Where to Watch: January 17th, 6:30 PM on ESPN+
The Tigers are running out of time to right the ship, but this will be one of their more winnable duals this season. That doesn’t mean it will come easy however, as new Head Coach Adam Hall is leading his team to much improved results early. They are led by title contender Terrell Barraclough but have wrestlers who are always ready to give tough matches.
It sounds like wrestlers like Cam Steed and Seth Nitzel are close to their return and may compete this weekend, but not necessarily at the dual. Colton Hawks suffered an injury against Stanford and managed to rally back for the fall but his status is still up in the air. There was some better wrestling against Stanford but not nearly what they’ve been at before, if they can continue the upward trend and continue to fix some of these mental mistakes then this could be a step forward dual for the Tigers.
125lbs: #32 Gage Walker (8-4) vs Bridger Ricks (6-6)
Ricks was a two-time JUCO All-American in his first year at Division I. He’s had mixed results so far but it’s clear that he is hard to score on. Four of his six losses have come to top wrestlers this season and all but one has been a one score match. He doesn’t have any outstanding positions or attacks, but Walker will have to pick his spots to not give up reattacks. This could be a close match between the two and Ricks is dangerous but I’ll take Walker to get another win here.
Prediction: Gage Walker Dec. Bridger Ricks (MIZ 3 UVU 0)
133lbs: Kade Moore (5-11) vs Kase Mauger (7-6)
The cousin of Mizzou wrestler Mack Mauger, Kase is an exciting wrestler who is on the bubble as a qualifier this season. Last year he actually pinned Kade Moore at Big 12’s while Moore was up. That match saw Moore on a leg but overpursue and get put on his back. With the styles matchup that’s still a possibility here for either guy. I think Moore can win this, but he’ll have to wrestle smart and know when to give up 1-2 points as opposed to giving up a big move. Either wrestler could swing the dual with this match.
Prediction: Kade Moore Dec. Kase Mauger (MIZ 6 UVU 0)
141lbs: #16 Josh Edmond (9-6) vs #13 Haiden Drury (12-3)
Another rematch of the Big 12’s last season, Edmond beat Drury 7-4 at the tournament. Drury was an NCAA qualifier in 2022 at 133 but was injured in 2023 and made the move to 141 mid-season last year. He’s been solid this year and has a highlight win over All-American Kai Orine (who has now dropped back to 133). Drury has solid defense and is a good rider, and someone who will likely be looking for reattacks here.
Edmond wrestled better against Stanford, but still a far cry from where he needs to be to make the podium this season. Interviewing him post match he is well aware of the need to take more attacks. If he can keep that attack rate up and bring some of those wrist tilts to this one then I think he can repeat the win from last season.
Prediction: Josh Edmond Dec. Haiden Drury (MIZ 9 UVU 0)
149lbs: Zeke Seltzer (10-7) vs Tanner Frothinger (6-8)
With the recent injuries, Mizzou needs guys to take advantage in matches they’re favored in and this is one of them. Seltzer is coming off a frustrating loss against Stanford but has a chance to get right here. Frothinger is a redshirt freshman who has given up bonus in all but one of his losses. Seltzer doesn’t have much from top but if he can get his neutral offense going he needs to push for at least a major. Even if Seltzer builds a lead he’ll need to wrestle smart as his cardio is still an issue and is prone to give up points late.
Prediction: Zeke Seltzer Maj. Tanner Frothinger (MIZ 13 UVU 0)
157lbs: J Conway (6-11) vs Ryker Fullmer (6-7)
A true freshman for the Wolverines, Fullmer has also given up bonus points in all but one loss. He held Teague Travis to a 5-1 decision early in the year but has struggled past that. Look for Conway to get bonus points in this one, especially if he can get his confidence going early with some takedowns. I’m not ruling out him grabbing a tight cradle if given the opportunity.
