125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184

The talk is almost over as we are just days away from competition at the 2015 Defense Soap & Flips Wrestling Southern Scuffle.  TheSouthernScuffle.com analyzed eight of the 10 brackets and wraps up its #LetsScuffle previews with today's look at the big boys at 197 and heavyweight.

Both NCAA Champions and another current No. 1 are included in these weights, guaranteeing that the exciting action will run all of the way through the second day. 

Don't forget that tickets are on sale now and lower bowl seating is reserved.  Be sure to get your tickets close to the action here before they sell out.  If you can't make the trip, Flowrestling and Trackwrestling are both providing complete coverage of every single match.  Links for live scoring and live video are available on www.TheSouthernScuffle.com .

Missouri sophomore J'den Cox won the NCAA title at 197 last season, and he is not even the highest ranked in the field this week.  That distinction belongs to Iowa State senior Kyven Gadsen, who is currently No. 1 at 197.

Cox brings a 14-0 record and is No. 3 in the latest Intermat rankings.  He finished third a year ago, while Gadsen was runner-up.  These two met in last year's semifinals, with Gadsen scoring a 3-1 win in overtime. 

All totaled, there are four of the top five 197-pounders here.  Penn State junior Morgan McIntosh is fourth in the country and finished fourth at last year's Scuffle, while Duke junior Conner Hartman is fifth and placed sixth in 2013.

“When you look up and down the brackets, having four of the top five and a national champion who isn't even ranked No. 1 tells you that the fiercest battles are probably going to take place at 197,” stated University of Tennessee at Chattanooga head coach Heath Eslinger.  “I think people want to see a Gadsen-Cox matchup, but I am looking forward to a number of possible head-to-heads in this bracket.  It will be a lot of fun to see how this one plays out.” 

Pittsburgh junior Nick Bonaccorsi is another top 10 guy in the field.  He is No. 9 this week and placed sixth at last year's tournament.  Cornell senior Jace Bennett is another returner who has stood on the podium.  He is No. 18 and looks to improve on back-to-back seventh place showings the last two seasons. 

There are four others ranked in the 197 field, including No. 12 Max Hundley (Sr. – Michigan), No. 15 Elliot Riddick (So. – Lehigh), No. 16 Zach Nye (Jr. – Virginia) and No. 19 Shane Woods (Sr. – Wyoming).  That's 10 of the top 20 in the 197 bracket.

Chattanooga sophomore Scottie Boykin looks to crash the party, based on some strong results heading into the event.  His recent hot streak started with a 6-4 overtime win over then –No. 8 Braden Atwood in the dual against Purdue on Dec. 12.  He followed that with a 6-4 decision against North Carolina's Chip Ness and an 8-6 victory over Old Dominion's Kevin Beasley in his last outing on Dec. 20.

“Scottie has been putting in the work and has seen some very good results,” stated Eslinger.  “He finished third at the Hokie Open and has competed hard against every ranked guy he has faced.  I expect him to do well this week.”

Junior Clay Dent will also take the mat for the Mocs at 197. 

N.C. State junior Nick Gwiazdowski is an NCAA Champion and runner-up at the 2014 Scuffle.

The heavyweights feature a national champ, two All-Americans and eight of the top 20.  N.C. State junior Nick Gwiazdowski is a two-time All-American who won the NCAA heavyweight championship last season.  He was runner-up at the Scuffle and placed third in 2013. 

“It's funny when you think about it, but three guys last year were runners-up or finished third at the Scuffle and went on to win a national title,” said Eslinger.  “That just shows you how tough this tournament really is.  I think you are definitely going to see that with the heavyweights.” 

Oklahoma State junior All-American Austin Marsden may be Gwiazdowski's toughest competition.  He is 8-0 this season and No. 4 in the rankings.  He placed fifth at last year's Scuffle. 

Two other strong contenders are No. 6 Jimmy Lawson (Sr. – Penn State) and No. 8 Adam Coon (So. – Michigan). Lawson was third at last year's Scuffle and seventh in 2013.  He beat Marsden 3-2 in overtime in the quarterfinals.  Coon carries a 12-0 record with four pins into the tournament.   

Penn State senior Jon Gingrich was sixth in 2014 while Virginia junior Ethan Hayes was seventh.  Other ranked heavyweights in the field include No. 14 Collin Jensen (So. – Nebraska), No. 16 Tanner Harms (Jr. – Wyoming), No. 19 Riley Shaw (Jr. – Cleveland State) and No. 20 Joe Stolfi (Sr. – Bucknell).

Chattanooga's up-and-coming sophomore Jared Johnson represents the Mocs at heavyweight.  He moved up from 197 this season and is a solid 13-4 overall.  He finished fifth in the Fr.-So. draw at the Hokie Open and is the current Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week.  He has three wins in a row, including a 2-0 decision over Old Dominion's then-No. 18 Jacob Henderson on Dec. 20. 

“Jared has been tough lately,” added Eslinger.  “He has shut out his last two opponents and has wins in six of his last seven matches.  We moved him up to heavyweight and he is getting more comfortable and more confident with each match.  He beat a ranked guy in his last match and has shown he is capable of pulling off a big win.”

The 2015 Defense Soap and Flips Wrestling Southern Scuffle takes place at the McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Jan. 1-2.  For tickets, local attractions and hotel information, visit TheSouthernScuffle.com.

Flowrestling and Trackwrestling provide complete coverage of the event through live video and live scoring.  Links for both are on TheSouthernScuffle.com.

Once again, the official hashtag of the Southern Scuffle is #LetsScuffle.  Last year, the tournament trended nationally on social media.  Be sure to use the #LetsScuffle hashtag when tweeting about the 2015 tournament.

All of the #LetsScuffle previews are based on probable lineups.  Additions and scratches can be made up to the start of the tournament.  Check back to TheSouthernScuffle.com tomorrow for tournament pre-seeds.