WHO: #16 Oregon State (3-0)
WHEN: 12:00 PM CT (Sunday, November 19, 2023)
WHERE: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, IA)
TV: none
RADIO: AM 800 KXIC, YouTube (Steven Grace, Mark Ironside)
MOBILE: bigtenplus.com ($)
ONLINE: bigtenplus.com ($)
FOLLOW: @IowaAwesome | @Hawks_Wrestling | @IowaonBTN
The 2023-24 wrestling season was always going to be one of upheaval and transition for Iowa, with the Hawkeyes needing to replace several multi-year starters and program standouts like Spencer Lee, Max Murin, and Jacob Warner. And that was before several members of the current Iowa roster were caught up in the state investigation into sports-wagering.
Nelson Brands and Abe Assad have acknowledged their involvement in the investigation and several other would-be starters (Cobe Siebrecht, Patrick Kennedy, Tony Cassioppi) are conspicuous by their absence from competition this year. There was some hope that the impacted wrestlers might still be able to wrestle this season, but that looks unlikely after the NCAA's recent update to its reinstatement policy.
That's the backdrop to this dual meet, Iowa's first home meet of the season. The Hawkeyes welcome #16 Oregon State to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for their first meeting since 2012 and first dual meet in Iowa City since 1981. Here are the expected lineups:
Oregon State brings a solid lineup to CHA; the Beavers could have a ranked wrestler at 8 of 10 weights in the dual. That said, most of those rankings are on the fringes of the Top 20 at their respective weights; just three wrestlers are ranked better than 18th. Iowa could counter with a lineup that also has a ranked wrestler at 8 of 10 weights, but the Hawkeyes have a little more top-end firepower -- four of their eight ranked wrestlers are in the Top 10 at their respective weights and a fifth (Drake Ayala at 125) sits just outside the Top 10.
On paper, the match of the dual should be at 165, the lone potential Top 10 matchup with #5 Michael Caliendo of Iowa potentially taking on #8 Matthew Olguin of Oregon State. 174 could be another very intriguing weight, as Oregon State has Oklahoma State transfer Travis Wittlake while Iowa could be debuting exciting freshman Gabe Arnold.
Arnold, the #6 overall recruit in the 2023 class (per MatScouts), was a two-time National Prep Champion and a National Champion at the 2023 U.S. Open, among other accomplishments. With Nelson Brands apparently ruled out for the 2023-24 season, it seems like a matter of when, not if, Arnold will take over at the 174 lb spot.
Overall, Iowa should be favored in five of ten weights (125, 133, 141, 149, 157), with a few others being toss-ups (165, 197). Oregon State should be favored at the other three weights (174, 184, 285). 141, with returning NCAA runner-up Real Woods, and 157, with North Dakota State transfer and returning All-American Jared Franek, look like Iowa's best shots to score bonus points, although Victor Voinovich could push for a major decision at 149 as well.
SCORE PREDICTION: Iowa 24, Oregon State 9
Iowa wins at 125, 133, 141, 149, 157, 165, and 197 -- with bonus points at 141, 149, and 157.
- TE
- DT
- CB
- ILB
- DT
- S
- OG
- PRO
- DT
- ATH
