Preview: OSU vs. Iowa (Wrestling)

Photo Attribution: US Presswire

This is a guest post by Nick Isburgh (@nisburgh) on tomorrow’s wrestle with Iowa.

Vitals

Start: 2:00 PM
Location: Stillwater, OK (Gallagher-Iba Arena)
Television: None
Radio: 93.7 KSPI-FM (Roger Moore & Rex Holt)
Live Results: okstate.com
Live Internet Video: okstate.tv

Records

Cowboys – 7-0
Hawkeyes – 13-0

Best win

Cowboys – Minnesota (#4)
Hawkeyes – Ohio State (#5)

InterMatWrestle.com ranking

Cowboys – #2
Hawkeyes – #3

Three things to watch

1. How good are we? – Oklahoma State has had a great season so far, but Iowa’s has been comparative, if not better, than OSU’s so far. Although OSU has had to deal with some injuries and the growth of a young team, OSU has, for the most part, found its identity, and will find out how tough the lineup is from top to bottom tomorrow when it is back at full strength with Rosholt (197) coming back from a high ankle sprain.

2. Big match-ups and momentum – For most of the wrestlers in this dual, they will be facing the marquee opponent for the year, and the most important matches of their season. A lot of this dual is going to depend on momentum, but after a handy win at Ohio State and getting ripped into by Coach Brands, I would look for the Hawkeyes to be desperate to impress Coach Brands and for the toughness-style Hawkeyes to make some mistakes against the technique-style of the Cowboys.

3. Important matches – Based on InterMatWrestle.com rankings and history, a few matches should (should) be more interesting than others with NCAA rankings at stake:

125 – Klimara (NR) vs Matt McDonough (#1)
McDonough is no surprise here. He has been at the top of the weight class for several years and is a hammer on top. Expect Iowa to get a good start to the dual here.
Prediction: 2nd period pin McDonough

133 – Morrison (#5) vs Tony Ramos (#2)
If Morrison is going to win, it’s going to be because he beats Ramos on his
feet. Morrison is better than Ramos in the neutral position, but Ramos beat Oliver last year in SV, so he should have the confidence in this match.
Prediction: 5-4 Ramos

141 – Julian Feikert (NR) vs Mark Ballweg (#9)
After a hot start to the season by Feikert, he has cooled off. This looks to be his last chance to prove himself as a contender this season. Look for a solid match in front of the home crowd. Should be a close one.
Prediction: 7-5 Ballweg

149 – Jordan Oliver (#1) vs Mike Kelly (#19)
Look for a smooth match to kill some of Iowa’s momentum here. Should see a takedown clinic and to match Iowa’s #1 wrestler (McDonough).
Prediction: 2nd period pin Oliver

157 – Alex Dieringer (#9) vs Derek St. John (#1)
This is the match where Dieringer has the ability to cement his legacy at OSU. We could be watching one of the all-time greats here. If Dieringer finds another way to score besides the fireman’s carry, he should be able to win this match, but it’s hard to root against the #1 wrestler in the nation.
Prediction: 8-3 St. John

165 – Tyler Caldwell (#3) vs Nick Moore (#19)
Look for a dominant performance by Caldwell. We really need bonus points here, and I think Caldwell will have the ability to do it with his strength and riding ability. A couple takedowns, a turn, and riding time should do the trick.
Prediction: 11-3 Caldwell

174 – Perry (#1) vs Mike Evans (#6)
Evans is coming off a huge upset against #2 ranked Nick Heflin of Ohio State and a pin to Welch of Purdue. However, his scrappiness plays right into the strength of Chris Perry. Expect good leg attacks and a sense of dominance from Chris Perry in this match.
Prediction: 11-3 Perry

184 – Chris Chionuma (#12) vs Ethen Lofthouse (#9)
This is a toss-up match with each side having the ability to easily win, but after watching Ed Ruth for a weekend, I would be surprised if you didn’t see a slight change in the way Chewy carries himself on the mat…more like a champion! He has the speed, power, and technique superior to Lofthouse and it should be in the 3rd period with a comeback-upset-win.
Prediction: 4-3 Chionuma

197 – Blake Rosholt (#5) vs Nathan Burak (NR)
After being out for several weeks with a high ankle sprain, Rosholt should come back with a bang. In a tight match he should use his outside leg attacks and mat wrestling to take advantage of the stronger and slower Burak, who upset #9 Campolattano of Ohio State two weeks ago.
Prediction: 7-4 Rosholt

HWT – Alan Gelogaev (#3) vs Bobby Telford (#6)
After being ranked 3 & 4 respectively all season, this highly anticipated match-up should come down to the big move…whether or not it happens. Z is always fun to watch, and with or without the match wrapped up by now, look for a fast start and big move in this match to be the difference.
Prediction: 4-2 Gelogaev

Predictions

Cowboys 23-15