Oklahoma State faces Missouri in Columbia on Friday, January 21, at 7:30 p.m. ET for a high-profile Big 12 clash on ESPN+. Here’s a breakdown with probable starters and key matches. 

All Eyes On Jax

Oklahoma State hasn’t competed since a 37-0 drubbing of Oklahoma on Sunday, January 11. Missouri took wins over Arizona State (22-17) and Utah Valley (31-9) to open the calendar year perfect. 

All eyes are on Stillwater now that Jax Forrest is in the fold at 133. Forrest was a high school senior at Bishop McCort last semester, and now he’s a Cowboy true freshman with a 5-0 college record. He made waves by making the 2025 Senior World team after his junior year. 

His college debut was an exhilarating 47-second fall over Oklahoma’s Carter Schmidt inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. He recently won the Cyclone Open with two techs, a fall, and a 4-0 win over two-time U23 World champion Reineri Ortega. 

There’s no guarantee that Forrest is the starter since he only has five dates to use before he burns his redshirt. He is still the headline for this dual, as all eyes will be on his possible usage against #27 Gage Walker (12-2). 

Oklahoma State has Ronnie Ramirez (10-3) and returning NCAA champion Richie Figueroa (2-7) as additional 133-pound options. 

Ryder vs Sinclair

The highlight match is at 184, where #8 Zack Ryder (9-4) of Oklahoma State faces Missouri’s #3 Aeoden Sinclair (20-1). 

Sinclair is on a hot streak, winning eight straight matches by fall or tech. His lone setback was a 3-2 TB loss to Iowa’s Angelo Ferrari on November 15 at the National Duals Invitational. The freshman phenom’s 6-3 win over Minnesota’s Max McEnelly — a 2025 U20 World champion and third-place finisher at last year’s NCAA Championships — at the National Duals is an indication of his upside. 

Ryder is good, too — but is seeking his first signature win of the season. A victory over Sinclair would catapult him into the title contender conversation. His four setbacks are close, and he’s rarely out of a match, but scoring a takedown against an effective scrambler like Sinclair is a tall task. His recent 10-6 victory over Oklahoma’s #12 Brian Soldano is a mid-season indicator of Ryder’s output. 

Will We Get A Super Duck?

Pay attention to 174, where #7 Alex Facundo (OSU) wrestles #10 Cam Steed (Missouri). Steed competed at 165 last season, finishing seventh at the NCAA Championships. He didn’t compete for nearly two months after injury defaulting to Colin Kelly (Illinois) at the National Duals. 

The Collinsville, Oklahoma, native returned with a fall and a tech last weekend, but Facundo offers a new challenge. The Cowboy star lost three times at the National Duals Invitational, but secured a 7-2 win over #8 Carter Schubert in the Oklahoma dual. And there’s always a chance he will break out a super duck — his signature move. 

War Of Attrition At 197

Let’s see if someone scores a takedown in the Cody Merrill (OSU) vs Evan Bates (Missouri) match at 197. The Cowboy freshman is nearly impossible to take down, and his top game is top shelf. 

Here are scores from Merrill’s last three wins: 2-1, 2-1, 1-0. His 4-2 victory over Bates at the 2024 Michigan State Open gives him the upper hand in this predicted war of attrition. 

Middle Weight Matchups

Keep an eye on 149 and 157. 

Oklahoma State’s Casey Swiderki, an All-American transfer from Iowa State, went 1-3 at the National Duals, but may have righted the ship with a 7-1 record since November 16. Missouri's Josh Edmond is a formidable opponent after three seasons at 141. He has a 17-3 season record, but is seeking a top-10 win, which he could get against Swiderski.

Missouri’s Teague Travis is a two-time national qualifier who spent four seasons at Oklahoma State. There’s an inherent level of interest when a wrestler faces his former team, and he gets his shot against #6 Landon Robideau, a freshman with an 8-1 record. 

Robideau fell to returning NCAA champion Antrell Taylor (Nebraska), 3-2 TB, during a December 21 dual, but has been a bright spot on David Taylor’s line-up. 

Top 10 Matchups

174: #7 Alex Facundo (OSU) vs #10 Cam Steed (M)
184: #8 Zack Ryder (OSU) vs #3 Aeoden Sinclair (M)
197: #7 Cody Merrill (OSU) vs #10 Evan Bates (M)

Probable Line-ups

#5 Oklahoma State (9-1, 4-0)
125: #8 Troy Spratley, JR (7-2)
133: #9 Jax Forrest, FR (5-0) or Ronnie Ramirez (10-3), FR or Richie Figueroa, SR (2-7)
141: #2 Sergio Vega, FR (9-0)
149: #8 Casey Swiderski, JR (7-5)
157: #6 Landon Robideau, FR (8-1)
165: #2 Dee Lockett, FR (8-0) or Kody Routledge, FR (6-2)
174: #7 Alex Facundo, JR (9-4)
184: #8 Zack Ryder, FR (9-4)
197: #7 Cody Merrill, FR (9-1)
285: #7 Konner Doucet, SR (9-1)
Head coach: David Taylor

#14 Missouri (8-6, 2-1)
125: #16 Mack Mauger, FR (17-8)
133: #27 Gage Walker, SO (12-2)
141: #28 Zeke Seltzer, JR (12-9)
149: #18 Josh Edmond, SR (17-3)
157: #16 Teague Travis, SR (9-2)
165: #16 Maxx Mayfield, SR (10-5) or James Conway, JR (14-7)
174: #10 Cam Steed, JR (7-4)
184: #3 Aeoden Sinclair, FR (20-1)
197: #10 Evan Bates, SR (19-4)
285: Jarrett Stoner, SO (16-10)
Head coach: Brian Smith