InterMat will be providing a live blog throughout the two-day event for fans to follow the action and interact. The semifinals and finals will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, with those rounds starting at 1 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. ET respectively on Monday.
Below is look at the round-by-round matchups, along with predictions for each round.
Preliminary Round: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
No. 17 North Dakota State vs. Chattanooga
Third-year head coach Roger Kish has made NDSU a nationally relevant program in a short period of time. The Bison defeated Oregon State on Jan. 19 and had a close loss to Wisconsin two weeks ago. Chattanooga comes in with a 15-5 dual meet record and riding an eight-match winning streak. Heath Eslingler's Mocs could match NDSU from 125 pounds to 157 pounds, but the Bison are too strong in the back half of their lineup. The marquee match will take place at 165 pounds between No. 3 Steven Monk of NDSU and No. 9 Corey Mock of Chattanooga.
Bottom Line: NDSU's strength in the upperweights will be the difference.
Dual Meet Prediction: North Dakota State 24, Chattanooga 9
No. 16 Iowa State vs. Kent State
This dual meet has the potential to be very competitive. Both teams are coming off road dual meet losses at No. 4 Northern Iowa. Iowa State fell 24-13 to UNI last Saturday, while Kent State lost on criteria, 19-18, to the Panthers on Sunday. Kent State will be without 13th-ranked 184-pounder Sam Wheeler, who was suspended from the team indefinitely. However, fourth-ranked Ian Miller (157) is expected to be back in the lineup for the Golden Flashes, which will be a big boost to Jim Andrassy's squad.
Bottom Line: I see a 5-5 split in this dual meet, with the Cyclones getting one more bonus point than the Golden Flashes to win the dual meet.
Dual Meet Prediction: Iowa State 17, Kent State 16
No. 13 Ohio State vs. Hofstra
The storyline in this dual meet is Ohio State coach Tom Ryan coaching against the team he coached for 11 seasons prior to arriving in Columbus, Hofstra. The Buckeyes are loaded with talent, even with four of their better wrestlers redshirting. Hofstra has four ranked wrestlers, including No. 9 Luke Vaith (141). Unfortunately for the Pride, getting a win from Vaith seems very unlikely as he will face two-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber of Ohio State.
Bottom Line: The Buckeyes have too much firepower for the Pride. I'll give Hofstra wins at 125 pounds (tossup match) and 165 pounds, but that's it.
Dual Meet Prediction: Ohio State 26, Hofstra 6
Preliminary Round: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET
No. 11 Oklahoma vs. Bloomsburg
Oklahoma has a tough and balanced lineup, but has battled injuries of late. Starters Jarrod Patterson (125), Justin DeAngelis (157), and Danny Chaid (184) have been out of the Sooner lineup, which has led to two dual meet losses since Jan. 30. The Sooners were thumped by Oklahoma State on Sunday after defeating the Cowboys earlier in the season. Patterson and Chaid are not expected to compete at the National Duals, but indications are that DeAngelis will be back in Mark Cody's lineup on Sunday. Bloomsburg, under the guidance of first-year head coach Jason Mester, comes in with a record of 8-6. The Huskies, winners of three straight, have four ranked wrestlers, with Richard Perry (197) being their highest ranked wrestler at No. 6. Perry will have key match against No. 5 Travis Rutt. Perry's only loss this season came to Rutt, 8-2, at the Brockport/Oklahoma Invitational. Another interesting match will take place at 149 pounds between Bloomsburg's Bryce Busler (149) and Oklahoma's Kendric Maple. Busler defeated Maple in sudden victory at the Brockport/Oklahoma Invitational.
Bottom Line: I have Oklahoma winning seven matches, including four straight from 133 pounds through 157 pounds. Bloomsburg should stay competitive, and if they can pull a couple upsets, they could make it interesting.
Dual Meet Prediction: Oklahoma 19, Bloomsburg 12
No. 19 Illinois vs. Central Michigan
Illinois has battled inconsistency in dual meets this season, but injuries have contributed to it. Two-time NCAA qualifier Mario Gonzalez (197) has wrestled in only one dual meet since the Midlands, and suffered an injury in his return on Feb. 1. The Illini have a nice mix of underclassmen and upperclassmen. Jesse Delgado is ranked third, Gonzalez is seventh, and four others are ranked 13th. Tom Borrelli's Central Michigan squad is .500 this season (8-8), but is going through a tough stretch, having dropped three of their last four dual meets. The Chippewas fell to Eastern Michigan on Thursday night. CMU had won the previous 22 meeting against EMU. The Chippewas have four ranked wrestlers, but none ranked in the top eight.
Bottom Line: I'll take Illinois to win six matches, but don't see many bonus point opportunities for either team.
Dual Meet Prediction: Illinois 18, Central Michigan 12
No. 18 Virginia Tech vs. Oregon State
Virginia Tech suffered a major blow earlier this season when All-American Devin Carter (141) was lost for the season due to injury. But you would never know it looking at their 15-3 dual meet record. The Hokies lack the firepower without Carter to be a strong NCAA tournament team in March, but Kevin Dresser has a balanced lineup that is capable of competing with top dual meet teams. Expectations were high for Oregon State coming into this season, but the Beavers have not been able to hit their stride. All three of Oregon State's All-Americans -- Scott Sakaguchi (149), R.J. Pena (157), and Taylor Meeks (197) -- have struggled with consistency this season. The Beavers are coming off a surprise dual meet loss to Arizona State.
Bottom Line: It's difficult to predict what will happen in this dual meet. I have each team winning five matches, but Oregon State winning the bonus point battle.
