Wrestling

OSU Wrestling: Preview of No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. No. 3 Iowa

Everything you need to know for the biggest dual of the year.

Published

5 years ago

February 23, 2019

OSU takes on Iowa in the biggest dual of the season between the top two historic programs in the country. Here’s everything you need to know for the big dual on Sunday at 2:00.

The Main Event

The match everyone’s talking about is 133 where Daton Fix takes on Austin DeSanto. It’s your classic good guy vs. bad guy match up where Daton Fix plays the protagonist. Who comes out on top? We’ll find out on Sunday. Should be a very good match.

The Under-card

Derek White and Nick Piccininni both have massive match-ups with two of the top guys in their weight class. These are pivotal matches in the dual and also play a big role in their postseason seeds for the NCAA tournament.

The Rest (Maybe the Most Exciting Matches)

141 — Kaid Brock (OSU) vs. Max Murin (Iowa)

I jumped on the podcast with Carson and Kyle on Thursday and discussed this one. I think it’s under the radar a bit as one that could turn the dual if Iowa pulls off an upset. Kaid will be the favorite and this is a great opportunity for him to shake off his last few losses. A good performance by Brock could be crucial to the end result of the dual.

149 — Kaden Gfeller (OSU) vs. Pat Lugo (Iowa)

This one makes me nervous. Kaden is the better wrestler here, and if 100 percent healthy, I think would win fairly comfortably. I’m worried that he’s not there, though. Gfeller hasn’t looked full speed in his last few matches. Hopefully he’s recovered because this is one that OSU may need.

157 — Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs. Wyatt Sheets (OSU)

Young will be the favorite here. Sheets has been wrestling great though. Don’t rule out his shot at an upset.

165 Chandler Rogers (OSU) vs. Alex Marinelli (Iowa)

Rogers is an underdog against Marinelli. Rogers also knows how to let it fly and is one of the most dangerous wrestlers in the country. Still have to favor Marinelli, but you never know with Rogers, one big move and he could end the match at any moment.

174 — Joe Smith (OSU) vs. Mitch Bowman (Iowa)

Joe is the favorite and this is an absolute must win for OSU. The weird dynamic with this one is that Joe is cutting down to 165 and will be smaller than Bowman. I still think Joe should have the firepower to take care of Bowman, but the weight transition is certainly a factor.

184 — Jacobe Smith (OSU) vs. Cash Wilcke (Iowa)

Very similar situation to 174. Jacobe Smith is favored on paper. But he’s also cutting down to 174 and will be undersized. Strength isn’t much of an issue for Jacobe, even undersized he should be able to physically go with Wilcke. This is another must win for the dual.

197 — Preston Weigel (OSU) vs. Jacob Warner (Iowa)

Warner is ranked higher than Weigel, but I don’t think you’d call him the favorite. Weigel’s been hurt all year and hasn’t got a lot of matches in, so it’s not reflected in the current rankings. Weigel has his standard low scoring style and domination on top just as he always has. It’s hard to know what to think about this one. We just haven’t seen enough of Weigel this season. It’s certainly one either guy could win.

Overall

You can see there are a number of toss-up matches that could go either way. I don’t really see any one match that you wouldn’t give both guys at least a shot. That creates a dual that could get out of hand really quickly for either team if one gets on a roll. That also creates a dual that could be a back and forth heavyweight boxing match that comes down to the last match.