Our #10 ranked Wrestlers take on #1 ranked OK State tomorrow at the Sports Pavilion at 1pm. Even with suspended starters Ethan Lizak and Tommy Thorn this would be a very tough match for us, but without them we are likely to get dominated pretty badly. The Okies have 7 wrestlers ranked in the Top 5, two more ranked #7 and #11 and a very experienced line-up...so we have our work cut out for us.
Here are the Match Notes from Gophersports.com:
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools...o_pdf/2016-17/release/release_20161126aaa.pdf
And here's a very good breakdown of the match from TheOpenMat.com:
NCAA Dual of the Week: Oklahoma State Versus Minnesota
Written by:
Alex Steen in
College Wrestling News 11/23/2016
0
For the first time in 30 years, Minnesota is experiencing a wrestling season without J Robinson at the helm. Compounding the difficult situation of transitioning suddenly from the longtime head coach is the suspension of four wrestlers for the first semester, two of which would unquestionably be starting right now if available. Even with all that, Minnesota rallied past #20 South Dakota State, 18-17, to open their dual season with a thrilling comeback victory. They now turn their attention to the top-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys who come riding into Minnesota for a Sunday show down at 1 pm central, November 27th, 2016.
Oklahoma State holds a 23-14 edge in this series with a great deal of that success coming in Minnesota. The Cowboys are 13-4 all time as an away team facing the Gophers and they will look to continue that success on Sunday. Oklahoma State lost a 19-15 battle last time they visited the Sports Pavilion, but prevailed, 20-17 last season. The only rematch from that dual is at 285 where Michael Kroells (Minnesota) defeated Austin Schafer (Oklahoma State), 8-3.
This one looks like a comfortable victory for Oklahoma State on paper with the Cowboys ranked higher at eight of 10 weights. However, the Gophers have a legitimate chance to pull an upset at 133 and Joe Smith has yet to wrestle this season, bringing 157 into question. If those two matches flip and the Gophers hold serve at 197 and 285, they would just need one more win to split the matches. Whether the team battle gets out of hand or not, this one should hold plenty of intrigue as many of the participants look to make a statement or prove themselves. The Brock/McKee clash at 133 could be highly entertaining and there are plenty of other bouts where we may get answers to early season questions.
No. 1 Oklahoma State vs. No. 16 Minnesota
125: #11 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs. Skyler Petry (Minnesota)
133: #7 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) vs. #11 Mitch McKee (Minnesota)
141: #1 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) vs. Gannon Volk (Minnesota)
149: #4 Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) vs. Freddy Stroker or James Berg (Minnesota)
157: #3 Joe Smith or Davey Dolan (Oklahoma State) vs. Jake Short (Minnesota)
165: #4 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) vs. Brandon Kingsley (Minnesota)
174: #5 Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) vs. Nick Wanzek (Minnesota)
184: #4 Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State) vs. Bobby Steveson (Minnesota)
197: #5 Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State) vs. #2 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota)
285: Austin Schafer (Oklahoma State) vs. #5 Michael Kroells (Minnesota)
125
Skyler Petry (Minnesota) saw some time in the Gopher lineup last season, but was not the representative for the post-season. A similar situation presents itself this year as Petry will be the man until Ethan Lizak returns from suspension at which time Lizak will probably take over. Petry’s opponent, #11 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State), has done what he has needed to do so far this season, winning against less than stellar opposition. Petry is a solid opponent, but still one Piccininni will be expected to handle. If the Gophers have designs on an upset, this is one of the matches they’ll be looking towards, but I don’t see them getting the W here.
Pick: Piccininni by Decision, 3-0 Oklahoma State
133
Though the 197-pound bout has higher ranked wrestlers, this one is the most anticipated show down in this dual. Everyone is waiting to see just how good seventh-ranked Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) is after his brief, but electric turn in the lineup a season ago. He’ll get his first real test of the season against another emerging star, #11 Mitch McKee (Minnesota). McKee, a true freshman, started the year in redshirt, but quickly emerged as the man for Minnesota at 133 pounds. He has a pair of losses to sixth-ranked Seth Gross (South Dakota State), but has already shown himself capable of competing with quality opponents. This is a bout that Minnesota has to have if they are to be competitive in this dual. We should find out a fair amount about both young wrestlers in the process.
Pick: Brock by Decision, 6-0 Oklahoma State
141
Gannon Volk (Minnesota) is just keeping the spot warm for the suspended Tommy Thorn and has struggled in the early going. He has had some good performances, getting what turned out to be a crucial victory in the South Dakota State dual and losing close matches to the red hot Colton McCrystal and highly-touted true freshman Chad Red, both of Nebraska. However, he looks to be in over his head in this one facing the defending national champion and top-ranked Dean Heil (Oklahoma State). Heil is not usually one to score bonus points against other D1 starters, but he will have a chance here. He just missed getting a major decision against #18 Ty Smith (Bucknell), settling for a 14-7 win. If he wrestles like that on Sunday, look for four or five points to go up on the visiting side of the scoreboard.
