Mizzou takes Iowa on in the first round of National Duals and then have a litany of options through the rest of the bracket. I’m going to go through and make some general predictions for the Tigers in those duals with some things to look for in each one.
I have them dropping the first round match and getting the loser of Little Rock vs Illinois. In that one I have Illinois beating Little Rock 24-10. Last season Little Rock beat Mizzou at the Collegiate Duals 24-19 that saw Cam Steed injury default. The Trojans were hit hard in the transfer portal losing top ten wrestlers Nasir Bailey and Jordan Williams; but returning All-Americans Matty Bianchi and Stephen Little.
Overall the Tigers are favored in six matches; there are toss-ups at 141, 149, 157, 165, and 174. I like the Tigers’ opportunities to get bonus at 125, 133, and 184. The highlight ranked matches are at 149, 165, and 197. Edmond gets a tough matchup in Brock Herman, who didn’t wrestle at the Invite but wrestled in a dual to start the year. I think Mayfield matches up well with Matty Bianchi and actually have him getting the upset. At 197 I think this match could be close but Little actually pinned Bates last season.
There are some risky matches as well. Brennan Van Hoecke at 141 is always gritty and has beaten solid wrestlers. Seltzer has looked solid to start the year but this is an under the radar tough match. Kade Moore is a favorite but can be hit and miss at times, the TIgers will need him to stay in the win column and not let the match get away from him. Seth Mendoza is a stud blue chipper, but bumping up to take on a ranked senior will be a challenge. Peyton Westpfahl looked solid at the Invite but went 1-1 against non-teammates so it’s hard to say what to expect here.
