I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Part 3) - Mat Stats Ep. 56

Episode 56 of The Mat Stats Show wraps up the three-part deep dive into the three-point takedown rule with Glenn Gormley, Kevin Hazard and Jason Bryant taking the research down to the round-by-round and weight-by-weight level. Using six NCAA Division I Championships worth of data before and after the rule change, the crew looks at how scoring changes as the tournament progresses, why early rounds heavily influence the numbers, and what the data says about parity across the bracket. One consistent trend: as the rounds advance, scoring, margin of victory, majors, techs and pins all decrease as the competition tightens.  Episode 56 Slideshow: https://www.mattalkonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/sildeshow56.pdf  The show also dives into how different weight classes compare statistically. Some long-held wrestling stereotypes take a hit, including the old “heavyweight is always 1-0 or a pin” mentality. The numbers actually show a moderate positive correlation between weight and margin of victory, along with more majors and tech falls in the upper weights than many fans might expect. The group also gets into statistical anomalies, including why 125 pounds was the only weight class to see a scoring decrease after the three-point takedown rule went into effect and whether individual wrestlers can skew the numbers over time.  Outside the takedown discussion, the episode touches on the continued growth of college wrestling programs, recognition for longtime wrestling contributors Steve Cole and Nate Naasz, and a broader conversation about the NCAA’s proposed eligibility model changes and how sport-specific structures — especially in wrestling and hockey — could be affected. Episode 56 closes the book on the three-point takedown series, but leaves plenty of future rabbit holes open as more years of data continue to build on the trends Mat Stats has uncovered.About Mat Stats Welcome to the NWCA’s latest venture to help our favorite sport. Glenn Gormley, Jason Bryant and Kevin Hazard outline their effort to bring statistical analysis to wrestling. Mat Stats is the NWCA’s attempt to bring wrestling up to speed with so many other sports by incorporating stats. It is the same sport, the wrestlers are just older and better.Mat Stats by the NWCA is a monthly podcast by the National Wrestling Coaches Association Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio | Podcast Addict | Castbox | RSS