Pick: Heil by Major Decision, 10-0 Oklahoma State
149
Fourth-ranked Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) brings an official record of 0-0 into this one, though he did beat third-ranked Lavion Mayes (Missouri) in an unofficial bout at the All-Star meet. The returning All-American may get a look at Freddy Stroker (Minnesota), a three-time Iowa state champion who was expected by many to do big things in this, his redshirt freshman season, but has struggled out of the gate. Stroker did not wrestle against South Dakota State, with the Gophers using James Berg instead. Either man will have difficulty dealing with Collica and given Anthony’s propensity to push the pace and attack, this one could also end in bonus points for the Cowboys.
Pick: Collica by Major Decision, 14-0 Oklahoma State
157
2016 NCAA qualifier Jake Short (Minnesota) has also struggled early on this season, losing four times, twice to unranked wrestlers. He will be looking to get back on track, but who he will face in this one is uncertain. Third-ranked Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) finished seventh in the country a season ago as a true freshman, but has not yet been seen competing this fall. It has been a couple of weeks since most of the Cowboy starters took the mat which makes Smith’s status even more difficult to gauge. If Smith doesn’t go, his likely replacement would be Davey Dolan who was the only Oklahoma State grappler to lose in their dual against Bucknell on November 6th.
Pick: Smith by Decision, 17-0 Oklahoma State
165
Fourth-ranked Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) is always looking to go big and score points. The 174-pound round of 12 finisher from last season, Rogers move down to 165 seems to be going well so far. He will face Brandon Kingsley (Minnesota) who was pinned by Jacen Petersen (Arizona State) at the Daktronics Open earlier this season. Kingsley will need to be wary of Rogers ability to put opponents in danger or he could suffer a similar fate in this bout. If the Gopher can stay away from the big move, he could hold Rogers to a decision.
Pick: Rogers by Decision, 20-0 Oklahoma State
174
Nick Wanzek (Minnesota) is coming off of an upset victory over then #11 David Kocer (South Dakota State) over the weekend and will now get a chance to pull a shocker over fifth-ranked Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State). The Cowboys have been careful with Crutchmer in the early days of the new season, wrestling him only against Bucknell and holding him out of open tournaments. With Kyle coming off a season ending injury, this makes sense. Still, his one match was a fall and the 2015 All-American appears healthy which could be bad news for Wanzek. Nick has been solid this season, only losing to top-10 foes so he won’t go quietly. With Crutchmer’s propensity for wrestling close matches, expect this one to still be in doubt in the final minute.
Pick: Crutchmer by Decision, 23-0 Oklahoma State
184
Midway through last season, fourth-ranked Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State) seemed to turn a corner and was suddenly a threat to anyone at this weight. He finished fourth at the NCAA tournament and enters his senior season intent on chasing a national title. Bobby Steveson (Minnesota) is a redshirt freshman who opened the year at 197 before making his way down to 184 at the Journeymen. He was outstanding in high school, had a solid redshirt season, and should be a mainstay in the Gopher lineup going forward. Some day, he may get to where Boyd is now, but on this day the gap between them seems too big.
Pick: Boyd by Decision, 26-0 Oklahoma State
197
Second-ranked Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) finished third in the nation last season and is a legitimate contender to reach the national finals in 2017. The senior has the resume you would expect of a highly ranked wrestler. Fifth-ranked Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State) entered last season battling for the starting job as a redshirt freshman, eventually earned the nod for the post-season, won the Big 12 tournament, and reached the round of 12 at NCAAs. His overall record of 19-12 isn’t what you would expect for someone in the top five, but his run at the end of the year showed a lot of promise. Still, he needs to prove it wasn’t a fluke and a strong performance against Pfarr would help in that regard. Pfarr is awfully tough and should win this match. The score could even separate if the Gopher gets a couple of early scores. Can Weigel slow him down? We’ll find out.
Pick: Pfarr by Decision, 26-3 Oklahoma State
285
This one is a lot like 197 with a proven commodity, returning All-American Michael Kroells (Minnesota), who sits fifth in the national rankings, facing a wrestler looking to prove himself, Austin Schafer (Oklahoma State). Schafer is much less proven than Weigel, having spent his career at 197 and moving in and out of the lineup over the years. This season he has bulked up to heavyweight and is the unquestioned starter. He has scored a lot of points against sub-par competition, but now gets his first big test. Kroells has a pair of losses on the year, but both were to wrestlers ranked above him, third-ranked Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) and fourth-ranked Tanner Hall (Arizona State). He has been solid against those he should beat and it seems unlikely Schafer will pose much of a threat. This bout ended in an 8-3 decision for Minnesota last season when Schafer bumped up to fill in. The question is, how much of that gap can the extra weight account for? Kroells already has three falls on the season. If Minnesota can somehow stay close in the team score, that could be an interesting storyline to follow.
Pick: Kroells by Decision, 26-6 Oklahoma State
Team Score Prediction
Oklahoma State: 26
Minnesota: 6
I agree with the way they scored this match, and it could be a couple points worse if Dean Heil gets a pin over Gannon Volk at 141. We could get an upset somewhere, but that would be a surprise.
Still, it's a great night of D1 College Wrestling so come on out and support our Gophers!!
