About this episode

Episode 54 discusses the impact of the three-point takedown rule on NCAA wrestling, analyzing data from recent championships.

Episode 54 of The Mat Stats Show gets back into the speakeasy with Jason Bryant shaking off 25 days, seven countries, two continental championships, 66 medal ceremonies and whatever number of anthems came through Kyrgyzstan and the Balkans. Jason, Kevin Hazard and Glenn Gormley start with a quick look at April in wrestling, including the U.S. Open, high schoolers making noise at the senior level and the fact that wrestling no longer just disappears after the NCAA Division I Championships. The main topic kicks off a three-part Mat Stats series on the three-point takedown rule. Glenn breaks down six years of NCAA Division I Championship data — 2021-23 under the two-point takedown and 2024-26 under the three-point takedown — with 3,659 matches analyzed. The first takeaway: takedowns per minute are down 7.18 percent since the rule change. Scoring moves overall are also down, while stalling and penalties were the only scoring category to increase. That doesn’t automatically mean the rule change is good or bad, but it does give the crew plenty to dig into. Takedowns now account for nearly 59 percent of all points scored, and takedowns plus escapes make up almost 83 percent of the…

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