What: Big 12 Championships
Weight: 165 pounds
NCAA Championship allocations: 6
When: Saturday, March 9 - Sunday, March 10
Where: Tulsa, Oklahoma (BOK Center)
How to watch: ESPN+ (Sessions I-III), ESPN2 (Session IV)

After a season-long wait, college wrestling’s best current rivalry could materialize at the Big 12 Championships. Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole and Iowa State’s David Carr are locked in a battle for 165-pound supremacy after a thrilling three-match series last year. 

Carr struck first with a 7-2 win during a dual on February 15 then struck again with a sudden victory fall in the Big 12 finals on March 4. O’Toole turned the tables with an 8-2 win in the NCAA finals on March 16 for his second title in as many years.

The two have seven combined losses during their respective college careers with three to each other, but that number will inevitably increase after the Big 12 Championships. Their first match of the season didn't materialize when Missouri sent primarily backups to Ames for a scheduled dual on February 25 against Iowa State.

Carr and O’Toole are in a class of their own. Each is an NCAA champion and U20 World champion and both met for the first time in college when Carr moved up from 157 pounds. 

Winning the 165-pound Big 12 title isn’t a foregone conclusion for either wrestler. This weight has a few landmines — namely Peyton Hall (West Virginia), Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State), and Giano Petrucelli (Air Force). 

All three are ranked in the top 15 nationally and shouldn’t be overlooked. Hall, a 2022 All-American, was ahead of O’Toole during a January 26 dual before the Tiger star responded for an 8-7 win. The West Virginia star will have to get past Carr in the semifinals if he wants a rematch against O’Toole in the finals — assuming he gets there.

Olejnik finished eighth at the NCAA Championships last season for Northern Illinois before transferring to Oklahoma State. O’Toole already has a 5-1 win over the Cowboy star in a competitive match, but championship wrestling is different. 

Here’s a look at the top eight Big 12 seeds and how they’ve fared against each other throughout the season.

Keegan O’Toole, Missouri (4-0)
WON — Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State), 5-1 on Feb. 4, 2024
WON — Peyton Hall (Missouri), 8-7 on Jan. 26, 2024
WON — Giano Petrucelli (Air Force), 23-12 on Dec. 17, 2023
WON — Cael Carlson (Oklahoma), Fall 3:33 on Dec. 1, 2023

David Carr, Iowa State (2-0)
WON — Peyton Hall (West Virginia), 10-5 on Feb. 2, 2024
WON — Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State), 8-1 on Jan. 27, 2024

Peyton Hall, West Virginia (3-2)
LOST — David Carr (Iowa State), 10-5 on Feb. 2, 2024
LOST — Keegan O’Toole (Missouri), 8-7 on Jan. 26, 2024
WON — Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State), 5-1 on Jan. 14, 2024
WON — Giano Petrucelli (Air Force), 9-0 on Dec. 8, 2024
WON — Cael Carlson (Oklahoma), Fall 6:04 on Dec. 3, 2024

Izzak Olejnik, Oklahoma State (5-3)
WON — Cael Carlson (Oklahoma), 8-2 on Feb. 18, 2024
WON — Tanner Cook (SDSU), Fall 2:55 on Feb. 10, 2024
LOST — Keegan O’Toole (Missouri), 5-1 on Feb. 4, 2024
LOST — David Carr (Iowa State), 8-1 on Jan. 27, 2024
LOST — Peyton Hall (West Virginia), 5-1 on Jan. 14, 2024
WON — Cooper Voorhies (Wyoming), 20-4 on Dec. 19, 2023
WON — Cael Carlson (Oklahoma), 8-3 on Dec. 10, 2023
WON — Giano Petrucelli (Air Force), 8-1 on Dec. 1, 2023

Giano Petrucelli, Air Force (2-3)
WON — Tanner Cook (SDSU), 5-0 on Jan. 26, 2024
WON — Cooper Voorhies (Wyoming), 10-1 on Jan. 12, 2024
LOST — Keegan O’Toole (Missouri), 23-12 on Dec. 17, 2023
LOST — Peyton Hall (West Virginia), 9-0 on Dec. 8, 2024
LOST — Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State), 8-1 on Dec. 1, 2023

Cael Carlson, Oklahoma (0-4)
LOST — Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State), 8-2 on Feb. 18, 2024
LOST — Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State), 8-1 on Dec. 10, 2023
LOST — Peyton Hall (West Virginia), Fall 6:04 on Dec. 3, 2024
LOST — Keegan O’Toole (Missouri), Fall 3:33 on Dec. 1, 2023

Tanner Cook, SDSU (1-2)
LOST — Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State), Fall 2:55 on Feb. 10, 2024
WON — Cooper Voorhies (Wyoming), 4-1 SV on Feb. 1, 2024
LOST — Giano Petrucelli (Air Force), 5-0 on Jan. 26, 2024

Cooper Voorhies, Wyoming, 0-3
LOST — Tanner Cook (SDSU), 4-1 SV on Feb. 1, 2024
LOST — Giano Petrucelli, 10-1 on Jan. 12, 2024
LOST — Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State), 20-4 on Dec. 19, 2023