The Preseason #1 takes on the team with all the hype and storylines coming into this year. Now the rubber meets the road. Ohio State has been good this year, but is yet to truly realize their potential in the eyes of many. Between a wild loss short-handed against Virginia Tech, the tragic loss of a teammate, and the injury woes of Hunter Stieber this team has not been what many thought it would be. It’s still only early February.

For the Golden Gophers the big 5 (and boy are they ever bit) have consistently been answering the call. They’re not without their setbacks, but the core Senior group of Dardanes, Dardanes, Ness, Storley and Schiller have been rocks. The young bucks: Lizak, Short, Wanzek, Pfarr and Kroells may be what determine this teams final destiny.

These two teams have one goal in mind and that’s winning an NCAA title. Let’s see how the dual could potentially play out this Friday.

125-#7 Nathan Tomasello-Ohio State v. Ethan Lizak-Minnesota
This is going to be a brutal spot for the young buck Lizak. With Brancale unable to make the weight consistently the True Freshman has been thrown to the proverbial wolves (AKA Big 10 Competition). Gilman moved Lizak around en route to a 5 point tech, and I wouldn’t expect much different here. Tomasello will come out hot, looking to score right away. I see this one getting out of hand. Not sure if Tomasello gets the turn here or not for the 5 point tech, but I don’t see a close match coming.

Nathan Tomasello WMD Ethan Lizak
Ohio State: 4
Minnesota: 0

133-#7 Johnni DiJulius-Ohio State v. #1 Chris Dardanes-Minnesota
JDJ has proven he can hang with just about anyone in the country. However, I think Dardanes is a poor matchup. While the length, scrambling and grip of JDJ is something Dardanes will need to be aware of, I think back to the Thorn v. JDJ matches last year where Thorn (who is great with the front head lock) was just a little to physical and did not struggle with the vice-grip of DiJulius. I look for Dardanes to move him around bounce and get angles on go behinds for the win. The Dardanes both love to be in ties, but with guys who tie their wrists up, it can be problematic. This match is won and lost in the hand fight and I think Chris will do enough and be physical enough to pry DiJulius free. I don’t see the mat coming into play here. The only chance I see for nearfall is a DiJulius dump from neutral and I think that’s a real long shot. Give me Dardanes by a couple here.

Chris Dardanes WBD Johnni DiJulius
Ohio State: 4
Minnesota: 3

141-#1 Logan Stieber-Ohio State v. #4 Nick Dardanes-Minnesota
Logan all day right? Probably, but let’s look back to a few years ago as well as last Spring. Chris Dardanes became an answer to a trivia question down the road when he knocked off Stieber his Freshman year in this dual. Last Spring Nick Dardanes pushed Logan to the absolute brink when Logan won by criteria in Freestyle. That tells you a lot of the story right there. On their feet it’s going to be a battle. Nick was able to get to his double, he was able to fight off Logan’s attacks (to a point) even when Logan got in deep, Dardanes hip pressure several times was enough to fight off Logan. However, Freestyle eliminates one of Nick’s main weaknesses and Logan’s absolute strength: Top and bottom wrestling. You have to figure the mat will be a huge factor in this match.

Was Nick taking Logan down like that an outlier? Logan coming off an underwhelming (4-0) win over Nick Lawrence last week and Nick looking as solid as ever makes me believe this one could be closer than anticipated. However, it’s Logan, it’s Senior Night and I think he takes this one comfortably.

Logan Stieber WBD Nick Dardanes
Ohio State: 7
Minnesota: 3

Check out HOW CLOSE Dardanes was to a win against Logan this Spring right here:

 

149-Randy Languis-Ohio State v. Jake Short-Minnesota
I don’t have much confidence that we’ll see Hunter here. He hasn’t been officially ruled out, but I think it’s fair to assume he’s on the shelf. Short came into this season with a fair amount of hope from Gopher fans. He’s a sound positional wrestler, but he struggles to pull the trigger. His boasts for the year are keeping it close with both Kindig and Sorensen, but beyond that there’s little to get excited about. Languis has been the plug for the Buckeyes for some time now, going wherever the team needs him. He hasn’t been as sharp as he’d been in years past losing to Trimble, Romanchik and Lopez. Hard to believe a year ago he beat Dave Habat. Short’s win over Ream, Lange are solid but losses to McCalmon, Rodriguez and Theobold make you wonder if he can qualify this year. I think Short has been better this year and for that reason I’m going with him. However, this one is in the balance and Languis as a Senior may give the crowd what they want.

