We have a tough match at Iowa tomorrow night with a very unusual Monday night dual match!!
We're almost certainly going to lose, and I have Iowa winning 25-10. This is a very conservative prediction, we could pretty easily flip 2-3 matches and then it would be a 19-16 loss for us, or 19-16 win. Our best chances for upsets are at 133, 149 and 197, I think we will get at least one of these, and 50/50 to get two upsets. To get 3 upsets is maybe still a decent chance at 25%. If our guys are fired up, and go for it, it's possible!!
We shall see!!!
The dual is being streamed live on the B1G Channel tomorrow night at 7pm, so definitely tune in!!
Here's the article from Gophersports.com:
10th-Ranked Gophers Open Big Ten Slate at No. 3 Iowa Monday
Gophersports.com
1/14/2024
Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS -- No. 10 Minnesota (5-0) jumps into conference action Monday night as its Big Ten opener sends the Golden Gophers to Iowa City to battle the third-ranked Hawkeyes (6-0, 1-0 B1G). The match starts at 7 p.m., and it will be shown on Big Ten Network. Live results will be available on StatBroadcast.com.
Minnesota is 5-0 in the dual season for the second year in a row. Prior to that, it had not happened since the Gophers opened the 2014-15 campaign with 10 straight dual wins.
The Gophers are 4-3 all-time under head coach Brandon Eggum in Big Ten openers, and they are looking to end a three-match skid in such matches. The team is looking for its first win in a conference opener since defeating Wisconsin, 20-14, in 2020.
Iowa holds the all-time series lead over Minnesota with a record of 78-28-1 in a series that dates back to the 1922-23 season. The 107 all-time dual matches are the most in Minnesota history. The only other series in program history even above 80 meetings is the 101 versus Wisconsin.
The Hawkeyes, who opened their Big Ten season with a 23-10 win at No. 6 Nebraska on Friday, have gotten the better of the Gophers in recent history, winning each of the last nine contests against the Maroon & Gold, marking Minnesota's longest active losing streak against another school. The Gophers are looking for their first win in the series since 2014, when they walked into Carver-Hawkeye Arena and claimed a 19-15 victory.
Minnesota has one Iowa native on its roster in sixth-year senior Michael Blockhus (157), who hails from New Hampton (about two hours north of Iowa City). The Hawkeyes have two Minnesotans in senior Zach Glazier (197, Albert Lea, Albert Lea HS) and junior Patrick Kennedy (165, Kasson-Mantorville, Kasson-Mantorville HS).
Last season, then-No. 11 Minnesota came up short in front of a sellout crowd inside Maturi Pavilion as it fell 18-13 to then-No. 2 Iowa in the regular-season home finale. It was the closest margin since Minnesota's last win in the series in 2014. Iowa came out and secured the first six matches of the night to put the dual in their control before the Gophers stormed back and claimed the final four. Among current Gophers, Isaiah Salazar scored a 13-5 major decision over Drake Rhodes at 184 pounds, and Garrett Joles shut out Bradley Hill, 5-0, at heavyweight. On the other side of the spectrum, Patrick McKee suffered a 7-1 loss at 125 to Spencer Lee, Jake Gliva dropped a 4-3 decision to Brody Teske at 133 and Michael Blockhus was topped by Max Murin, 11-7, in a matchup at 149 pounds.
RANKED MATCHUPS
Based on the probable starters, there are scheduled to be five ranked matchups Monday night with the possibility of seven in total.
At 125 pounds, No. 18 Patrick McKee faces off with No. 5 Drake Ayala. McKee leads the all-time series 4-1, but Ayala's win came last month at the Soldier Salute.
At 141 pounds, No. 19 Vance VomBaur is set to face top-ranked and undefeated Real Woods. VomBaur has two ranked wins on the season, tied for the team lead, and he has the highest-ranked win of the season for Minnesota with a 4-2 decision over then-No. 7 Clay Carlson of South Dakota State at the Soldier Salute.
No. 13 Drew Roberts meets No. 12 Caleb Rathjen at 149 pounds. Rathjen won the only meeting between the pair, 11-5, at the 2022 Last Chance Open. Roberts has two ranked wins on the season, tied for the team lead.
No. 11 Michael Blockhus matches up with No. 2 Jared Franek at 157 pounds. Blockhus has won his only ranked matchup this season, a 7-4 overtime victory over then-No. 11 Cael Swensen of South Dakota State on Nov. 26.
No. 24 Garrett Joles takes on No. 16 Zach Glazier at 197 pounds. Glazier won the only meeting between the pair last month at the Soldier Salute in a 5-4 decision.
Ranked matchups might also take place at 133 pounds between No. 29 Tyler Wells and No. 7 Brody Teske, as well as at 165 pounds where No. 30 Blaine Brenner may face No. 7 Michael Caliendo. Wells is 1-0 against ranked opponents this season with a 11-5 decision over then-No. 17 Kurt Phipps of Bucknell on Nov. 16, while Brenner and Caliendo met at the Soldier Salute with Caliendo prevailing 19-4.
MN vs IA
My Predictions:
125 - #18 Patrick McKee wins over #5 Drake Ayala (MN 3 - IA 0)
133 - Jake Gliva loses to #7 Brody Teske (3-3)
141 - #19 Vance VomBaur loses by maj. dec. to #1 Real Woods (3-7)
149 - #13 Drew Roberts loses to #12 Caleb Rathjen (3-10)
157 - #11 Michael Blockhus loses to #2 Jared Franek (3-13)
165 - #30 Blaine Brenner loses to #7 Michael Caliendo (3-16)
174 - Sam Skillings loses to Patrick Kennedy (3-19)
184 - #10 Isaiah Salazar wins by maj. dec. over Aiden Riggins (7-19)
197 - #24 Garrett Joles loses to Zach Glazier (7-22)
285 - #29 Bennett Tabor wins over Bradley Hill (10- 25)
Final Team Score IA 25 - 10
MEETING AGAIN
The Soldier Salute tournament, Dec. 29-30, in Coralville, Iowa, provided the first opportunity for members of Minnesota to face off with Iowa wrestlers.
The Hawkeyes prevailed in 9 of 12 matchups between the schools. Minnesota's wins came from Patrick McKee over Ethan Perryman and Brandon Morvari over Joey Cruz, both of which came at 125 pounds, as well as heavyweight Bennett Tabor against Easton Fleshman. McKee won by pin, while Morvari and Tabor were both by decision.
Among matches involving probable starters for Minnesota, the record narrowed slightly to 5-2 in Iowa's advantage.
IN THE POLLS
The Golden Gophers moved up two spots in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll, moving from No. 12 to No. 10. Minnesota is also 23rd in the WIN Tournament Power Index.
Ten Gopher wrestlers are ranked in at least one of the major polls, while nine appear in at least two and five are in at least three of the polls.
Patrick McKee (125 pounds), Vance VomBaur (141), Michael Blockhus (157), and Isaiah Salazar (184) lead the way by appearing in all four: Intermat, WIN, Flo and OpenMat. Salazar appears in the Top-10 in all four polls, ranking eighth by OpenMat and WIN and 10th by InterMat and Flo.
Full rankings for Minnesota can be found on Page 5 of the notes.
