OSU Wrestling Preview: Northern Colorado and Wyoming on Tap, Including NCAA Final Rematch for Dean Heil

On Monday, the Cowboys will take on UNC in Greeley, CO and tomorrow will head to Cheyenne, Wyoming to take on Mark Branch and the Wyoming Cowboys.

The Pokes will be heavy favorites in both of these Big 12 duals but some of the individual matchups will be great.

In the UNC dual the big story is Preston Weigel making his return to the lineup. Weigel, a 2 time Big 12 champ and All American last year, will take on 19th ranked Seely of Northern Colorado. Weigel is ranked 4th and will be the favorite in this one.

This is a solid test for Weigel in his first match back in the lineup though. You should expect him to win, but as a fan you really want to watch out for where his conditioning is and if there is a noticeable improvement in his offense. Weigel is one of the best mat wrestlers in the country. The only thing missing in his game last year was a bit more offense to put him over the top and into the NCAA final echelon of wrestlers. If he has some more offense on his feet here tonight it is a good sign.

You should look for the Pokes to win most of the rest of the dual pretty comfortably. One interesting note is Chandler Rogers will be wrestling former Cowboys Kellan Torres at 165.

In the Wyoming dual everyone’s eyes will be on 141. Dean Heil won his first NCAA title over Wyoming’s Bryce Meredith. That match was great and every other match I’ve seen out of these 2 has been great and kept me on the edge of my seat.

They’re both great scramblers, 2 of the best in the country. They never give up an easy takedown and it usually winds up being a battle of attrition where Heil just holds out til Meredith slips and he gets his takedown to win. If you have a Flo subscription I encourage you to go back and watch their NCAA finals match. It will get you pumped up for this one. It was great.

A few other matches to look out for in the Wyoming dual are 157 and 165. They are solid at both of those weights. At 157 we’d be looking to pull off an upset which would be big for Blaylock. He’s very capable of doing it here. Wyoming’s guy is ranked around 16-17 and a win here would be big for Blaylock’s seed at the Big 12 tournament.

At 165 Rogers will be a favored but expect a good match. Their guy is no slouch.

There are still starting battles going on at 149 and 184 also. Watch out for both of those. Slip-ups here for Martinez or Moore would be a sting to their chance at holding those spots.