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    Andrew Hipps •

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    Ten matchups to keep an eye on this weekend

    There are several intriguing matchups in Division I that are expected to happen this weekend. Below are 10 matchups to keep an eye on this weekend.

    No. 11. Darius Little (North Carolina State) vs. No. 13 Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State)
    Weight Class: 141
    When: Friday
    Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena (Stillwater, Okla.)

    Oklahoma State's Josh Kindig is ranked No. 13 at 141 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Why it's intriguing: Little has been on a tear lately, and Kindig is a potential All-American who will need to perform well for Oklahoma State to be in the NCAA title hunt. These two wrestlers met last season during a regular season dual meet, with Kindig winning that match 4-0. Little had an impressive Southern Scuffle, where he finished second and had a win in the quarterfinals over Minnesota's Nick Dardanes, a wrestler who defeated Kindig earlier this season. Kindig has been a hot and cold wrestler this season. Last Friday Kindig suffered a loss to unranked Nathan Hoffer of Arizona State, but came back two days later to win by major decision over Iowa State's Luke Goettl, a nationally ranked wrestler who was coming off a win over then-No. 1 Kendric Maple of Oklahoma.

    No. 4 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) vs. No. 5 Ben Bennett (Central Michigan)
    Weight Class: 184
    When: Friday
    Where: McGuirk Arena (Mount Pleasant, Mich.)

    Why it's intriguing: It's a rematch of the Midlands championship match at 184 pounds, a match won by Hamlin, 5-2. Both are returning All-Americans (Bennett placed eighth at 174 pounds, Hamlin was an NCAA runner-up at 184 pounds.) Hamlin and Bennett have a combined record of 39-3 this season. This match could prove to be critical for seeding at the NCAAs in seven weeks.

    No. 7 Eric Grajales (Michigan) vs. No. 11 Dylan Ness (Minnesota)
    Weight Class: 149
    When: Friday
    Where: Sports Pavilion (Minneapolis, Minn.)

    Michigan's Eric Grjales has a 12-3 record this season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Why it's intriguing: It's a matchup that features two go-for-broke wrestlers who have entertained crowds for years with their wide-open styles. Both have been national age group stars since they were young, winning national titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both can score with upper body attacks and leg attacks. This matchup has all the makings of a high-scoring affair with a lot of fireworks. I won't predict a winner, but I will predict that it will be a highly-entertaining match.

    No. 5 Justin Zeerip (Michigan) vs. No. 7 Logan Storley (Minnesota)
    Weight Class: 174
    When: Friday
    Where: Sports Pavilion (Minneapolis, Minn.)

    Why it's intriguing: Both are undefeated in the conference, and the winner of this match will be in a strong position to earn the No. 2 seed at the Big Ten Championships, behind Penn State's Ed Ruth. Zeerip, a fifth-year senior, has been one of the most improved wrestlers in the country this season. Last season he posted a 16-15 record. This season he has gone 17-1, with his only loss coming to No. 4 Ryan DesRoches of Cal Poly, 6-5. Storley, a true freshman, has been improving with every match. He battled an injury early in the season, which forced him to miss a month of the season, but he has since reeled off wins over four nationally ranked wrestlers, including Big Ten runner-up Nick Heflin of Ohio State.

    No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) vs. No. 8 Nick Heflin (Ohio State)
    Weight Class: 174
    When: Sunday
    Where: Rec Hall (University Park, Pa.)

    Why it's intriguing: It's a rematch of last year's Big Ten finals match at 174 pounds won by Ruth, 8-5. Both are redshirt sophomores, so these two could see each other several more times over the next two and a half seasons if they remain in the same weight class. Ruth is 20-0 and Heflin is 19-2. Ruth has six pins, six technical falls, and four major decisions in 20 matches. On paper, Ruth is a prohibitive favorite, but Heflin showed last year that he can wrestle with Ruth. Will Heflin be able to slow Ruth down, avoid getting turned, and keep the match competitive? Or will Ruth get bonus points on Heflin, like he has done to virtually every other opponent he has faced this season? Stay tuned.

    No. 12 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) vs. No. 20 Andrew Campolattano (Ohio State)
    Weight Class: 197
    When: Sunday
    Where: Rec Hall (University Park, Pa.)

    Penn State's Morgan McIntosh is coming off a victory over Iowa's Grant Gambrall, an All-American (Photo/Bill Ennis)
    Why it's intriguing: McIntosh and Campolattano were two of the nation's top upperweights from the Class of 2011, and both are starting as true freshmen for Big Ten power programs. McIntosh and Campolattano were both No. 1 overall in the Class of 2011 at one point during their careers ... Campolattano as a sophomore, McIntosh as a senior. The two met twice in Fargo in the summer of 2008, in the Greco-Roman and freestyle finals, with Campolattano winning both meetings. Both wrestlers have gone through ups and downs this season. McIntosh is ranked higher and has the home mat advantage, but a Campolattano victory would surprise few.

    No. 2. Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) vs. 4 Donnie Vinson (Binghamton)
    Weight Class: 149
    When: Sunday
    Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena (Stillwater, Okla.)

    Why it's intriguing: It's a matchup of two wrestlers ranked in the top five at 149 pounds. Both are having tremendous seasons. Parks is 18-0 and Vinson is 25-3. Parks has wins this season over two wrestlers ranked in the top 10: No. 3 Cole VonOhlen of Air Force and No. 9 Nick Lester of Oklahoma. Vinson also has a win over Lester, but was pinned by VonOhlen. Parks has sound defense, and Vinson likes to put points on the scoreboard, which should make for a very intriguing match.

    No. 1 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) vs. No. 6 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa)
    Weight Class: 184
    When: Sunday
    Where: UniWyo Sports Complex (Laramie, Wyo.)

    Why it's intriguing: It's the continuation of a conference rivalry between two of the nation's top 184-pounders. LeBlanc and Loder split two one-point matches last season. Loder won the last meeting, which took place at last year's conference tournament, but it was LeBlanc who performed better at the NCAA tournament two weeks later. Both have just a single blemish on their records this season, but you can throw out the records in this one. Expect a barn-burner.

    No. 4 Tony Ramos (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota)
    Weight Class: 133
    When: Sunday
    Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa)

    Minnesota's Chris Dardanes defeated Ohio State's Logan Stieber this season (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)
    Why it's intriguing: Ramos and Dardanes are two of the nation's top 133-pounders, and this will be a key match in the Iowa-Minnesota dual meet. Ramos had the biggest win of his college career earlier this month when he handed defending NCAA champion Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State his first loss in two seasons. But Ramos suffered a setback last Friday when he lost 7-0 to Ohio State's Logan Stieber, a wrestler Dardanes owns a win over this season. Both Ramos and Dardanes like to push the action and are always looking to score points, so fans watching can expect to see an action-filled match.

    No. 1 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Matt McDonough (Iowa)
    Weight Class: 125
    When: Sunday
    Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa)

    Why it's intriguing: It's No. 1 vs. No. 2 in a highly-anticipated dual meet where every point will be crucial. Interestingly, No. 2 has owned No. 1. McDonough has gone 4-0 against Sanders over the past two and a half seasons, with the last three victories coming by seven or more points. This will be the first meeting between the two this season. Sanders, a three-time All-American, has earned his No. 1 ranking by going undefeated this season. McDonough, a two-time NCAA finalist and 2010 NCAA champion, fell from No. 1 after losing to Illinois freshman Jesse Delgado in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Dec. 2.
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