The Cowboys opened up the 2018 NCAA tournament with Joe Smith getting a 10-5 decision over Tyler Morland. This set up the most anticipated match of the first round between Smith and No. 1 seed Alex Marinelli of Iowa.
In the match with Marinelli, Joe looked great early, He picked up two first period takedowns against Marinelli, something that hasn’t happened all season to Marinelli. In fact he’s never been taken down twice in a match all season. Joe took bottom in the second period and simply couldn’t get away. This completely shifted the match back to Marinelli, who picked up a takedown in the third which, along with riding time, gave him a 7-4 win over Smith.