson, he has defeated two wrestlers, Thompson and Vasquez, that Roberson has not, which should be enough to give Jayne the second seed. While Jayne carries the Illinois defensive style with him, he is very aggressive as well. He likes to score points, which could be the difference maker for him this year. He tore up Moore in the Big Ten Tournament, taking him down almost at will while also turning him. What makes Jayne so tough is that he has rid himself of mistakes. He is a very good wrestler on his feet, possessing a solid single-leg. If Jayne gets a lead at any point in a match, he will most likely win.    Johnny Thompson, Sr. (Oklahoma State) - This season has been a complete struggle for Thompson. It is true that he does always show up in March, but this year is different. He has six losses, and has rarely been dominating, even over much lesser competition. The grind may have finally gotten to Thompson. He has struggled to create offense for himself this year, instead relying heavily, maybe too heavily, on his dreaded "snake" pinning maneuver. Thompson needs to find some offense again. He usually has his weight down by the time NCAA's roll around, but making that third weigh-in will be tough. It is one more distraction that he will not need going into the semifinals. If the seeding committee does this weight class correctly, Thompson will either be the No. 3, or the No. 5 seed in this tournament. There is no other spot he can possibly be. That potentially would leave him with Jayne or Roberson in the semifinals, both tough matches for him. While he has not lost to Roberson this year, he has lost to Jayne.    Zach Roberson, Sr. (Iowa State) - Roberson has had the same troubles plague him throughout his career. He has not yet won the big match. He struggles with Thompson, including a third-period pin in the Big XII finals in a 1-1 match. Roberson has found a more aggressive style this year, which has gotten him more wins and kept him more consistent, but if he doesn't figure out a way to beat Thompson, he will never win a national title. With that being said, he has never wrestled better than he is this season. Roberson will want to stay physical, but he needs to rid himself of the mistakes that have cost him the big wins throughout his career. He may have the toughest road of anyone if he sticks at the fourth seed. He will have to go through Dowd and Lee just to make the finals. That is a path of competition that Roberson has only seen once in his career - at the 2003 NCAA Tournament.    The Others  Foley Dowd, Sr. (Michigan) - Dowd was 15-0 before losing to Jayne in the Big Ten finals. He is clearly one of the top wrestlers in the country, but he has been hampered by injuries so far this season. The fact that he is wrestling is courageous enough, as he was unable to compete in the postseason last year due to a neck injury. Dowd will most likely have to go through Roberson to make the finals, a wrestler he can beat.    Darrell Vasquez, Fr. (Cal Poly) - This talented freshman took the wrestling world by storm this year. Coming out of high school, most coaches rated Vasquez as the top recruit in the country. It looks like they may have all been right. While he is a very good offensive wrestler, his defense is still suspect. It is mostly from his youth and lack of experience. But if there is one freshman at this weight class who could make a serious run at the title, it would be Vasquez. If seeded sixth, he would most likely have to go through Jayne or Thompson, both wrestlers he lost close matches to this season. He did beat Thompson once as well.    Josh Moore, Sr. (Penn State) - Moore had a great chance at a high seed, maybe in the first three slots, until he had a horrendous Big Ten Tournament, giving up 27 points in two losses. He has a flare for the dramatics. Moore is a home run hitter. He has recorded 22 falls this season, but he has lost twice by major decision and once by fall. In two other losses, he gave up 11 and 14 points, respectively. The old saying that defense wins championships does not abort for wrestling. Moore needs to get better at not allowing his opponents in on his legs to get back into title contention. However, he is one of a handful of wrestlers in the entire tournament that can pin anybody in his weight class.    High-Impact Freshmen  Matt Ciasulli (Lehigh), Don Fisch (Rider), Josh Keefe (Tennessee-Chattanooga), Matt Keller (Nebraska), Mimi Miller (Oklahoma), Darrell Vasquez (Cal Poly)    
NCAA Finals: Travis Lee (Cornell) vs. Mark Jayne (Illinois)  
TheMat.com's Pick: Travis Lee (Cornell)  
All-American Dark Horse: Josh Keefe (Tennessee-Chattanooga)    
Projected Top 4 Seeds  1. Travis Lee, Cornell  2. Mark Jayne, Illinois  3. Johnny Thompson, Oklahoma State  4. Zach Roberson, Iowa State    2004 Qualifiers (34)  1st ACC - Adam Benitez (Duke)  1st Big Ten - Mark Jayne (Illinois)  2nd Big Ten - Foley Dowd (Michigan)  3rd Big Ten - Ed Gutnik (Wisconsin)  4th Big Ten - Josh Moore (Penn State)  5th Big Ten - Rene Hernandez (Purdue)  6th Big Ten - Quincy Osborn (Minnesota)  7th Big Ten - Trent Goodale (Iowa)  1st Big XII - Johnny Thompson (Oklahoma State)  2nd Big XII - Zach Roberson (Iowa State)  3rd Big XII - Matt Keller (Nebraska)  4th Big XII - Mimi Miller (Oklahoma)  1st CAA - Mike Messina (Sacred Heart)  2nd CAA - Don Fisch (Rider)  3rd CAA - Joe Cristaldi (Drexel)  1st East Region - Josh Pniewski (Gardner-Webb)  1st EIWA - Travis Lee (Cornell)  2nd EIWA - Matt Ciasulli (Lehigh)  3rd EIWA - Steve Sut