Dual Meet Prediction: Oregon State 19, Virginia Tech 17
Quarterfinals: Sunday, 7 p.m. ET
No. 1 Minnesota vs. No. 17 North Dakota State
This dual meet between schools from neighboring states has plenty of storylines. NDSU's head coach Roger Kish and assistant coach Manny Rivera were All-Americans for Minnesota. Current Gopher All-American Scott Schiller (197) is expected to battle high school (West Fargo, N.D.) teammate Tyler Lehmann, who originally committed to Minnesota. However, despite some interesting storylines, Minnesota should roll to a relatively easy victory. Don't be surprised if the Gophers wrestle a reserve or two in this dual meet.
Bottom Line: NDSU should get a win from Steven Monk (165) -- and might be able to steal another win somewhere -- but the Gophers have too much firepower for the upstart Bison.
Dual Meet Prediction: Minnesota 30, North Dakota State 6
No. 13 Ohio State vs. No. 16 Iowa State
The match at 125 between Ohio State's Nick Roberts and Iowa State's Earl Hall is a key match in the dual meet. It's not only a tossup match on paper, but could set the tone for the dual meet. Roberts edged Hall, 4-3, at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The premier match of the dual meet will take place at 197, where top-ranked Kyven Gadson of Iowa State will wrestle No. 8 Nick Heflin of Ohio State in a battle of All-Americans.
Bottom Line: The Buckeyes should get bonus points at 133 pounds and 141 pounds, which could make it tough for the Cyclones to pull out the victory. ISU will need to win the tossup matches and pull an upset to have a chance.
Dual Meet Prediction: Ohio State 22, Iowa State 12
No. 11 Oklahoma vs. No. 19 Illinois
This will be a battle of top teams that have battled injuries. The Sooners have a stronger NCAA tournament team, but the Illini might have a slightly more balanced lineup at this point in the season. There are several key matches in the dual meet. Both teams will look to their NCAA champions for bonus points (Delgado for Illinois, Maple and Howe for Oklahoma). Mario Gonzalez could be the X factor. If he's unable to wrestle, the Sooners could get bonus points at 197 pounds.
Bottom Line: This dual meet is virtually a tossup on paper.
Dual Meet Prediction: Oklahoma 19, Illinois 18
No. 5 Cornell vs. Oregon State
Cornell will be prohibitive favorites at 125, 133, and 141. The matches at 149 and 157 could be considered tossups as both teams have ranked wrestlers in those two weight classes. Cornell should get wins at 165 and 184 from their freshmen Dylan Palacio and Gabe Dean. Oregon State has ranked wrestlers at 197 and 285.
Bottom Line: Cornell is certainly favored based on matchups, but Oregon State could make it a competitive dual meet if they wrestle well.
Dual Meet Prediction: Cornell 25, Oregon State 9
Semifinals: Monday, 1 p.m. ET
No. 1 Minnesota vs. No. 13 Ohio State
Interestingly, if these two Big Ten wrestling powers meet in the semifinals on Monday, it will be their first and only meeting of the season. Both teams are loaded with ranked wrestlers. Minnesota has eight wrestlers ranked in the top eight. Ohio State has six ranked wrestlers, with two ranked in the top eight. Six of the 10 matches will pit two ranked wrestlers against each other. The Gophers will be favored in every match from 149 through 285. The Buckeyes will need to win all the matches from 125 to 141, find bonus points, and then steal two matches from 149 through 285.
Bottom Line: The Buckeyes need virtually everything go right in order to be in a position to upset the Gophers. Minnesota's upperweights should seal the dual meet victory.
Dual Meet Prediction: Minnesota 24, Ohio State 10
No. 5 Cornell vs. No. 11 Oklahoma
This dual meet is about as even on paper as you can get. Cornell will be favored at 125, 141, 157, 165, and 184. Oklahoma will be favored in the other five weight classes. If everything goes according to projections, it will come down to bonus points. Both teams have potential for bonus points, especially with their No. 1-ranked wrestlers.
Bottom Line: An upset will likely swing this dual meet. If there are none -- or it's even -- then it comes down to bonus points, in which case I would give the Big Red the edge.
Dual Meet Prediction: Cornell 19, Oklahoma 17
Third-Place: Monday, 4 p.m. ET
No. 11 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Ohio State
Like with the Minnesota meet, Ohio State will likely need to win all the matches from 125 through 141, and get some bonus points, to have a chance. The match at 133 is an intriguing one, pitting No. 7 Cody Brewer of Oklahoma against No. 9 Johnni DiJulius of Ohio State. DiJulius pinned Brewer in 45 seconds at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. DiJulius, though, has taken a couple losses since then, which has caused him to slide a bit in the rankings. Another key match will be at 197 between All-Americans Travis Rutt of Oklahoma and Nick Heflin of Ohio State.
Bottom Line: Oklahoma should take the dual meet if things play out as expected.
Dual Meet Prediction: Oklahoma 23, Ohio State 12
Championship: Monday, 4 p.m. ET
No. 1 Minnesota vs. No. 5 Cornell
It could be argued that there are six matches in this dual meet that could go either way. Nahshon Garrett (125) will look to give the Big Red bonus points against one of Minnesota's two unranked wrestlers. Minnesota is slightly favored (based on rankings) in the four matches following 125. If Cornell can get a split in those four matches, Rob Koll's squad would be in a position to potentially knock off the Gophers. Minnesota is favored in the three of the last five matches.
Bottom Line: This has the potential to be a barnburner. On paper, you have to favor Minnesota, but don't count out Cornell.
Dual Meet Prediction: Minnesota 18, Cornell 13
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