One of the biggest dual meets to start off this new year. The Sun Devils will be taking on the Wolverines in a top ten ranked very anticipated matchup. Some noted for this dual meet, the main one being that Nick Suriano will not be wrestling at 125 pounds against Brandon Courtney due to him not finishing the admissions process yet.
125-
#5 Brandon Courtney vs Jack Medley
Medley is a very solid competitor but Courtney just seems to have solidified himself as a top guy in this weight now. With Nick Suriano not wrestling in the dual meet this is definitely a match where Courtney will need to look for bonus points.
Projection: Brandon Courtney
133-
#7Michael McGee vs #9 Dylan Ragusin
Seems to be one of the matchups that has a big focus for the team score. Both of these guys look very good at this point in the season and this is a match that could really go either way. It seems like the pure speed and athleticism of McGee may just be a little too much for Ragusin to handle
Projection: Michael McGee
141-
#3 Stevan Micic vs #25 Jesse Vasquez
This is one of those matchups where on paper Micic should dominate. There are a bunch more factors coming into this which play a role such as Micic being up at 141. Nick Lee put a major on Vasquez so that is somewhat the baseline here so there really is not too much to go off of.
Projection: Stevan Micic
149-
#13 Kyle Parco vs Cole Mattin
Another match here that is a lot closer than it looks. Mattin again is a very solid wrestler and Parco is a very smart and consistent wrestler in his own right. Parco just lose to Beau Bartlett who arguably could end up decently high on the podium this season at the rate that he is improving. Parco is looking to bounce back from that loss and this seems like a good match to get himself back on track.
Projection: Kyle Parco
157-
#4 Jacori Teemer vs #11 Will Lewan
Toughness and power vs speed and finesse is what this match is. Will Lewan is solid and could very well pull this off here. Teemer to his own credit has looked incredible so far this season and could be looking to make a big run at nationals. Last time this match occurred Teemer took it in sudden victory 4-2 and we might be looking at the same sort of match this time but we feel Teemer can get it done in regulation this time.
Projection: Jacori Teemer
165-
#9 Anthony Valencia vs #12 Cameron Amine
Do not sleep on Anthony Valencia would be my biggest advice for anyone here. If he did not get injured last year at the national tournament he could have very well been a good amount of peoples pick to win the tournament as he beat eventual national champion Shane Griffith in the conference finals. Now Cameron Amine I could very well say the same thing for he is talented but very much under the radar at the moment. This matchup will be good but it most likely goes in favor of Valencia here.
Projection: Anthony Valencia
174-
#7 Logan Massa vs Zane Coleman
Massa needs to pin or tech here there is not much else to say about this. Unless they pull some big upsets earlier in the dual this will be a match that needs to be won to get them back on track in the upper weights to win the meet. Massa is very talented. He has a loss to Starocci in the tiebreakers so that 7-1 scoreline is somewhat misleading. Coleman on the other hand was teched by Starocci in the second period proving there to be a more than small talent gap between the two wrestlers. The win is pretty much all but done for Logan Massa but they will need more here.
Projection: Logan Massa
184-
#2 Myles Amine vs Josh Nummber
Again Michigan needs a pin or tech here. Amine is the second most decorated wrestler coming back to college behind only Olympic Champion Gable Steveson. He was able to claim an Olympic bronze medal as he had a big comeback to defeat Punia of India in the bronze medal bout. He is second behind Aaron Brooks at the moment but could very well make a push for the top of the podium in March. This match should not really prove to be anything competitive but it will be fun to see Amine back on the mat in a dual meet setting. We saw him at the Matmen open a few days ago where he beat Mark Hall in the finals 4-2.
Projection: Myles Amine
#12 Patrick Brucki vs #14 Kordell Norfleet
A wrecking ball vs a freight train basically these two beasts of humans will be brawling at 197. This matchup is dead even on paper and who really knows what will happen here. Norfleet is coming off a rough match to Max Dean of Penn State where he was majored 11-1. We do not really see that having too much of an indication on this match because of Dean being a potential title favorite this season. Brucki has looked solid, maybe had a couple lapses this season with some very close losses. It will come down to if Brucki can weather the storm early and shut down Norfleets athleticism and power with his own attacks.
Projection: Patrick Brucki (Swing Match)
285-
#2 Mason Parris vs #3 Cohlton Schultz
This is going to be a very fun bout mainly because of the contrast of styles. Parris is well known for his offensive output and taking shots early and often. Schultz is more known for his hand fighting ability and his ability to not get scored on by hand fighting so well. He is also good at punishing opponents for taking bad shots and that is something Parris will have to be aware of coming into this match. Schultz does not win any of his matches by too dominant of a margin while Parris is a big bonus point guy so it should be interesting to see our first top ranked match at heavyweight this season.
Projection: Mason Parris (Swing Match)