On Friday, January 5 at 7:00 pm (ET), the Oklahoma State Cowboys will take on the NC State Wolfpack in one of the premier duals of the weekend. This dual will feature several ranked matchups and is sure to be incredible from start to finish. Take a look at the below article to see the projected lineups along with a breakdown and prediction for each match.

Projected Lineups:

125: #15 Jakob Camacho, NC State vs #20 Troy Spratley, OK State

133: #5 Kai Orine, NC State vs #3 Daton Fix, OK State

141: #4 Ryan Jack, NC State vs #7 Tagen Jamison, OK State

149: #4 Jackson Arrington, NC State vs #21 Jordan Williams, OK State

157: #5 Ed Scott, NC State vs #24 Travis Teague, OK State

165: #20 Derek Fields, NC State vs #3 Izzak Olejnik, OK State

174: #32 Alex Faison, NC State vs Brayden Thompson, OK State

184: #12 Dylan Fishback, NC State vs #3 Dustin Plott, OK State

197: #2 Trent Hidlay, NC State vs #14 Luke Surber, OK State

285: #15 Owen Trephan, NC State vs #12 Konner Doucet, OK State

Before we get into the individual matchups, it’s worth pointing out that this dual has the potential to feature 19 ranked wrestlers with 9 of the 10 matches between ranked individuals. 

125: #15 Jakob Camacho, NC State vs #20 Troy Spratley, OK State

125 has been the most unpredictable weight of the season and seemingly every ranked wrestler in the country has a chance to win an NCAA title this season at 125 pounds. Just a few weeks ago, Camacho was #1 before he lost three matches in one day at the Collegiate Duals. However, just because Camacho had a rough day, he’s still incredibly talented and boasts a win over NCAA runner-up Matt Ramos this season. 

Spratley had a solid first half of the season accumulating a 9-3 record with ranked wins over Conrad Hendriksen, Trever Anderson, and Spencer Moore while only losing to Jore Volk, Caleb Smith, and Tanner Jordan. This matchup is a toss-up but I’m picking Camacho to get back into the win category and win a close decision over Spratley. 

Prediction: Camacho by decision

Dual Prediction: NC State 3, OK State 0

133: #5 Kai Orine, NC State vs #3 Daton Fix, OK State

Daton Fix and Kai Orine have only wrestled once in their college careers - all the way back at the 2022 NCAA Tournament. In that match, Fix won 7-4 but Orine has shown he can be competitive with the best in the country at 133 pounds. I expect this to be a highly entertaining bout with a lot of athletic flurries throughout. Fix has a slight edge on his feet and the mat so he’s my pick in a decision victory.

Prediction: Fix by decision

Dual Prediction: NC State 3, OK State 3

Fix's win over Orine at the 2022 NCAA Tournament:

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141: #4 Ryan Jack, NC State vs #7 Tagen Jamison, OK State

The matchup at 141 between Jack and Jamison might be the match I’m most looking forward to in this dual. Jamison is off to a great start for the Cowboys and has recorded impressive wins over Josh Koderhandt, Brock Hardy, and Vince Cornella. Ryan Jack is also putting together a solid year with notable wins over Cael Happel and Lachlan McNeil, while only losing twice to Jesse Mendez.

Like many other matches in this dual, this is a swing match and the winner here could ultimately decide the winner of the dual. Jack can present a lot of challenges to wrestlers with his scrambling ability and top work but Jamison is about as fundamentally sound as they come. This is a coin flip, but I’m going to roll with Jamison in this one.

Prediction: Jamison by decision

Dual Prediction: NC State 3, OK State 6

Tagen Jamison's win over Brock Hardy at the 2023 CKLV:

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149: #4 Jackson Arrington, NC State vs #21 Jordan Williams, OK State

While most of the matches have been toss-ups up to this point, Jackson Arrington should be considered a sizable favorite against Jordan Williams. Arrington has had a great first half of his season highlighted by wins over Dylan D’Emilio, Nash Singleton, and Gabe Willochel. Beyond the wins, Arrington has been dominant with 10 of his 11 wins coming by bonus points - 1 pin, 8 techs, and 1 major. Williams has had some close losses to good wrestlers but Arrington has proved to be a step above anyone Williams has faced this year and I believe Arrington will push for bonus. 

