There is going to be quite a battle for the last All-American slots at 174 pounds this year. After the top six wrestlers, there is a severe drop-off.    Only three of last year's All-Americans return, Chris Pendleton, Brad Dillon and Ryan Lange. The top seed last year, and 2002 NCAA champion, Greg Jones, has moved up to 184, helping most everyone else at this weight class to clear the sweat off their eyebrows.    There is also a sharp contrast in wrestling styles between the top contenders. While three of the top six seeds are very offensive-minded, the other three are content with a 1-0 win. That defensive style at an athletic weight class almost never seems to win out.    Top Contenders  Chris Pendleton, Jr. (Oklahoma State) - Pound-for-pound, Pendleton may be the best wrestler in the nation. Ignore his loss to Ben Askren in the Big XII finals. This is the most dynamic wrestler at this weight class. Pendleton has it all. Great quickness from his feet, excellent riding skills and he always wrestles a smart match. If you had to put all of your money down on one wrestler in this tournament, Pendleton may be your man. His loss to Askren may have been good for him. It took the pressure of an undefeated season off him, while also refocusing him just in time for March Matness. Last year, Pendleton was one of the main reasons the Cowboys ran away with the team title, getting upset in the quarterfinals by Brad Dillon and wrestling back all the way to third place. He has heart, but unlike most of the other top seeds at this weight, he also has an offense. That should be the difference maker for him this year.    Brad Dillon, Sr. (Lehigh) - Dillon was one controversial whistle away from being in the NCAA finals last year. This year, his only loss is to Pendleton, though he was beat up pretty good by Eric Hauan in the All-Star Dual. That match against Hauan does not count on his official record, and is not supposed to count in the seedings as well, which is why Dillon should be the second seed. If the seeding committee looks at that Hauan match, Dillon could end up as low as fourth. This is one of the strongest wrestlers in the country. He has brute strength, making him tough to score on. Unfortunately, he does not take many chances, or shots, during his matches. Dillon seems content with keeping a low scoring match and taking his chance on racking up some riding time. While he has picked up his offense this year, he shuts down some during high-profile matches. Sometimes that is good, but if he runs into a Pendleton-type during this tournament, he could struggle.    Tyler Nixt, Sr. (Iowa) - Nixt has almost defined the word choke in his two post-season appearances. He placed second in the Big Ten three times, but has yet to place in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, as the fifth seed, he went 1-2 and didn't even wrestle on the second day. Nixt is very passive offensively. He has a funky style, mostly due to his knees, which bend any way you can think of. The problem is, Nixt waits for his opponents to shoot in on his legs and hopes to use that funk to get around them. After three years, opponents have become privy to that style of wrestling. He should be an All-American this year, but the Hawkeyes need him to place high to have a chance at the team title this year. Nixt needs to become more aggressive, especially on a side of the bracket where he will be giving up a strength advantage. If Nixt continues to wrestle the same way, he could once again end up as an upset special.    Eric Hauan, Jr. (Northern Iowa) - Another strong offensive wrestler, Hauan, if seeded fourth, will have a perfect opportunity to earn a trip to the finals. The opponents that are on that side of the bracket are perfect matchups for him. Hauan's only losses this year are to Pendleton and Nixt twice. In an unofficial match at the All-Star Dual, he dominated Dillon, scoring three takedowns and turning him once. If Hauan stays offensive-minded, as he usually does, he should have a good run through this tournament. When fans talk about this weight class, Hauan seems to be the only name they leave out of the title race. That is good for him, as he would probably love nothing better than to sneak through this tournament, a la Robbie Waller and Carl Fronhofer, last year's surprise finalists. As a fourth seed in a not so deep weight class, Hauan should have a nice first day of competition before getting into the heavy artillery.    Ryan Lange, Sr. (Purdue) - Like Dillon, Lange is tough to score on. He wrestles a defensive style, though he is more willing to open things up than are Dillon and Nixt. If our seeding projections are correct, Lange, a projected fifth seed, is going to have to open up his offense in order to get to the finals. He would most likely have to go through Eric Hauan and Pendleton. Those are two aggressive wrestlers, and they can find ways to score on Lange. Fans should expect to see a different Lange in this tournament. Purdue has a chance to do something special next weekend, and this is the leader of that team. He will be in a dominating mood, and be more aggressive than usual. If he is, he is going to pose a lot of trouble for those seeded higher than him. If he plays defense, he could just be a sitting duck throughout this entire tournament.    The Others  Ben Askren, Fr. (Missouri) - The most confident freshman in the nation, possibly joined by his teammate Matt Pell, Askren has continued to improve all season long, right up to his defeat of Pendleton in the Big XII finals. Askren is still working on scoring from his feet on a more consistent basis, but if he gets on top at any point, you might just want to give him the match. He is as good of a rider as there is in the country. Askren's confidence is sky high after winning the Big XII. Could it be high enough to see the "Hardware" briefcase make another appearance?    High-Impact Freshmen  Ben Askren (Missouri), Nick Roy (Michigan)    
NCAA Finals: Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State) vs. Ben Askren (Missouri)  
TheMat.com's Pick: Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State)  
All-American Dark Horse: Jon Duncombe (Minnesota)    
Projected Top 4 Seeds  1. Chris Pendleton, Oklahoma State  2. Brad Dillon, Lehigh  3. Tyler Nixt, Iowa  4. Eric Hauan, Northern Iowa    2004 Qualifiers (29)  1st ACC - Levi Craig (Duke)  1st Big Ten - Ryan Lange (Purdue)  2nd Big Ten - Tyler Nixt (Iowa)  3rd Big Ten - Pete Freidl (Illinois)  4th Big Ten - Jon Duncombe (Minnesota)  5th Big Ten - Brady Richardson (Indiana)  6th Big Ten - Ralph DeNisco (Wisconsin)  7th Big Ten - Nick Roy (Michigan)  1st Big XII - Ben Askren (Missouri)  2nd Big XII - Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State)  3rd Big XII - E.K. Waldhaus (Oklahoma)  1st CAA - Noel Thompson (Hofstra)  2nd CAA - Nick Kozar (Drexel)  1st East Region - Curtis Yeager (Millersville)  1st EIWA - Brad Dillon (Lehigh)  2nd EIWA - Andy Roy (Rutgers)  3rd EIWA - Matt Herrington (Pennsylvania)  4th EIWA - Tyler Baier (Cornell)  1st EWL - Nate Yetzer (Edinboro)  2nd EWL - Francis Iorfido (Pittsburgh)  3rd EWL - Matt Kallai (Cleveland State)  1st MAC - Ed Pawlak (Buffalo)  2nd MAC - Mitch Hancock (Central Michigan)  1st PAC-10 - Imad Kharbush (Stanford)  2nd PAC-10 - Jed Pennell (Oregon State)  3rd PAC-10 - Leonel Sanchez (Cal State-Fullerton)  1st Southern Conference - Keith Clifton (Citadel)  1st West Region - Eric Hauan (Northern Iowa)  2nd West Region - Tony Rubalcava (Fresno State)