Jake Short WBD Randy Languis
Ohio State: 7
Minnesota: 6

157-#9 Josh Demas-Ohio State v. #1 Dylan Ness
At a glance it’s Ness all day, easy. Right? Probably, but let’s consider a few things. 1) Dylan Ness was not healthy last week at all, and still may not be 100% for this match. 2) Josh Demas has the goods to wrestle on his feet with just about anybody. His attacks (double from space, inside trips) are solid and only fired off on occasion. He’s not going to mix it up a ton with Ness, he’ll pick his spots. He will run into problems from underneath where Ness is amazing. I really don’t see this match as a blow out. Demas loses a 1 takedown match and maybe gives up riding time. Don’t be shocked if he has a shot to win this one late. I see Ness playing it a little closer to the vest than usual. A fall can never be counted out, but I don’t see it here.

Dylan Ness WBD Josh Demas
Minnesota: 9
Ohio State: 7

165-#5 Bo Jordan-Ohio State v. #16 Nick Wanzek-Minnesota
We didn’t see Wanzek against Iowa, but I’m assuming we’ll see him here. Wanzek is a fairly solid athlete who can wrestle for 7 minutes. That being said this is all Bo Jordan here. I don’t see Wanzek having the finishes against someone like Jordan. His hips are tremendously strong and I love his attacks. Look for Bo to get a few takedowns off his single but spend a lot of time riding on top looking to punish with legs. I think he rides for awhile but am not sure if he’ll get the turns. I like a lopsided decision for Bo here.

Bo Jordan WBD Nick Wanzek
Ohio State: 10
Minnesota: 9

174 #13 Mark Martin-Ohio State v. #4 Logan Storley-Minnesota
Pretty straight forward match up. Martin is who he is, as is Storley. Martin wins the matches he should, but has not been able to notch that big win yet. Storley has been solid this year but not without a few losses. I think Martin keeps it close enough, but you have to be wary of Storley’s hips. One false move and you can get put on your back. I think Storley makes a point to get an early takedown. A few TD’s and riding time for Storley and it’s a lopsided decision for the Gopher.

Logan Storley WBD Mark Martin
Minnesota: 12
Ohio State: 10

184 #16 Kenny Courts-Ohio State v. #12 Brett Pfarr-Minnesota
Brett Pfarr is one of my favorite guys to watch. He’s aggressive, funky and good in all positions. I think I’m done waiting for Kenny Courts to break out. He is who he is. Pfarr is going to make this match about 7 minutes. Courts may get to his low single, but I think Pfarr can counter them well. Ability wise this one is in the balance. This is a huge one for Ohio State if they want to win the dual. They need this one for sure. I just don’t see it coming. Pfarr will get to his drags, and finish his leg attacks for the win. I don’t anticipate the mat being a huge factor here.

Brett Pfarr WBD Kenny Courts
Minnesota: 15
Ohio State: 10

197: #5 Kyle Snyder-Ohio State v. #3 Scott Schiller-Minnesota
Match of the dual in my opinion. I was bullish about Snyder right out of the gate to a degree. I thought he’d make the finals. While he has fallen short against Gadson and Burak, I still think there’s a chance he can live up to my expectations (Recall, at this point last year J’den Cox had lost to Wellington and Gadson and his best win was over McIntosh). It can take time with True Freshman. I was disappointed with Snyder against Burak and couldn’t believe he was unable to get to the legs hardly at all. I think Schillers positioning and hips are going to be a bit much in this spot right now. A win by Snyder is surely possible, but I think Schiller is a nice match up. This match is won and lost on the feet. Neither guy will be able to turn the other. It’s a 1 TD match and I see it going to Schiller. Don’t feel crazy confident, nor should anyone. It’s super close.

Scott Schiller WBD Kyle Snyder
Minnesota: 18
Ohio State: 10

285: Ray Gordon-Ohio State v. #14 Mike Kroells-Minnesota
Kroells brings it home for the Golden Gophers. The Buckeyes need Tavanello and I’m not sure if/when he’ll be back. I still like Kroells IF Tav were to go. Kroells has looked good. He’s active and fairly athletic. He isn’t in the top 5 tier but he’s pretty darn good and has a shot at placing this year if his development continues.

Mike Kroells WBD Ray Gordon
Final Score:
Minnesota: 21
Ohio State: 10

Confidence Picks: I’ll give you the 10 match winners in the order of confidence starting with the most confident winner down to the least!

Nathan Tomasello
Bo Jordan
Logan Stieber
Mike Kroells
Logan Storley
Dylan Ness
Jake Short
Brett Pfarr
Chris Dardanes
Scott Schiller