No. 1 Iowa has won a school-record 51 consecutive dual meets. The last team to defeat Iowa was Oklahoma State on January 5, 2008. The Cowboys, who are ranked No. 3, have won nine of the last 10 meetings against the Hawkeyes. Last weekend, Iowa won its third straight NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals title, while Oklahoma State won the Virginia Duals.
Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of Saturday's dual meet.
Matchups are subject to change.
125: No. 9 Chris Notte (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 4 Matt McDonough (Iowa)
McDonough, an undefeated freshman with a record of 19-0, is wrestling with a lot of confidence right now. He won a Midlands title last month and then went 4-0 at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals last weekend, which included victories over No. 5 Andrew Long of Iowa State, No. 6 Zach Sanders of Minnesota, and No. 14 Alan Bartelli of Boise State. Notte, a returning NCAA qualifier, made the move down from 133 pounds to 125 pounds this season. He is 15-4 this season with his last loss coming to Anthony Robles in the semifinals of the Reno Tournament of Championships on December 20.
Bottom Line: With the way McDonough is wrestling right now, it would be surprising to see him lose this match, especially in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Notte, though, is a solid competitor and should be in the match. Looking at common opponents, McDonough defeated Minnesota's Zach Sanders, 6-4, while Notte lost to Sanders, 11-5.
Prediction: McDonough (Iowa) dec. Notte (Oklahoma)
133: No. 6 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) vs. Nate Moore (Iowa)
The expectations were very high for Oliver entering the season ... and the freshman has lived up to the hype. He is 17-2 this season with his only losses coming to No. 2 Jayson Ness and No. 5 Boris Novachkov of Cal Poly. Iowa has listed both Moore and Dennis as potential starters. Indications are that Moore will get the start over Dennis, who is recovering from an ankle injury and did not compete last weekend at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Moore, a two-time Iowa state champion with a prep record of 181-3, has done a nice job filling in for Dennis. He placed sixth at the Midlands, which included victories over No. 9 Scott Sentes of Central Michigan and No. 14 Matt Fisk of Lehigh.
Bottom Line: Two years ago, Oliver and Moore were two of the nation's top recruits from the Class of 2008. Both have progressed nicely after redshirt seasons and the expectations remain high for both wrestlers. This could potentially be a rivalry in the making ... if both stay in the same weight class in the coming years. Oliver is the pick, but expect it to be a very competitive match.
Prediction: Oliver (Oklahoma State) dec. Moore (Iowa)
141: No. 5 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 11 Montell Marion or Dan LeClere (Iowa)
Parks, an NCAA qualifier last season, has been solid for the Cowboys. He is 20-3 and won the Reno Tournament of Champions. The Hawkeyes are deep in this weight class with Marion, LeClere, and possibly Joe Slaton if he becomes eligible to compete. Marion is 16-4, while LeClere is 10-3. Marion defeated LeClere at the Midlands ... and then wrestled three of the four matches at the NWCA Cliff/Keen Matches, so it appears he has the upper hand.
Bottom Line: This is a crucial match for both teams. Parks defeated Marion, 11-5, at the 2007 Kaufman-Brand Open, but both have come a long way since that meeting. Marion was pinned in his last match against Minnesota's Mike Thorn, a wrestler Parks has beaten the past two seasons. Regardless of whether it's Marion or LeClere that gets the call for the Hawkeyes, Parks is the pick.
Prediction: Parks (Oklahoma State) dec. Marion (Iowa)
149: Quinten Fuentes (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa)
Metcalf is 19-0 and has picked up bonus points in 16 of his 19 matches. He has beaten four wrestlers ranked in the top 10, including No. 2 Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin, who he defeated 9-2 in the finals of the Midlands. Fuentes has stepped in for the injured Albert White, who may miss the remainder of the season. Fuentes has struggled with consistency this season. He won seven of his first nine matches this season, but has lost five of his last seven heading into Saturday's dual meet. His most notable win this season came against No. 16 Barrett Abel of UC Davis on December 18, but Abel came back to pin him last weekend at the Virginia Duals.
Bottom Line: Metcalf should dominate this match from start to finish. He won 20-8 over Fuentes last season. Expect a similar result on Saturday.
Prediction: Metcalf (Iowa) major dec. Fuentes (Oklahoma State)
157: No. 13 Neil Erisman (Oklahoma State) vs. Aaron Janssen or Jake Kerr (Iowa)
Erisman, a Big 12 runner-up last season, comes into Saturday's match with an 18-6 record. Last weekend, Erisman went 3-1 at the Virginia Duals, losing only to No. 6 Cyler Sanderson of Penn State, 5-4. The Hawkeyes have used both Janssen and Kerr in dual meets this season. Janssen went 3-0 at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals ... and will most likely get the start against Erisman.
Bottom Line: All six of Erisman's losses this season have come to wrestlers ranked above him, so he should be able to beat whoever Iowa puts out on the mat. No bonus points here.
