Wrestlers host Ohio in Hilton

The #23 Cyclone wrestlers will host a dual in Hilton for the first time this season as the Ohio Bobcats come to town on Sunday for a 6PM tilt. This dual won’t feature multiple ranked matchups or grudge matches like the outing against Iowa, but that doesn't mean there won’t be anything worth watching. There should be a combination of sounding matches (125, HWT), opportunities for ranked ISU wrestlers to put on a show (133, 141, 197), and possibly a chance for a local walkon to get an opportunity to put on a Cyclone singlet in Hilton (165). As the first half of the season comes to an end there is still a lot to learn about this team and some answers will be provided against the Bobcats.

When: 6 PM, Sunday, Dec 16th

Where: Hilton Coliseum, Ames, IA

TV/Stream: Cyclones.TV/Flowrestling ($$)

Projected Lineups

*Rankings from Intermat/Flowrestling/TheOpenMat

Key Matchups

125

Thus far this season Mackall has beaten a bunch of mediocre to bad wrestlers and lost to Spencer Lee. Which hasn't given us a solid sounding on where he stands. We know he isn't terrible, and we know he can’t beat the returning national champion. But there is a lot of room between those two extremes. Laney is Mackall’s first opportunity to see a (non #1) ranked wrestler and that makes this the marquee match of the dual. A loss wouldn't be season defining - Laney is ranked for a reason and Mackall is still a likely NCAA qualifier even if he doesn’t beat Laney. But a win would likely push Mackall in to the rankings next week and give him a solid confidence boost heading in to the break leading up to the Southern Scuffle.

165

At the UNI Open last weekend Nelson Brands was a one man wrecking crew against the Iowa State 165 pounders. Against Brands St. John tweaked his already injured knee and one match later Jennings dislocated his elbow when he posted his arm on a mat return. As a result the Cyclones may not have any healthy 165 pounders for a while other than redshirting freshman. If we see St. John on Sunday that’s a good sign that his knee injury isn't too bad. But if we see Battani, a true freshman walk on, take the mat that might be a sign that 165 will go from being a weak spot in the lineup to being a straight up hole.

184

Last time out Colbray picked up an extremely good win over a wrestler than has made it to the round of twelve at NCAAs in each of the last two years. That was the type of win we all pictured seeing when Colbray committed to wrestle for the Cyclones. This week he isn't facing that caliber of competition. But Yeargan is a perfectly decent wrestler and would likely be able to take advantage of a let down match from Colbray. We all know that Colbray has a very high ceiling, but after last season there’s a concern about whether or not he can consistently perform at a high level. Picking up a win over Yeargan would be an indication that Colbray might be making that next step towards consistency.

Prediction

The Bobcats will probably pick up two or three individual wins in this one but the Cyclones should win most matches and have multiple bonus point opportunities. I think that Iowa State will pick up a 23-10 type win in this one.

Next Up

The wrestlers will be back in action on January 1st & 2nd at the Southern Scuffle.