#18 North Carolina will travel to Columbus to take on #10 Ohio State this Sunday, November 7th. Take a look at a full match-by-match breakdown with predictions for this outstanding, early-season dual.

Projected Line-Ups

125 - #15 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) vs Spencer Moore (North Carolina)

133 - Dylan Koontz/Andre Gonzales (Ohio State) vs #17 Jaime Hernandez /Joe Heilmann (North Carolina)

141 - #19 Jordan Decatur (Ohio State) vs #23 Kizhan Clarke (North Carolina)

149 - #1 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) vs #8 Zach Sherman (North Carolina)

157 - Paddy Gallagher/Jashon Hubbard (Ohio State) vs #2 Austin O’Connor (North Carolina)

165 - #12 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) vs Sonny Santiago (North Carolina)

174 - #6 Ethan Smith (Ohio State) vs Gavin Kane (North Carolina)

184 - #15 Rocky Jordan (Ohio State) vs Mark Chaid (North Carolina)

197 - HM Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) vs #20 Max Shaw (North Carolina)

285 - #7 Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) vs Brandon Whitman (North Carolina)

In total, 12 of the 20 wrestlers are ranked in the top 25 in the nation! We’ll also get to see an All-American showdown at 149 between #1 Sammy Sasso and #8 Zach Sherman. Take a look below to see a match-by-match breakdown and my prediction for the dual.

125 - #15 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) vs Spencer Moore (North Carolina)

True freshman Spencer Moore will be tested in just his third collegiate match against an experienced Malik Heinselman. Though Heinselman went 1-2 at the 2021 NCAA tournament, he’s steadily improved over the past two seasons and should be considered a favorite in this match. For Moore (who has an incredible story you can learn more about here), the match against Heinselman will be a great measuring stick for him early in his college career.

Prediction: Heinselman by major decision - tOSU 4, UNC 0

133 - Dylan Koontz (Ohio State)/Andre Gonzales vs #17 Jaime Hernandez /Joe Heilmann (North Carolina)

A national qualifier in 2020, Jaime Hernandez looks to be at the top of his game after he defeated teammate Joe Heilmann in UNC’s wrestle-offs. On the other side of things, Dylan Koontz lost in his wrestle-off against freshman Andre Gonzalez. While we might see Gonzalez in the starting line-up later for the Buckeyes, I expect them to go with Koontz early on in this dual. With that in mind, I favor Hernandez in this matchup but expect Koontz to keep it close and hold it to a decision.

Prediction: Hernandez by decision - tOSU 4, UNC 3

141 - #19 Jordan Decatur (Ohio State) vs #23 Kizhan Clarke (North Carolina)

Jordan Decatur looks to have found his new home at 141 after he defeated both Anthony Echemendia and Dylan D’Emillio in Ohio State’s wrestle-offs. A national qualifier for American, Kizhan Clarke is now in his 6th and final year at UNC. This is a great matchup for both Decatur and Clarke but I give a slight edge to veteran Clarke.

Prediction: Clarke by decision - tOSU 4, UNC 6

149 - #1 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) vs #8 Zach Sherman (North Carolina)

Sammy Sasso was inches away from winning a national title in 2021 and is coming into this year as the favorite at 149. Sasso will be tested right away by Sherman who finished 7th at the NCAA tournament last year at 141. This could be the best match of the dual and is a great litmus test for both guys. While Sasso is always a threat to end the match with bonus, Sherman should be able to keep this one to a decision.

Prediction: Sasso by decision - tOSU 7, UNC 6

157 - Paddy Gallagher/Jashon Hubbard (Ohio State) vs #2 Austin O’Connor (North Carolina)

Will Paddy Gallagher go right away against returning national champion Austin O’Connor?! While I think Gallagher will wind up in the starting line-up by the end of the year, I think they’ll keep him in redshirt until the second semester. Going off that, O’Connor should be the favorite over Jashon Hubbard. Though a relatively unknown name, Hubbard performed great at Ohio State’s wrestle-offs with wins over Kevon Freeman and Isaac Wilcox. On top of that, Hubbard also has a past win over all-american Cam Amine from January of 2020. Even with those performance, I expect O’Connor to control the match and win handily, with bonus point potential.

Prediction: O’Connor by decision - tOSU 7, UNC 9

165 - #12 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) vs Sonny Santiago (North Carolina)

After he missed all of last season with an injury, it will be great to finally see Carson Kharchla in an Ohio State singlet at 165. Kharchla went undefeated in his redshirt year (2019-2020) and should be considered one of the main contenders to challenge Shane Griffith at 165. Kharchla is a huge favorite over Sonny Santiago-I expect a bonus-point win for Kharchla. 

Prediction: Kharchla by tech fall - tOSU 12, UNC 9

174 - #6 Ethan Smith (Ohio State) vs Gavin Kane (North Carolina)

Coming off a 5th place finish at the 2021 NCAA Tournament at 165, Ethan Smith will man the starting job for the Buckeyes at 174 this year. Against freshman Gavin Kane, Smith should be considered the favorite but it’s worth noting how well Kane performed in North Carolina’s wrestle-offs. There, Kane took out former #15 ranked Clay Lautt, 6-3. Last year, Lautt was round of 12 at the NCAA tournament so Kane should be able to go with some of the best 174 has to offer. For UNC to win the dual, this is a huge potential swing-match.

Prediction: Smith by decision - tOSU 15, UNC 9

184 - #15 Rocky Jordan (Ohio State) vs Mark Chaid (North Carolina)

Rocky Jordan and Kaleb Romero were originally set to wrestle-off but Romero sat out while Jordan took out Gavin Bell in his wrestle-off. I expect Jordan to get the starting position (for now) and take out Chaid in a controlling match with bonus-point potential. 

Prediction: Jordan by decision - tOSU 18, UNC 9

197 - HM Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) vs #20 Max Shaw (North Carolina)

Gavin Hoffman looked great in his wrestle-off with a tech fall over freshman Tyler Stein. However, 2021 national qualifier Max Shaw will be a much bigger test for Hoffman. Shaw went 1-2 at NCAA’s and even had a winner over NC State’s Nick Reenan at the ACC Championships. I favor Shaw in a close decision here.

Prediction: Shaw by decision - tOSU 18, UNC 12

285 - #7 Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) vs Brandon Whitman (North Carolina)

Tate Orndorff placed 8th at the 2021 NCAA Tournament and should be considered a big favorite in this match. Orndorff’s opponent, Brandon Whitman was UNC’s back-up heavyweight last year after spending his first two years at 197. While Orndorff should win in controlling fashion, I expect Whitman to hold it to a decision.

Prediction: Orndorff  by decision - tOSU 21, UNC 12

Ohio State should be considered the favorite in this dual, but a win by North Carolina is certainly not out of the question. A few big, swing matches for the Tar Heels are 149 and 174. If North Carolina can pull upsets there, and get bonus from another match, they could pull off the win over the Buckeyes and start their season with a bang. The dual is set to go down November 7th at1pm (ET), and you can watch on BTN plus.