Five Top 20 Matchups Highlight #18 Nebraska At #6 Michigan
Five Top 20 Matchups Highlight #18 Nebraska At #6 Michigan
Half of the matches in Friday night's dual between #18 Nebraska and #6 Michigan will feature top 20 matchups.
Another cold winter weekend is waiting for us, so why not stay in and enjoy some high-level wrestling? Big Ten foes Nebraska and Michigan meet on Friday night at Cliff Keen Arena in Ann Arbor, MI, in a dual featuring 15 ranked wrestlers. The dual starts at 7 PM Eastern.
Below are the anticipated lineups for each team, with the visiting Cornhuskers only being favored in one match on paper.
Projected Lineups
125: Mitchell Maginnis (Nebraska) vs. #10 Drew Mattin (Michigan)
133: #15 Jason Renteria (Nebraska) vs. #6 Stevan Micic (Michigan)
141: #14 Chad Red (Nebraska) vs. Sal Profaci (Michigan)
149: #11 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska) vs. #18 Malik Amine (Michigan)
157: #8 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) vs. #7 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan)
165: #12 Isaiah White (Nebraska) vs. #8 Logan Massa (Michigan)
174: Beau Breske (Nebraska) vs. #6 Myles Amine (Michigan)
184: #7 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) vs. #5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan)
197: Eric Schultz (Nebraska) vs. #13 Keavin Beazley (Michigan)
285: David Jensen (Nebraska) vs. #2 Adam Coon (Michigan)
Aside from the Wolverines entering as the heavy favorites, here are some other major storylines to watch in this dual.
Match of the Dual
While 157 and 184lb will feature higher-ranked wrestlers, there is potentially the most intrigue around the 165lb matchup. Isaiah White has had limited opportunities against ranked opponents this year, and Logan Massa still appears to be battling the injury he suffered in the CKLV quarterfinals. Yet more proof of how absurdly deep the Big Ten is at this weight.
157 Is Crucial For Seeding
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: who's who this week? Nebraska's Tyler Berger is coming off a pin but has taken a few losses, and most of his wins this year, even against unranked guys, are by a close margin. Meanwhile, UM's Alec Pantaleo put it on Micah Jordan but lost to Andrew Crone. This will certainly affect where they land in the Big Ten bracket. Any range of decision for either guy is not out of the question.
J-Rent's Midterm
At just 3-0, the young Husker Jason Renteria will get another great test this weekend against All-American Stevan Micic. Renteria just picked up his first ranked win, but Micic has bonused everyone he's wrestled since CKLV.
Freshman vs. Senior at 184
Taylor Venz has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season and has backed up his excellent CKLV by maintaining a rank inside the top eight. Will he be an All-American? It's certainly hard to tell, since guys such as #5 Dom Abounader of Michigan have been round of 12 twice.
Bounceback For Red, Stay On Course for Beazley
Nebraska's Chad Red is coming off a loss to Cole Weaver, his fifth setback in his last nine bouts. Michigan's Kevin Beazley, on the other hand, bounced back from losses to Hunter Ritter and Shakur Rasheed with a win over Cash Wilcke.