#2 Iowa will travel to Minneapolis to take on #6 Minnesota on Friday, February 14. This dual will go down at 9:00 pm (ET) and broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. Check out the below article to see the probables and a complete preview with predictions for all 10 matches.

Live Updates For Iowa vs Minnesota Here

Iowa vs Minnesota Probable Lineups

125: #23 Joey Cruz, Iowa vs #10 Cooper Flynn/Brandon Morvari, Minnesota

133: #2 Drake Ayala, Iowa vs 12 Tyler Wells, Minnesota

141: Cullan Schriever, Iowa vs #8 Vance Vombaur, Minnesota

149: #3 Kyle Parco, Iowa vs #25 Drew Roberts, Minnesota

157: #2 Jacori Teemer, Iowa #9 Tommy Askey/Charlie Millard, Minnesota

165: #2 Michael Caliendo, Iowa vs #15 Andrew Sparks, Minnesota

174: #7 Patrick Kennedy/Nelson Brands, Iowa vs #21 Clayton Whiting, Minnesota

184: # 7 Gabe Arnold, Iowa vs #4 Max McEnelly, Minnesota 

197: #1 Stephen Buchanan, Iowa #9 Isaiah Salazar Minnesota

285: # 11 Ben Kueter, Iowa vs #1 Gable Steveson, Minnesota 

Iowa coach Tom Brands reflects on memories of facing Minnesota and previews the team's dual:

125: #23 Joey Cruz, Iowa vs #10 Cooper Flynn/Brandon Morvari, Minnesota

Cooper Flynn will be the favorite entering this match but it’s noteworthy that Morvari is listed in the probables alongside Flynn. For Minnesota to win this dual, they’ll likely need Flynn at 125 and I think he’ll take the mat on Friday night against Cruz. Flynn is putting together a solid year with a 12-3 record with ranked wins over #7 Stevo Poulin, #15 Tanner Jordan, #19 Nicolar Rivera, and #20 Anthony Molton. 

Even with that success, Flynn lost to Ohio State’s Brendan McCrone last weekend (9-0). While Joey Cruz is the underdog, Cruz notably defeated McCrone three weeks ago in Iowa’s dual win over Ohio State (6-5). Cruz has gotten progressively better as the season has gone on and I expect the match between Flynn and Cruz to be ultra-competitive on Friday night. 

Prediction: Flynn by decision

Team score prediction: Iowa 0, Minnesota 3

133: #2 Drake Ayala, Iowa vs 12 Tyler Wells, Minnesota

Drake Ayala should be considered a considerable favorite entering the match against Wells. Ayala is currently 13-1 on the year with 6 techs and 2 majors with significant wins over Lucas Byrd, Evan Frost, and Jacob Van Dee. The Hawkeyes will look for Ayala to push for bonus points but that will be a tough task against Wells who is 9-4 on the year and has never lost by more than 6 points in his 37-match college career. Wells should keep things competitive against Ayala and his early season win over Connor McGonagle should give Gopher fans the hope Wells could pull off a much needed upset.

Prediction: Ayala by decision

Team score prediction: Iowa 3, Minnesota 3

141: Cullan Schriever, Iowa vs #8 Vance Vombaur, Minnesota

2024 All-American Vance Vombaur is coming off an overtime loss to #1 Jesse Mendez where Vombaur was incredibly impressive in defeat. Vombaur is currently 19-3 on the year and looks poised to reach the podium again at the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Vombaur should be considered a big favorite against Schriever and he’ll definitely be looking for bonus points.

Schriever is only 4-8 on the season and has yet to record a win over a ranked opponent this year. However, it’s worth noting that Schriever defeated Vombaur 3 seasons ago during Vombaur’s redshirt year (12-3). As interesting as that result is, Vombaur has jumped levels since that match. I’d be shocked to see Schriever come out with a win against Vombaur on Friday night.

Prediction: Vombaur by major decision

Team score prediction: Iowa 3, Minnesota 7

Vance Vombaur's win over Josh Edmond in the finals of the 2024 Cougar Clash:

149: #3 Kyle Parco, Iowa vs #25 Drew Roberts, Minnesota

Kyle Parco is fresh off a win against #4 Ridge Lovett and Parco will be a significant favorite against Drew Roberts. Parco is 15-1 on the season with a 50% bonus rate and the Hawks will look for him to increase that bonus rate on Friday. Roberts is tough but his recent major decision losses to Dylan D’Emilio and Dylan Gilcher suggest that Roberts will be fighting hard to keep this match to a regular decision.

Prediction: Parco by major decision

Team score prediction: Iowa 7, Minnesota 7

Watch Kyle Parco's recent win over Ridge Lovett:

157: #2 Jacori Teemer, Iowa #9 Tommy Askey/Charlie Millard, Minnesota

Jacori Teemer was the only wrestler listed in the probables for Iowa suggesting he’ll make his return to the mat for the first time in 2 weeks. The returning NCAA runner-up has had an odd year suffering an early-season injury and only wrestling 5 matches this season. Teemer looked close to 100% three weeks ago in victory against Sammy Sasso and in defeat against Tyler Kasak. However, his lack of mat time makes it tough to predict how he’ll wrestle on Friday night. 

