Penn State's Shayne Van Ness has his hand raised after scoring a fall at 149 pounds during the first session of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Thursday, March 16, 2023, at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. 230316 Ncaa S1 Wr 038 Jpg
Penn State Wrestling host the No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes Friday evening for the final BJC dual meet of the year.
And in this dual it is the irresistible force force of the Nittany Lions as they take their 13-0 record and NCAA record 84 straight dual meet wins up against the immovable object of the Buckeyes and their perfect 17-0 record. Moreover, this matchup could be the toughest test Penn State Wrestling has faced in the last three years.
Credit – Lloyd McCully
Additionally, between both the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes, they currently occupy the top ranked wrestler at eight of the 10 weight classes.
Wow.
However, it’s also quite possible that several Ohio State guys are nicked up and may sit.
But before we take a look at the potential matchups, here’s how you can tune in to the wrestling action!
How to watch Penn State Wrestling
Credit – Lloyd McCully
Date: Friday, February 13th
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Where: Bryce Jordan Center (University Park)
TV: B1G
Listen: Free via Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
Now let’s turn to the potential matchups.
Potential matchups for Ohio State vs Penn State Wrestling
Credit – Lloyd McCully
No. 2 Ohio State (17-0) vs. No. 1 Penn State (13-0)
125 – No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) vs No. 2 Nic Bouzakis or Brendan McCrone or Vinny Kilkeary (OHST)
133 – No. 4 Marcus Blaze (PSU) vs No. 2 Ben Davino (OHST)
141 – No. 12 Braeden Davis (PSU) vs No. 1 Jesse Mendez (OHST)
149 – No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) vs No. 6 Ethan Stiles (OHST)
157 – No. 4 PJ Duke (PSU) vs Landon Desselle or Daxton Chase (OHST)
165 – No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) vs No. 16 Paddy Gallagher or e’Than Birden (OHST)
174 – No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) vs No. 5 Carson Kharchla (OHST)
184 – No. 1 Rocco Welsh (PSU) vs No. 8 Dylan Fishback (OHST)
197 – No. 1 Josh Barr (PSU) vs No. 10 Luke Geog (OHST)
285 – No. 12 Cole Mirasola (PSU) vs No. 3 Nick Feldman (OHST)
Prediction for Ohio State vs. Penn State Wrestling
Credit – Lloyd McCully
On paper, this dual meet could potentially have nine ranked matchups.
Furthermore, there could be a staggering seven top 10 matchups on the night. However the key to the last sentence is “could be”.
Because as of right now No. 1 ranked Brandon Cannon (157) has officially been ruled out of the dual meet. And it’s also possible that any combination of Nic Bouzakis, Brendan McCrone, and Paddy Gallagher may not go.
But look, at this point in the season, I get it. The B1G Championships are less than a month away and the NCAA’s are shortly after that. So if Ohio State has any guys that have some nagging injuries then this would be a logical spot to sit them.
Now the wrestling fan in me wants every guy to go. Although I know that probably won’t actually be the case.
So here’s what I think will happen Friday night in the BJC.
Predictions for Michigan vs Penn State Wrestling
125 – No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) dec. over No. 2 Nic Bouzakis (OHST)
133 – No. 4 Marcus Blaze (PSU) dec. over No. 2 Ben Davino (OHST)
141 – No. 1 Jesse Mendez (OHST) major dec. over No. 12 Braeden Davis (PSU)
149 – No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) major dec. over No. 6 Ethan Stiles (OHST)
157 – No. 4 PJ Duke (PSU) tech. fall over Daxton Chase (OHST)
165 – No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) major dec. over e’Than Birden (OHST)
174 – No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) dec. over No. 5 Carson Kharchla (OHST)
184 – No. 1 Rocco Welsh (PSU) dec. over No. 8 Dylan Fishback (OHST)
197 – No. 1 Josh Barr (PSU) major dec. over No. 10 Luke Geog (OHST)
285 – No. 3 Nick Feldman (OHST) dec. over No. 12 Cole Mirasola (PSU)
Ohio State 7 Penn State 29
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Education: Penn State University
Location: State College, PA
Even though he had no prior journalism experience, Chris has now covered Penn State Wrestling and Penn State Football for the past three years, including as the Penn State Wrestling Beat Writer for VictoryBellRings.com, part of the FanSided network.
And it's clear he also likes constant torture as he's been a PSU Basketball fan for way too long.
Several years back, Chris made the seamless transition from PGA Professional to computer programmer and thoroughly enjoys following and writing about all things related to Penn State sports during his spare time.
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