NCAA Wrestling: Missouri Tiger Style vs Oklahoma State Cowboys Preview

We have entered the last of the NCAA Wrestling season and the Tigers will continue one of their final two contest with another Big 12 opponent. The match-up belongs to wrestling and coaching legend John Smith and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. They are 10-1 in dual meets this season carrying a 5-1 record in Big 12 contests. Brian Smith currently holds an 8-17 all-time record against Oklahoma State in dual meet competitions, with last year’s contest coming down to a thriller. You can see more in-depth analysis in a previous article I wrote HERE.

Details

• When: Feb 5, 2023 (2:00 p.m. CST)
• Where: Stillwater, Oklahoma (Gallagher-Iba Arena)
• Watch: ESPN+

Moving into individual weight classes we will start at 125lbs and make our way through 285lbs. We are taking a glimpse into each dual and match-up that has been had along the road and how we have faired at each one. Looking along these duals, I’ll try to highlight which stood out most and which were potential season-altering battles as well as common ranked opponents throughout the current season. (Matches subject to change)

125lbs:

Mizzou: #13 Noah Surtin (So.)

Oklahoma State: #15 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Jr.) or Zach Blankenship (Fr.)

After getting back on track and knocking off ranked OU Sooner in the past contest, Surtin will look to take on another potentially ranked Big 12 opponent. Mastrogiovanni, a 2x NCAA qualifier with a 13-5 (2-2 Big 12) record, has been nursing an injury since the first of the year and it is unknown whether he will step on the mat verse the Tigers. Filling in for him would be true Freshman Zach Blankenship with an 8-5 record on the season. Blankenship was the #99 ranked wrestler on the Class of 2022 High School Big Board per FloWrestling.

Prior Match-Up:

• Surtin over Mastrogiovanni, 3-0 Dec (2023)
• Mastrogiovanni over Surtin, 4-2 Dec (2022)
• Surtin over Mastrogiovanni, 9-6 Dec (2021)

Common Ranked Opponents:

• #23 Joey Prata (OU): Surtin (XX) - Mastrogiovani (L, 4-2 Dec)
• HM* Jore Volk (WYO): Surtin (L, 11-1 Maj Dec) - Mastrogiovani (W, 2-0 Dec) - Blankenship (L, 6-1 Dec)

133lbs:

Mizzou: HM* Connor Brown (Jr.)

Oklahoma State: #1 Daton Fix (Jr.)

Connor Brown steps into Stillwater with a tall task on his hands for this contest. Looking for the upset of the night and potentially of the year, Brown gets to take on the top-ranked wrestler at the 133lbs weight class, Daton Fix. Fix has only lost four matches during his time with the Cowboys and is a 3x NCAA All-American taking second place all three times. Fix currently sits as the #7 P4P wrestler in the nation.

Prior Match-Up:

• No Previous History

Common Ranked Opponents:

• #16 Aaron Nagao (Minn): Brown (L, 6-3 Dec) - Fix (W, 10-3 Dec)
• #22 Kurt Phipps (Bucknell): Brown (L, INJ Def) - Fix (W, 4-1 Dec)
• HM* Wyatt Henson (Oklahoma): Brown (W, 7-4 Dec) - Fix (W, 14-5 Maj Dec)

141lbs:

Mizzou: #7 Allan Hart (Sr.)

Oklahoma State: #14 Carter Young (So.)

Allan Hart gets his second competitive match-up on this road trip to the state of Oklahoma. Coming off of a victory over Mosha Schwartz, Harts gets another chance to better position himself come Big 12 seeding time. Standing in his way is Carter Young, a returning NCAA qualifier with a 10-8 (3-3 Big 12) record on the season. Young steps in off of three straight Big 12 victories which included knocking off #9 Cael Happel (UNI).

Prior Match-Up:

• No Previous History

Common Ranked Opponents:

• #1 Andrew Alirez (UNC): Brown (L, 8-4 Dec) - Young (L, 12-4 Maj Dec)
• #8 Mosha Schwartz (OU): Hart (L, 6-1 Dec) - Young (L, 8-6 Dec)
• #17 Jakob Bergeland (Minn): Brown (W, 6-0 Dec) - Young (L, 2-0 Dec & W, 5-1 Dec)
• HM* Jordan Titus (WVU): Brown (W, 11-2 Maj Dec) - Young (W, 5-1 Dec)

149lbs:

Mizzou: #6 Brock Mauller (RsJr.)

Oklahoma State: HM* Victor Voinovich (RsFr)

Currently, on a seven-match win streak, Brock Mauller steps in to take on a Cowboy for the first time since the 2021 season. Mauller is currently 4-0 against Oklahoma State opponents during his time with the Tigers. Lining up in the orange is 12-5 (4-4 Big 12), Victor Voinovich. He enters the contest falling in his last two bouts to Big 12 wrestlers.

