Five Things to Watch for in the Mizzou vs OSU Dual
Mizzou will face off against returning Big 12 champs Oklahoma State in a top fifteen dual. Mizzou looked good last week in their two conference wins over Wyoming and Utah Valley. Oklahoma State is coming off back to back home losses for the first time since 1993, losing to Northern Iowa and Iowa State. I know Keegan O’Toole is coming back for this dual, and I’ll be crossing my fingers that Peyton Mocco returns as well. This dual occurs on Sunday, February 6th at 2PM and will be streamed on ESPN+. Remember to check out Tiger Style: Wrestling 101 for a refresher on the rules and terminology before tuning in.
1. Big 12 Preview
Right now it looks like the top three teams in the Big 12 are Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Mizzou. Mizzou faces both of the other teams over the next two weeks which serves as an opportunity to get a feel against their toughest conference opponents before the actual Big 12 tournament. Even if matches don’t go their way, it’ll give the Tigers a lot of knowledge on what to expect.
2. Fresh Faces
The only two Mizzou wrestlers that also wrestled in the 2019 home dual are Jarrett Jacques and Zach Elam. While Zach Elam will get a new opponent, Jacques has a rematch against returning All-American Wyatt Sheets. Last time, Zach lost a heartbreaker in overtime to an eventual finalist while Jacques scored a tight decision win. Mizzou will likely need both wrestlers to get wins here for the dual.
3. Can Mizzou Find An Upset?
The way I see the matchup, I think there is a 6-4 match advantage for Oklahoma State. Mizzou holds an advantage at 141lbs, 165lbs, 197lbs, and 285lbs. Bonus points and at least one upset are going to be a significant factor in this match. Noah Surtin (125lbs), Josh Edmond (149lbs), Jarrett Jacques (157lbs), and Peyton Mocco (174lbs) are all potential spots for Mizzou to find an upset and swing the match in their favor.
4. Can Rocky Rebound?
For the second dual in a row, Rocky Elam struggled with his offense and gas tank. OSU will likely be wrestling a backup 184lber after their National Champ starter at 197lbs was in a car accident earlier in the year forcing their backup 184lber to bump up and fill the gap. With this dual being so tight Mizzou will need a combination of upsets and bonus point wins. Rocky has the ability to score at least a major here, and should push for more.
5. Dual Attendance Record
Last time Oklahoma State came to town in 2019 Mizzou set a dual attendance record of 4,721 at the Hearnes. Brian Smith was recently on the Mizzou Athletics podcast and discussed how important a big home crowd can be. COVID has caused a decrease in most teams’ attendance numbers, but Mizzou could really use a boost in this match. I don’t think they’ll break the record this year, especially because that dual happened while high school state wrestling was happening at Mizzou Arena, but I’m crossing my fingers to get some good numbers and give some momentum to the team.