Minnesota has two solid options to send out against Teemer in Charlie Millard and Tommy Askey. For as good as true freshman Millard has been this year, I’d be surprised if we don’t see Askey take the mat against Teemer. Askey is 20-2 on the year with his only losses coming in overtime to Antrell Taylor (4-1) and Jared Hill (3-2). It is important to note that Teemer majored Askey 3 years ago but Askey’s gotten progressively better since then and his results this season suggest this match will be much closer. I still think Teemer wins but am expecting a battle from Askey.

Prediction: Teemer by decision

Team score prediction: Iowa 10, Minnesota 7

165: #2 Michael Caliendo, Iowa vs #15 Andrew Sparks, Minnesota

Michael Caliendo and Andrew Sparks have 4 times in their college careers with Caliendo winning all four matches. All of those matches have been decision victories with the most recent one coming in the finals of the 2024 Soldier Salute (7-5). The other three matches went down during the 2022-23 season and were all close - 11-10, 5-2, and 2-1. Because of those past results, we can only expect a close match on Friday night with Caliendo as the favorite to come out on top.

Prediction: Caliendo by decision

Team score prediction: Iowa 13, Minnesota 7

Caliendo's win over Sparks at the 2023 Southern Scuffle:

174: #7 Patrick Kennedy/Nelson Brands, Iowa vs #21 Clayton Whiting, Minnesota

All-American Nelson Brands hasn’t wrestled since December 6 but is listed in the probables for this dual. Kennedy has been solid starting for Iowa but with his loss to Lenny Pinto last week, this could be an opportunity for Brands to make a case for taking over the starting spot. Whiting is solid but he’ll be an underdog against either Kennedy or Brands on Friday night.

Prediction: Kennedy/Brands by decision

Team score prediction: Iowa 16, Minnesota 7

184: # 7 Gabe Arnold, Iowa vs #4 Max McEnelly, Minnesota 

Max McEnelly has been outstanding this year for the Gophers with a 17-0 record and 15 wins coming by bonus - 11 techs and 4 majors. McEnelly has quickly established himself as a high All-American contender with ranked wins over #5 Bennett Berge (9-6 TB-1), #6 Silas Allred (16-6), Jaden Bullock (4-1, SV-1), #16 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (18-4), and #17 Ryder Rogotzke (15-5). 

McEnelly should be considered a significant favorite over Gabe Arnold, especially considering Arnold is coming off a 4-1 overtime loss to Silas Allred. Even with that result, I expect this match to be a battle considering Arnold’s defensive ability. Arnold’s worst loss in his college career was a 5-1 decision to Dustin Plott last year and I’d be surprised if McEnelly wins by more than a takedown or two.

Prediction: McEnelly by decision

Team score prediction: Iowa 16, Minnesota 10

197: #1 Stephen Buchanan, Iowa #9 Isaiah Salazar, Minnesota

Three-time All-American Stephen Buchanan has established himself as the #1 ranked wrestler at 197 pounds with ranked wins this over #2 Josh Barr, #23 Seth Shumate, #13 Zac Braunagel, #16 Luke Stout, #17 Nick Stemmet, and #8 Trey Munoz. Buchanan is 16-0 on the year with an 81% bonus rate - 4 pins, 6 techs, and 3 majors. 

Salazar, who placed 6th last year at 184, has been solid this year at 197 pounds with significant wins over #23 Seth Shumate, #21 Cam McDanel, and #20 Evan Bates. However, Salazar has suffered losses to #3 Jacob Cardenas (8-3), Aeoden Sinclair (5-3), and Cody Merrill (4-2). Considering those results, I expect Buchanan to win a controlled decision on Friday night.

Prediction: Buchanan by decision

Team score prediction: Iowa 19, Minnesota 10

285: # 11 Ben Kueter, Iowa vs #1 Gable Steveson, Minnesota 

Gable Steveson is currently 10-0 on the year with a 100% bonus rate - 2 pins, 7 techs, and 1 major. Steveson has notably teched Taye Ghadiali, pinned #9 Yaraslau Slavikousi and #7 Josh Heindselman, and majored #8 Nick Feldman (13-4). Though Kueter has recent wins over #12 Seth Nevills and #8 Nick Feldman, he also suffered a recent major decision loss to #2 Greg Kerkvliet (12-2). I’d be surprised if Gable doesn’t at least get a major decision and he’s absolutely capable of ending this match early with a tech or fall.

Prediction: Steveson by major decision

Final team score prediction: Iowa 19, Minnesota 14

Watch Gable Steveson's recent win over Nick Feldman:

Can Minnesota Pull Off The Upset Over Iowa?

Wild things always happen in duals but if my above predictions hold true, Minnesota will need to pull off one upset to defeat Iowa on Friday night. The Gophers are most likely to get that upset from either 133, 157, or 165. This dual will be incredibly close from start to finish and has the potential to be the best dual of the entire season.