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    Oklahoma State to face Northern Iowa

    Oklahoma State is making its 16th appearance in the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, having won the title eight times. The Cowboys will open with host Northern Iowa on Saturday at 9 a.m. OSU is 18-2 all-time against the Panthers, and it has won the last nine meetings in the series. The last UNI victory came during the 1990-91 season. OSU owns a 55-8 all-time record at the National Duals, and it has met Northern Iowa once, winning 28-10 in a first round match in 2003. The Cowboys have won three of the last four duals' titles, last winning it in 2005. Oklahoma State faces a tough road to claim its ninth National Duals title. Should the Cowboys advance past Northern Iowa, a possible matchup with fifth-ranked Iowa looms. OSU would then have to post an upset over top-ranked Missouri to reach the finals. In the finals, the likely opponent could be second-ranked Minnesota, who defeated OSU back on Dec. 6, or third-ranked Hofstra, who has previously defeated Minnesota. All matches will be broadcast live by KSPI 93.7 FM, unless there is a conflict with Cowboy basketball and the broadcast will be switched to 780 AM. Rex Holt and Roger Moore will be providing the commentary for all of the wrestling action.

    Last Time Out

    The Cowboys traveled to Texas to take part in the Lone Star Duals, where OSU went 3-0. The Cowboys breezed past Air Force and Army by scores of 40-5 and 32-7, respectively. The Cowboys received a stiff test from the Naval Academy, before eventually pulling it out, 19-17. Brandon Mason went 3-0 on the day with a fall, technical fall and a decision over eighth-ranked Matt Stolpinski of Navy. Johny Hendricks went 2-0 with a fall and a major decision. B.J. Jackson went 2-1 in his first action since injuring his knee in the season opener. Coleman Scott and Jared Rosholt also posted falls for the Cowboys on the day.

    Scouting the Field

    The top nine teams in the country will all be competing for the 18th NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals title. Overall, the field includes 13 of the top 20 teams in the nation and all five schools represented by the Big 12. Missouri comes in as the top seed after having defeated Minnesota in the Southern Scuffle during the holiday break. Minnesota is the No. 2 seed and has handed Oklahoma State its only loss, while Hofstra is the No. 3 seed after handing Minnesota its only loss. Four of the five Big 12 schools are seeded. The best first-round match is Oklahoma vs. Central Michigan. The Sooners are seeded seventh, while CMU is not seeded but is ranked ninth in the latest coaches' poll. The Chippewas have already defeated Oklahoma State this season in the Reno Tournament of Champions. Unseeded Michigan is also capable of making a run. The Wolverines are ranked 11th and face No. 6 Iowa State in their first match. Oklahoma State has won more National Duals titles than any other team with eight, including three of the last four. Minnesota has won four, while rival Iowa has won three titles. Those three schools have three of the top five seeds in the tournament. Top-seeded Missouri has made one appearance in the finals in 2004, where it lost to OSU.

    Hendricks, Outstanding Wrestler

    Johny Hendricks dominated the field at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Hendricks posted five major decisions and a fall for the tournament to earn Outstanding Wrestler. For the season, Hendricks is 17-0 and has recorded bonus points in 15 of his 17 matches. He has recorded six falls and nine major decisions this season. Hendricks followed it up by being named the Division I Outstanding Wrestler for the upper weights at the Lone Star Duals. He won the award after recording a fall and a major decision against Army and Navy.

    Mason Faces Bumpy Road

    Sophomore Brandon Mason started the season off with a big victory over fourth-ranked Ken Cook of Cal-Davis. It started a five-match winning streak, but Mason wore out at the UNO Open and turned right around to lose five straight to even his record at 5-5. Mason has now won 10 of his last 11 matches with two falls, a technical fall and three major decisions. During the streak, he has defeated a pair of wrestlers ranked in the top 10 in Oregon State's No. 7 Jeremy Larson and eighth-ranked Matt Stolpinski of Navy.
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