The Tigers fell to 6-5 in duals after going 1-1 at the Hustle in the Heartland. They blanked LIU 42-0, their first shutout over a D1 team since the 2024 season against Stanford. They followed that up with a loss to Nebraska 27-10, winning just three matches. They had opportunities for more but came just short in a handful. Evan Bates notched a big upset to highlight the night. The Tigers will now send a contingent to the Cougar Clash at SIUE on Sunday.
Some thoughts:
- My predictions came close to holding up in both duals.
- Good defense but low offense in most matches.
- Kade Moore was right there against another top 8 opponent.
- Mack Mauger’s loss was a bump in the road but no need to panic.
- Josh Edmond had one of his best offensive matches this season.
- J Conway kept things close against the champ, but his toughest opponent may be coming soon.
- Evan Bates gets a breakthrough win, Max Mayfield was seconds away from one of his own.
- Short turn around for the Cougar Clash could make some solid matches.
Let’s dive in:
- My predictions came close to holding up in both duals.
In my preview articles I had Mizzou beating LIU 41-0 and dropping their dual to Nebraska 20-16. Mizzou was missing Cam Steed which changed things in both duals. The Tigers ended up getting more bonus than expected, with Evan Bates getting the fastest fall in his career in just :18. In the Nebraska dual, last second losses at 125 and 165 kept my prediction from being closer.
- Good defense but low offense in most matches.
In five bouts against Nebraska the matches had only one takedown scored. Three other matches were losses where Mizzou was teched without scoring anything but escapes. Some of that was due to opponents; Brock Hardy, Chris Minto, and Cade Ziola are just excellent wrestlers and were able to separate early and often. In other matches however it shows a continued theme of the Tigers struggling against high level competition to put up points.
Even against an out matched LIU the Tigers had more takedowns but not at the level you may expect in the lightweights. It wasn’t always bad; J Conway held returning Champ Antrell Taylor to a one takedown match, Max Mayfield was in on a shot late against #11 LJ Araujo, and Sinclair and Bates both beat returning All-Americans with a takedown. But the difficulty getting to legs and taking attacks was an issue in a handful of matches that made this dual feel similar to the Iowa one.
- Kade Moore was right there against another top 8 opponent.
While he doesn’t hit the most conventional attacks, Moore continues to put top contenders on their backs. In this one he scored a reversal to back points against Van Dee, but lost the position before he could get a pin. After a review they also ruled that Van Dee got two nearfall himself. Continuing the earlier theme, Moore had a hard time getting to legs successfully. He’s shown to be dangerous in scrambles but until he can get some more consistent attacks his ceiling may be limited to his big move success.