Prior Match-Up:

• No Previous History

Common Ranked Opponents:

• #13 Colin Realbuto (UNI): Mauller (W, 3-1 Dec) - Voinovich (L, 5-4 Dec)
• #18 Michael Blockhus (Minn): Mauller (W, 4-2 Dec) - Voinovich (L, 3-1 Dec)
• #19 Kellyn March (NDSU): Mauller (W, 3-2 Dec) - Voinovich (L, 5-3 Dec, SV-1)
• #22 Mitch Moore (OU): Mauller (W, 4-2, SV-1) - Voinovich (L, 3-1 Dec, SV-1)

157lbs:

Mizzou: #9 Jarrett Jacques (Sr.) or (So.) Logan Gioffre

Oklahoma State: #15 Kaden Gfeller (Sr.)

This bout will entail major Big 12 implications on landing a potential two-seed come championship time. Gfeller, a 2x NCAA qualifier, is currently 13-5 (7-1 Big 12) and will get an opportunity to bounce back after falling to #19 Derek Holschlag (UNI). Jacques on the other hand gets a crack to position himself well moving into the post-season bearing there be a head-to-head here and no dodging.

Prior Match-Up:

• No Previous History

Common Ranked Opponents:

• Daniel Cardenas (Stanford): Jacques (W, 8-5 Dec) - Gfeller (L, 4-2 Dec)

165lbs:

Mizzou: #1 Keegan O’Toole (So.)

Oklahoma State: #22 Wyatt Sheets (Sr.)

Keegan O’Toole continues pushing towards another top finish and a final gear-up match to prepare him for the final bout of the regular season against Iowa State. His opponent, 2x NCAA qualifier and 1x NCAA All-American, Wyatt Sheets sits at 11-8 (4-4 Big 12) on the season. Sheets has recently taken on three of the top wrestlers in the Big 12 at 165 going 1-2, knocking off #23 Austin Yant (UNI) while falling by decision in his other two.

Prior Match-Up:

• No Previous History

Common Ranked Opponents:

• #11 Peyton Hall (WVU): O’Toole (W, 3-0 Dec) - Sheets (L, 6-2 Dec)
• #17 Gerrit Nijenhuis (OU): O’Toole (W, Fall) - Sheets (L, 6-5 Dec)

174lbs:

Mizzou: #9 Peyton Mocco (Jr.)

Oklahoma State: #5 Dustin Plott (So.)

The top-ranked bout of the evening goes to Peyton Mocco and Dustin Plott at 174. Plott enters the match-up with one loss on the season to #19 Aaron Olmos (ORST). Plott is a 2x NCAA qualifier and a returning All-American placing 6th in the previous season. Prior to meeting up in the 2023 Southern Scuffle, the Mocco vs Plott battle brings us the 2022 Big 12 finals rematch!

Prior Match-Up:

• Plott over Jacques, 12-7 Dec (2023)
• Plott over Jacques, 4-3 Dec (2022)

Common Ranked Opponents:

• #7 Bailee O’Reilly (Minn): Jacques (W, 9-3 Dec) - Plott (W, 10-5 Dec)

184lbs:

Mizzou: HM* Colton Hawks (So.) or NR* Sean Harman (So.)

Oklahoma State: #12 Travis Wittlake (Jr.)

I will continue to push the Law Firm of Hawks and Harman although it looks as if there might be a split in the works with Hawks taking a front seat as of late. Hawks will look to take on a one-time NCAA All-American and 12-3 (6-0 Big 12) for the second time this season.

Prior Match-Up:

• Wittlake over Hawks, 2-0 Dec (2023)

Common Ranked Opponents:

• HM* DeAnthony Parker (NDSU): Hawks (W, 11-2 Maj Dec) - Harman (L, 2-1 Dec)
• HM* DeAnthony Parker (NDSU): Wittlake (W, 2-0 Dec)

197lbs:

Mizzou: #1 Rocky Elam (So.)

Oklahoma State: HM* Luke Surber (So.)

Still holding on to the top spot, Rocky Elam’s one-sided season continues to roll on into another conference competition against a returning NCAA qualifier. Luke Surber sits just outside the ranks at 197 with the honorable mention tag and carries five losses on the season by no worse than a decision.

Prior Match-Up:

• No Previous History

Common Ranked Opponents:

• No Common Ranked Opponents

285lbs:

Mizzou: #7 Zach Elam (Jr.)

Oklahoma State: #18 Konnor Doucet (So.)

We round out the preview by looking at the 285lbs weight class. Zach Elam will be taking on a 13-5 (4-2 Big 12) Konnor Doucet. Doucet enters the contest going 1-2 in his past three contests losing to #12 Tyrell Gordon (UNI) and #1 Mason Parris (MICH).

Prior Match-Up:

• No Previous History

Common Ranked Opponents:

• #12 Tyrell Gordon (UNI): Elam (W, 3-1 Dec, SV-1) - Doucet (L, 3-2 Dec)
• #18 Michael Wolfgram (WVU): Elam (W, 6-3 Dec) - Doucet (W, 3-1 Dec)
• #16 Josh Heindselman (OU): Elam (W, 2-0 Dec) - Doucet (L, 2-1 Dec, TB-1)

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Rounding out the end of the season with tough competition is good for this squad as they gear up for the heavy swings of the post-season. Next up on the menu for Tiger Style is a top-ranked contest at home against the Iowa State Cyclones!