Prediction: Arrington by major decision

Dual Prediction: NC State 7, OK State 6

157: #5 Ed Scott, NC State vs #24 Travis Teague, OK State

Like at 149, the Wolfpack will be a big favorite at 157 with All-American Ed Scott taking on first-year starter Teague Travis. While Scott has dropped two surprising losses this year to Peyton Kellar and Joey Blaze, he’s also recorded ranked wins over Will Lewan, Ryder Downey, Paddy Gallagher, Bryce Andonian, and a few others. Teague has been solid with his only loss on the year coming against teammate Jordan Williams but he hasn’t shown anything to suggest he’ll be able to upset Scott. 

Prediction: Scott by decision

Dual Prediction: NC State 10, OK State 6

Ed Scott's win over Bryce Andonian at the 2023 CKLV:

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165: #20 Derek Fields, NC State vs #3 Izzak Olejnik, OK State

All-American Izzak Olejnik put the 165-pound weight class on notice when he defeated Dean Hamiti at the All-Star Classic and then won a loaded CKLV bracket at the beginning of December. In Vegas, Olejnik took out both Cam Amine and Julian Ramirez to bring home gold. Olejnik has some of the best skills in the country on his feet and on top and will push for bonus against Fields. 

Prediction: Olejnik by major decision

Dual Prediction: NC State 10, OK State 10

Hear Izzak Olejnik talk about his transition to Oklahoma State after defeating Dean Hamiti:

174: #32 Alex Faison, NC State vs Brayden Thompson, OK State

The matchup at 174 pounds between Faison and Thompson isn’t the highest-profile match of the night but it could decide the dual. On paper, Faison and Thompson are evenly matched. Faison is 8-5 and a returning National Qualifier while true freshman Thompson is 3-3 and boasts a ranked win over #24 Tate Picklo. Thompson struggled with injury in the first semester but if he’s fully healthy, I think he comes out on top in this matchup over Faison.

Prediction: Thompson by decision

Dual Prediction: NC State 10, OK State 13

184: #12 Dylan Fishback, NC State vs #3 Dustin Plott, OK State

I know I said 141 was the match I was most excited about in this dual, but it might be this matchup between Fishback and Plott. Both wrestled great at the CKLV in early December with Plott finishing in third and Fishback taking seventh. Plott is an established, two-time All-American while Fishback is still just a redshirt freshman. This match could tell us if Fishback is ready to make that jump into the top five at 184 pounds this year.

The two didn’t wrestle in Vegas but their results show this should be a very competitive bout. Plott split matches with Lenny Pinto while Fishback lost to Pinto in overtime. Beyond the overtime Pinto loss, Fishback also recorded a win over returning All-American Trey Munoz in Vegas. Fishback is a scrappy wrestler who finds ways to win and, although it’s an upset, I’m picking Fishback to take out Plott in Raleigh on Friday night. 

Prediction: Fishback by decision

Dual Prediction: NC State 13, OK State 13

Dustin Plott's win over Lenny Pinto at the 2023 CKLV:

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197: #2 Trent Hidlay, NC State vs #14 Luke Surber, OK State

Trent Hidlay made the move up to 197 pounds after wrestling his first four years at 184 pounds. At his new weight, Hidlay has wrestled as dominant as ever with a 15-0 record on the year with 13 wins coming by bonus points - 4 pins, 7 techs, and 2 majors. I expect Hidlay to continue his dominance against Surber and push for all-important bonus points that could help swing the dual meet in favor of the Wolfpack.

Prediction: Hidlay by major decision

Dual Prediction: NC State 17, OK State 13

Trent Hidlay's win over Jaxon Smith in the finals of the 2023 CKLV:

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285: #15 Owen Trephan, NC State vs #12 Konner Doucet, OK State

With so many swing matches, and if the dual starts at 125 pounds, the dual could absolutely come down to this heavyweight matchup between Trephan and Doucet. These two have never met in their college careers but have similar results this season. Trephan is 9-4 with ranked wins over Nick Feldman, Tyrell Gordon, and David Szuba while Doucet is 7-2 win ranked wins over Josh Heindselman and Boone McDermott. This feels like a one takedown match that might be destined for overtime. 

Prediction: Doucet by decision

Final Dual Prediction: NC State 17, OK State 16

Dual Summary

I have NC State and Oklahoma State both winning 5 matches in this dual with NC State winning by 1 point off of one more bonus point win. With at least 5 toss-up matches, the Cowboys are absolutely capable of winning this dual. All ten matches and every point will be vital to deciding the outcome of this dual making this a can't-miss dual from start to finish!

This dual is scheduled to start at 7:00 pm (ET) and can be viewed live on ESPNU.