This Week's Top B1G Dual Matchups

With the calendar turning to January, it marks the beginning of the Big Ten dual season. There are a total of eight Big Ten duals this week - two of which will be on the Big Ten Network. Refer to the Viewer Guide for details on when and how to watch. Intra-Big Ten clashes tend to make for some massive individual matchups and this week is no exception. We’ve combed through each of the prospective matchups from the eight B1G duals and found a bunch to focus on just a bit more than the others. Friday Michigan State at #13 Michigan 197: #21 Hayden Walters (Michigan) vs. #29 Kael Wisler Kael Wisler is off to a solid start to his 2025-26 campaign. He’s already amassed 16 wins and is coming off a fifth-place finish at the Southern Scuffle. Walters hasn’t competed since late November, but was starting to show why he was a highly sought-after recruit coming out of high school in Oregon. #24 Wisconsin at #4 Iowa The Badgers have flown under the radar a bit, but jump into the deep end of the Big Ten schedule with a dual at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This dual has a handful of intriguing bouts. 125: #6 Dean Peterson (Iowa) vs. #11 Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin) Dean Peterson has been as good as expected for the Hawkeyes with wins in seven of his first eight in the black and gold. His buzzer-beater against NCAA finalist Troy Spratley sparked the Hawkeyes against Oklahoma State. It’s one of two wins against returning AA’s fo Peterson. Nicolar Rivera has only lost once this season, as well. These two met last season in dual meet competition and Rivera got the 4-1 victory. 133: #4 Drake Ayala (Iowa) vs. #14 Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin) Even though both wrestlers have combined for five losses thus far in 2025-26, this is a rematch of the 2025 NCAA semifinals. In that meeting, Ayala got by Zan Fugitt by a 6-1 score. During their dual last season, Ayala posted a tech fall. 285: #5 Ben Kueter (Iowa) vs. #9 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) Hopefully, we’ll get to see this top ten clash. Ben Kueter has been out of action since the CyHawk Dual at the end of November. About a week before that, he notched a 2-0 win over ACC champion Dayton Pitzer. Braxton Amos has been on a roll, winning seven straight duals after a loss to top-ranked Yonger Bastita (Iowa State). For what it’s worth, Bastita nearly majored Kueter but beat Amos by a single point. Purdue at #6 Nebraska 165: #4 Joey Blaze (Purdue) vs. #8 LJ Araujo (Nebraska) It’s a huge match with undefeated Joey Blaze getting his stiffest test of the season in talented freshman LJ Araujo. After making the 157 lb finals last year, Blaze has yet to face an opponent ranked in the top ten in 2025-26. Though only a freshman, Araujo has already faced three top-ten foes (and picked up one win). #28 Maryland vs. Northwestern 133: #12 Braxton Brown (Maryland) vs. #23 Sean Spidle (Northwestern) We’ve got a pair of veterans who are in good form after quality showings at the holiday tournaments. Braxton Brown was a finalist at the Southern Scuffle and Sean Spidle was third at the Midlands. Despite having over 30-plus common opponents (per WrestleStat), these two veterans have never met head-to-head. Spidle qualified for his first national tournament last year at Central Michigan and Brown is a three-time qualifier. Saturday’s Duals #7 Minnesota at #11 Illinois 141: #11 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) vs. #13 Danny Pucino (Illinois) This will be a tiebreaker between these two veterans. The pair have met twice during their careers and split matches against each other. Pucino picked up an 8-5 victory in the 2023-24 regular season and Vombaur evened the score a month later at the Big Ten Championships. Since that point, Vombaur has gone on to place eighth at the last two NCAA Tournaments. 285: #10 Koy Hopke (Minnesota) vs. #13 Luke Luffman (Illinois) It’s a redshirt freshman against a sixth-year senior, something’s gotta give! Koy Hopke was a massive signee for the Gophers in the Class of 2024 (literally and figuratively). He did compete collegiately last season, but has hit the ground running in 2025-26. Hopke is fresh off a title at the Soldier Salute. Luffman was banged up at the Journeymen Duals and had to injury default in his second bout, so hopefully it isn’t serious. #14 Rutgers vs. #1 Penn State Fifth-ranked 141 lber Joey Olivieri wasn’t mentioned in the pre-match notes, so he might not compete for the Scarlet Knights this weekend. 133: #5 Marcus Blaze (Penn State) vs. #24 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) Dylan Shawver had a tough run of things at the Midlands placing seventh and losing a pair of matches, including one via tech fall to freshman sensation Aaron Seidel. He’ll have to contend with another red-hot freshman in Marcus Blaze. Blaze has yet to lose while at Penn State and hasn’t been kept from scoring bonus points in any of his first ten contests. 174: #1 Levi Haines (Penn State) vs. #9 Lenny Pinto (Rutgers) We’ve got the third meeting in two seasons between Levi Haines and Lenny Pinto. Last year, Haines won their dual meet by a 9-2 decision. At the time, it was Haines’ only win that didn’t feature bonus points. Later in the season, at the Big Ten finals, Haines was able to get to major decision territory with a 12-1 victory. #23 Indiana at #2 Ohio State 125: #3 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) vs. #12 Jacob Moran (Indiana) This is kinda, sorta a matchup between undefeated wrestlers. Moran is unbeaten and “technically,” Bouzakis is as well, after losing to teammate Brendan McCrone early in the season. The Buckeyes lightweights have ambushed the competition all season and Bouzakis is a big reason why. He has two techs and a fall in his five duals. Although he’s undefeated, Moran has yet to face a top-20 opponent. Moran has been pushed to extra time twice this year. If the Buckeye staff chooses to send out McCrone, Moran is 2-0 career against him. 165: #19 Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) vs. #20 Tyler Lillard (Indiana) Here’s a matchup between wrestlers right next to each other in the rankings. Surprisingly enough, the only meeting between Paddy Gallagher and Tyler Lillard took place at the 2025 Big Ten Championships. I might have expected more matches. Also surprising that they combined for 11 total points in Gallagher’s win. Each is generally difficult to score on and both are no strangers to overtime. #28 Maryland at #24 Wisconsin 133: #12 Braxton Brown (Maryland) vs. #14 Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin) Even though Zan Fugitt is a returning NCAA fourth-place finisher, he has a losing career record against Braxton Brown. Ok, it’s only 0-1, but it’s a big 0-1. Brown majored Fugitt in their 2025 dual. Brown and the rest of his lightweights took four of five matches from Wisconsin opponents and pushed the Terps past the Badgers, 25-13. 149: #14 Carter Young (Maryland) vs. #17 Joe Zargo (Wisconsin) What a Maryland debut for Oklahoma State transfer Carter Young! He knocked off the #4 wrestler in the country and advanced to the Scuffle semifinals before medically forfeiting. Joe Zargo has been very solid for the Badgers himself. He’s only tasted defeat once this season, in week two. With a wide-open 149 lb weight class, a win boosts either wrestler close to the top ten.

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