The Big Ten Dual Finale: #2 Iowa vs #8 Nebraska Preview
The Big Ten Dual Finale: #2 Iowa vs #8 Nebraska Preview
The Big Ten conference is wrapping up their dual meet regular season with a massive top 10 matchup.
Two wrestling powerhouses meet in Lincoln, Nebraska for the last scheduled dual meet of the last week of the regular season. And what better way to get pumped for the postseason than with a contest between the Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers.
At #2 and #8 respectively, both Iowa and Nebraska are in the top 10 of our team tournament rankings. In the dual rankings, Iowa is still at #2 while Nebraska checks in at #11.
Both states are also highly ranked when it comes to corn. Iowa is tops in the nation, producing over 2.2 billion bushels per year. Nebraska is the #3 corn-producing state in the Union with a little under 1.8 billion bushels produced.
On a per capita basis, however, Nebraska produces over 30% more corn than Iowa. But don't ask about yield and acreage or other metrics, that's all the corn-tent we're getting into for now.
Anyway, let's hope we don't go blind before this dual. You don't want to be coming undone and have to miss the broadcast. Watching a dual of this caliber, well, that's when you've got the life. Even if you're some freak on a leash, this is a competition we can all enjoy!
125: #10 Drake Ayala or Jesse Ybarra, Iowa vs Jeremiah Reno, Nebraska
Ayala hasn't wrestled in the last few Iowa duals but if he's healthy he'll be a big favorite over Reno. If it's Ybarra, though, then this one's much closer to a toss-up.
Watch Ayala's electric win over Surtin at the 2022 Southern Scuffle while still redshirting:
133: #3 Austin DeSanto, Iowa vs Dominick Serrano or Alex Thomsen, Nebraska
Redshirt freshman Dom Serrano has gotten the last five starts for the Huskers, though he's on a four-bout losing streak and coach Manning may opt for fourth-year wrestler Alex Thomsen.
DeSanto was the only name listed in Iowa's probables so it's likely we'll see Austin in the last collegiate dual of his impressive career. He'll be the heavy favorite against either Husker and there's a good chance he picks up bonus points as well.
Watch highlights of DeSanto earning third place at the 2021 NCAAs, the highest placement of his career:
141: #2 Jaydin Eierman, Iowa vs #10 Chad Red, Nebraska
The first of four top 10 matchups we could see. This particular bout should produce some outstanding scrambles.
History would suggest that Eierman will emerge victorious (he's won both collegiate encounters, both in the 2021 season), but this is the final home dual for Chad Red which may provide some extra motivation.
Watch Red defeat Ohio State's D'Emilio in the 2021 CKLV quarterfinals:
149: #10 Max Murin or Vince Turk, Iowa vs #5 Ridge Lovett, Nebraska
Whether it's fifth-year junior Murin or sixth-year senior Turk (who may have another year of eligibility, not totally sure there), the scrappiness factor is expected to be off the charts.
Lovett's the favorite on paper but a win by either Hawkeye here would be far from shocking.
By the way how nuts was this takedown by Lovett?
This double leg ? We Lovett❗️@RidgeLovett scored the first points of the match and never looked back in his 6-0 decision over No. 18 Bartlett? pic.twitter.com/DMsCiobJ3d
— Husker Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) February 6, 2022
157: #13 Kaleb Young, Iowa vs #8 Peyton Robb, Nebraska
Robb found immediate success this season back down at 157 after spending the 2021 season up at 165. He beat Austin O'Connor and took David Carr to OT in week 3. He's since come back down to earth slightly, losing to Will Lewan two weeks ago.
Young is, conversely, on a seven-bout winning streak and hasn't lost since January 7. Could the two-time All-American continue his climb back up the rankings? Tough to call this matchup anything but a toss-up.
Watch Robb push 2021 Hodge Trophy finalist David Carr to the brink at the 2021 Daktronics Open:
165: #5 Alex Marinelli, Iowa vs Bubba Wilson or Tahjae Jenkins-Harris, Nebraska
Look for the Bull to do bull things in this bout. We haven't seen him run an armbar and figure-four the head in a while but that's one of Marinelli's finishing moves we may get to see again this Sunday.
Wilson did beat All-American Cam Amine a couple of weeks ago, but will still be a substantial underdog if he gets the nod and faces Marinelli.
Watch Marinelli defeat #7 Travis Wittlake at the Bout at the Ballpark:
174: #2 Michael Kemerer, Iowa vs #6 Mikey Labriola, Nebraska
There were a lot of doubts about Kemerer coming back for another season and if his body would hold up, but Kem Daughg had put those concerns to bed, looking lights-out since returning to the mat, dropping a single, tightly contested match to Carter Starocci.
Labriola has been his usual bruising self all season, though Kemerer is still the favorite.
Watch Labriola win the 2021 CKLV:
184: #16 Abe Assad, Iowa vs #13 Taylor Venz, Nebraska
One of the youngest competitors in Iowa's highly experienced lineup, Assad will have his hands full with the nigh Invenzible Taylor Venz. The Cornhusker was a four-place finisher in 2018, a bloodrounder in 2019 and 2021, and the seventh seed at the canceled 2020 tournament.
197: #2 Jacob Warner, Iowa vs #5 Eric Schultz, Nebraska
The highest-ranked matchup of the dual! Warner has a loss to #1 Dean and #11 Bastida while Schultz has just the one loss this season to #3 Buchanan. Both have many ranked wins, and197 has been all over the map this season, so go ahead and throw the rankings out the window.
The only prediction one can make with confidence is that this one is going to slobberknocker.
Check out Warner's victory at the Bout at the Ballpark:
285: #2 Tony Cassioppi, Iowa vs #12 Christian Lance, Nebraska
Slim Tone had a statement win over Kerkvliet three weeks ago. Kerkvliet was coming off a statement win of his own over Mason Parris the week before, so all talk of the 2021 tournament and how close to 100% everyone was at that championship can now be safely ignored. Cass is the real deal (as are Parris and Kerkvliet) and no results are set in stone at heavyweight (although Gable repeating as champ is as close to a lock as you're going to get - but beyond that!).
Lance isn't quite in the same echelon as the aforementioned heavies, but he's a very strong candidate to All-American and should be able to keep this bout close, and an upset is not out of the question either.
If everything goes according to chalk, Iowa should win no less than 6 bouts and secure the dual by at least a 6 point margin of victory (the point spread should be something like Iowa -8.5ish). However, if Nebraska wins 149, 157, 184 and 197, which they definitely can, and then get an upset at 141, or if Iowa sits any of their starters, suddenly things get much more interesting.
What will happen? Join us in the watch party and we will find out together!