The Top 3 Potential Matchups in Oklahoma State’s Dual against Missouri

Weather permitting, the Cowboys are set take part in two duals this weekend.

It starts Friday when Oklahoma State travels to Missouri to wrestle the Tigers before returning home and hosting Utah Valley on Sunday.

OSU came in at No. 5 in the most recent NWCA Coaches Poll with Mizzou being listed 15th in that poll, which ranks fifth among Big 12 wrestling programs.

Here are the top three potential bouts for the Cowboys’ scrap with the Tigers.

3. 157: No. 6 Landon Robideau (OSU) vs. No. 15 Teague Travis (Mizzou)

This is a match that’s already happened this school year, just in the Cowboys’ wrestling room.

After qualifying for the NCAA Tournament twice as a Cowboy, Travis transferred to Missouri at the semester to close out his career with his hometown Tigers. David Taylor said Travis and Robideau wrestled off earlier in the school year with the true freshman obviously winning the spot.

Since his transfer, Travis has gone 6-2. He took second at the Soldier Salute to fellow former Cowboy Jordan Williams (now at Iowa). Travis got his first dual action of the season in this past weekend, hanging close with No. 10 Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State) but losing 5-1 and beating Utah Valley’s Alex Emmer via a 19-4 tech fall.

Robideau is 8-1 to start his college career with his only loss coming to reining national champ Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) in tiebreakers. Seven of Robideau’s wins have come via bonus points.

2. 174: No. 7 Alex Facundo (OSU) vs. No. 10 Cam Steed (Mizzou)

It feels like every match Alex Facundo has wrestled this year has been a big one.

He’s 9-4 this season and coming off a big win against Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational champ Carter Schubert in the Bedlam dual.

Steed was an All-American at 165 last season, closing the year with a win against OSU’s Cam Amine in the 7-8 match. Steed is 6-4 this season and has just recently returned from an injury he suffered in November.

There are two notable similar opponents the two have faced this season:

vs. Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy:
Facundo lost 4-1 in SV in November
Steed lost 6-4 in November

vs. Oklahoma’s Carter Schubert:
Facundo won 7-2 on Jan. 11
Steed lost lost 6-5 in November

1. 184: No. 8 Zack Ryder (OSU) vs. No. 3 Aeoden Sinclair

The 184-pound weight class is stacked with young talent, and that could be showcased Friday in Columbia.

Zack Ryder and Aeoden Sinclair are both redshirt freshmen who were blue-chip recruits in the 2024 recruiting class. Flo had Sinclair as the No. 4 wrestler in that class and Ryder at No. 5. The two met at the 2022 U17 U.S. Open, where Ryder won 5-3 in freestyle.

Sinclar is 16-1 this season with his only loss coming at National Duals to Iowa’s Angelo Ferrari in tiebreakers. Sinclair has a 76% bonus rate.

Ryder is 9-4 with three of those losses coming to guys currently ranked in the top seven. That also includes a loss to Ferrari at National Duals, where Ryder dropped the bout 4-2.

Oklahoma State at Missouri

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Columbia, Missouri
Watch: ESPN+