"We've got four freshmen, they're gonna have to win tough matches" - OSU coach John Smith on upcoming NCAA Wrestling Championships

John Smith, the head coach of Oklahoma State University (OSU), believes the draws are tough. The NCAA released seedings and brackets for the NCAA Championships in Kansas City on Wednesday.

Smith has 10 of his starters seeded in the bracket, including five top-10 seeds. He said they have had a good regular season, but they still need to perform. The coach said:

"I don't think it's gonna be any different than Big 12s. We're gonna have to win tough matches. We've got four freshmen, and they're gonna have to go win tough matches." (OColly)

Smith said it's going to take three days for the team to do good. He explained:

"Three days of possibly having to win some one-, two- and three-point matches, probably a lot of them. The good thing is we have some experience, and we have some guys that are going to have to make their experience." (OSU)

The legendary coach expects a good tournament from the team and that it's going to be tough to beat or defeat his wrestlers.

John Smith didn't expect the Cowboys to be defeated

Coach John Smith was surprised when the Cowboys lost to Hawkeyes.

Smith, 58, was taken by surprise when the Cowboys were defeated by the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Gallagher-Iba Arena last month. He said:

"I wasn't expecting that, that's for damn sure."

The Cowboys' coach added:

"Just not great effort. Wasn't enough." (The Oklahoman)

Smith said there was a lot of fight in Iowa, and the team could have made the difference but the opponent won. He said the Cowboys need more intensity:

"The intensity wasn't there. The shot ratio wasn't there. They were taking the shots and we were defending."

Although the coach expressed his disappointment as the team failed to perform, he is positive that they will do better. He commended Iowa for doing a little bit more:

"That was the difference in the score. Just not great effort. It'll be easy for me to move forward... they're gonna learn. They're competitors."

Now, Smith is gearing the Cowboys for the Big 12 Championships and wants the team to learn some lessons, go big, and perform their best