Prediction: J Conway Maj. Ryker Fullmer (MIZ 17 UVU 0)
165lbs: Joel Mylin (4-9) vs #4 Terrell Barraclough (15-1)
Even if Steed were in this would be a difficult matchup. Barraclough spent five years on the bench at Penn State, occasionally stepping up for injury and getting ranked wins at different weights. Now closer to home for his senior year he is looking like a title threat. He’s great from top, a good scrambler, and has solid neutral offense.
I’m expecting Mylin here who has wrestled well against similar opponents lately. Unfortunately I do think Barraclough has better cardio and a more methodical offense that may be harder to stop for a full seven minutes. I could see this being a tight match controlled by Barraclough for a major with a late takedown.
Prediction: Terrell Barraclough Maj. Joel Mylin (MIZ 17 UVU 4)
174lbs: Jake Stoffel (4-11) vs Mark Takara (5-7)
This is a match that could be interesting, as Takara has struggled at points this season. Takara is a redshirt sophomore that has taken a jump from last season, and beat now Oregon State’s Sean Harman this year. Stoffel has struggled throughout his true freshman year and while I think this is winnable I’m not predicting it until we see a bit more from him.
Prediction: Mark Takara Dec. Jake Stoffel (MIZ 17 UVU 7)
184lbs: #9 Colton Hawks (8-3)/??? vs Caleb Uhlenhopp (8-7)
I’ll be honest, I doubt we see Hawks here. I’m not sure what his long term status will be but he didn’t look great coming off the mat once adrenaline wore off. This is one of the reasons the Tigers need to build up bonus points where they can, as I’m not even sure who will start here in place of him. Logan Cole and Tommy Hagan are both banged up right now.
Uhlenhopp is actually one of the better UVU wrestlers as well. He actually beat both of Stanford’s starters at this weight and has a win over Virginia Tech’s TJ Stewart. Depending on who Mizzou throws out here the goal for the will be to limit the damage. Uhlenhopp only has four bonus point wins but whoever starts will likely be up a couple weight classes which makes things tough. If they can keep from getting pinned though, that’s a win.
Prediction: Caleb Uhlenhopp Maj. ??? (MIZ 17 UVU 11)
197lbs: Aeoden Sinclair (5-3)/Jesse Cassatt (2-9) vs Kael Bennie (7-6)
Unless the team can put up bonus points in the lighter weights, the team may need Sinclair in this one. He has one date left and while you don’t necessarily want to use it against Utah Valley, the team may need to. Bennie is a redshirt freshman who doesn’t have any outstanding wins but has beaten a handful of solid wrestlers.
I think if Cassatt goes then he can keep the damage to a decision, but Bennie does have five falls this season. I’ll slot him in as starting and dropping a closer decision but this dual could be tight depending on a couple factors.
Prediction: Kael Bennie Dec. Jesse Cassatt (MIZ 17 UVU 14)
285 lbs: Jarrett Stoner (7-5) vs Jack Forbes (5-7)
A redshirt junior in his first year as a starter, Forbes is unranked but has some solid results. He was ranked at times this season and had a win over Nebraska’s Harley Andrews. He’s not a full size heavyweight but is well built for the weight with some good athleticism.
Stoner is coming off a loss to Peter Ming that saw him surprisingly take his foot off the gas and lose late after building a lead. I think Forbes could be a tough match as he can match Stoner’s strength and athleticism along with a size advantage. If Stoner can get his top game working then things could get interesting but I think he may drop a decision in this dual.
Prediction: Jack Forbes Dec. Jarrett Stoner (MIZ 17 UVU 17)
Final: Mizzou – Utah Valley (17-17)
Unfortunately for this dual there are too many possibilities to feel great about any particular projection. I think Mizzou can build a solid lead with their lightweights, but there are tossups at 133 and 141 that could swing the dual in Utah Valley’s favor. Add on that Mizzou is likely missing starters from 165-285 and the back half could get ugly. If the Tigers can sweep the early weights and get some bonus points along with it, they’ll be in a much better spot. There’s also the potential for Sinclair who could swing the dual by at least six points in Mizzou’s favor. Unfortunately this could end up being one of Mizzou’s worst dual losses in a long time, even with Utah Valley being a rapidly improving team.
*Rankings provided from Intermat