Prediction: Erisman (Oklahoma State) dec. Janssen (Iowa)
165: No. 12 Alex Meade (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 3 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa)
Morningstar is 15-2 with both losses coming to Iowa State's Jon Reader in December. Morningstar came back to beat Reader last weekend at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Meade, a freshman, is 20-4 with his signature win coming against Minnesota's Dustin Schlatter on December 4. Two of his four losses have come to No. 8 Dan Vallimont of Penn State.
Bottom Line: Although Meade is a confident and talented freshman who should have a very successful career in a Cowboy singlet, it will be a tall order to go into Carver-Hawkeye Arena and beat the senior Morningstar. Both are tough to score on, so expect a tight, low-scoring match that could be decided by one takedown. Meade will be game, but Morningstar's big match experience could prove to be the difference.
Prediction: Morningstar (Iowa) dec. Meade (Oklahoma State)
174: No. 7 Mike Benefiel (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa)
Borschel is at the top of his game right now. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals after going 4-0 with wins over four ranked opponents. Not only has he been winning, but he has been putting a lot of points on the scoreboard. Benefiel was one of the nation's top recruits in 2007. He began his career at Northwestern, but some unfortunate circumstances led to Benefiel leaving the program in December of 2008. He enrolled at Oklahoma State in the fall. However, because of transfer rules, Benefiel was not eligible to compete for the Cowboys until mid-December. He has been impressive this season, going 24-1. He was name Outstanding Wrestler at the Reno Tournament of Champions.
Bottom Line: This is one of the most anticipated matches in the dual meet. Both wrestlers are hot and wrestling at a very high level right now. Benefiel, though, has yet to beat an opponent ranked in the top 10, while Borschel continues to knock off ranked opponent after ranked opponent. Benefiel certainly has the tools to win this match, but he has never been in an environment like he will see at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Prediction: Borschel (Iowa) dec. Benefiel (Oklahoma State)
184: No. 13 Clayton Foster (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 9 Phil Keddy (Iowa)
Keddy, a two-time All-American, has as many losses this season (five) as he had all of last season, but he has wrestled a brutal schedule, already facing five of the top 10 wrestlers in his weight class. He went 2-2 at the NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals last weekend, but both losses were in overtime ... one being a tiebreaker loss to No. 1 Kirk Smith of Boise State. Foster, who moved down from 197 pounds to 184 pounds, started the season with a bang, winning his first 10 before suffering an injury that kept him out of the Reno Tournament of Champions and two dual meets. He came back at the Virginia Duals last weekend, where he lost 9-3 to No. 12 David Erwin of Penn State.
Bottom Line: This could be a swing match in the dual meet. Neither wrestler is firing on all cylinders right now, which makes it difficult to predict. Keddy has not lost at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since February 17, 2008.
Prediction: Keddy (Iowa) dec. Foster (Oklahoma State)
197: No. 7 Alan Gelogaev (Oklahoma State) vs. Brodie Ambrose or Luke Lofthouse (Iowa)
Gelogaev was a bit of a phenomenon entering this season. He trained under Russian wrestling legend Buvaisar Saitiev in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia for five years before moving to the U.S. His wrestling resume is littered with impressive freestyle wrestling credentials, but he is still transitioning to folkstyle wrestling. He is currently 20-1 and ranked No. 7. The only blemish on his record came on December 1 against Oklahoma's Eric Lapotksy, a match he lost 10-4 and struggled mightily from the bottom position. Since then, Gelogaev has reeled off 11 straight victories, which includes a tournament title at the Reno Tournament of Champions, where he dominated the competition. With Chad Beatty out of the lineup for the Hawkeyes, either Ambrose or Lofthouse will get the call. Ambrose has yet to compete this season, while Lofthouse is 14-9.
Bottom Line: Gelogaev's confidence seems to be growing as he becomes more and more comfortable with folkstyle wrestling. Since the Reno Tournament of Championships, Gelogaev has completely crushed his competition. Oklahoma State will be looking for bonus points here.
Prediction: Gelogaev (Oklahoma State) major dec. Lofthouse (Iowa)
285: No. 1 Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State) vs. Blake Rasing or Jordan Johnson (Iowa)
Rosholt, a two-time All-American, is the No. 1 heavyweight in the country. He is currently 20-1 and has not lost since the first week of the season. He was dominant at the Virginia Duals last weekend, going 4-0 with three pins, which included a pin over No. 5 Zach Rey of Lehigh. Iowa starter Dan Erekson, a returning All-American, has been out all season, so Raising and Johnson have filled the void. Johnson is 11-2 with losses to No. 4 David Zabriskie of Iowa State (4-1) and No. 9 D.J. Russo of Rutgers (pinned). He scored a 3-2 victory over No. 10 Tucker Lane of Nebraska at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Rasing is 9-8 on the season, but has dropped seven of his last nine matches.
Bottom Line: Rosholt should win this match, but bonus points would be a surprise. Both of Iowa's reserve heavyweights have shown they can compete with the top heavyweights.
Prediction: Rosholt (Oklahoma State) dec. Johnson (Iowa)
Dual Meet Prediction: Iowa 16, Oklahoma State 16
This article also appears on the official site of the Big Ten Network.
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