Coming off their fourth straight win and 13th dual victory of the season, the Missouri Tigers wrestling team look to make a quick turnaround as they face North Carolina State at 1 p.m. today in Raleigh, North Carolina.
This season, the National Wrestling Coaches Association has decided to change the format of the national duals. Instead of a tournament style — like the previous years in which the Tigers won last season — the NWCA decided the top eight teams from the Big 10 conference will face the highest ranked dual meet champions from the seven other Division I wrestling conferences,
Mizzou currently sits in the No. 5 spot of the latest NCAA rankings making the Tigers the 3rd best non-Big 10 team, behind N.C. State and Oklahoma State — who gave the Tigers their first loss in almost two calendar years.
Since Missouri has already claimed the MAC conference title for the regular season, they’re guaranteed a spot in the NWCA dual series. As of now, Mizzou would travel to Ann Arbor to the face the No. 9 Michigan Wolverines who are the 3rd best team currently in the Big 10, however, things are subject to change after Virginia Tech’s upset victory over N.C. State on Friday.
**Matchups**
Starting at 125 pounds, No. 9 Barlow McGhee should have no trouble as he faces Sean Fausz of N.C. State who is currently unranked. McGhee has had his fair share of victories over ranked opponents this season.
The match up at 141 pounds is probably the most interesting match of the dual meet. Mizzou’s No. 7 Matt Manley will face off against N.C. State’s No.3, Kevin Jack. Jack was one of the Cinderella stories from last season’s NCAA national tournament as he competed in the tournament as an unranked true freshman and left with a 5th-place medal earning All-American status.
At 149 pounds Missouri’s lone undefeated wrestler, No. 2 Lavion Mayes, could pick up some bonus points for the team as he faces an unranked foe. Then, in the 157 pounder, Le’Roy Barnes has been hot and should see the lineup today. Regardless of who coach Brian Smith decides to put out, they will face N.C. State’s No. 5 Thomas Gantt.
It should be business as usual at 174, 184, and 197 pounds for the Tigers. Missouri’s 174-pounder and No. 9 Blaise Butler will return to ACC soil in hopes of getting a victory. Butler, a transfer from the University of Virginia, has had his fair share of matches against the Wolfpack.
In the 184 and 197 weight classes, No. 10 Willie Miklus and 2014 NCAA national champion J’den Cox, respectively, both face ranked opponents but shouldn’t face much trouble. Miklus has only been defeated three times this season, and Cox was disqualified in a match this season against Ohio after throwing his opponent into the scorer’s table, putting one small blemish on his record.
Lastly, at heavyweight, the Tigers true freshman, James Romero, has had a tough time finding success this season. He will have his hands full tomorrow as he faces the Wolfpack’s No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski — a two-time national champion.
Ultimately, it should be a tight and electrifying dual and a Missouri victory would establish the Tigers’ standing into a long February road that lies ahead.
_Edited by Alec Lewis | alewis@themaneater.com_
