Preview: #1 Iowa vs #6 Ohio State

The top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (10-0) take on #6 Ohio State (5-1) on Friday, January 21 in Columbus, Ohio, at 8 p.m. Eastern. The match will be aired live on the Big Ten Network but FloWrestling has you covered with a watch party for a second-screen experience. Here’s a breakdown of the dual and what you can expect. 

OVERVIEW

Iowa remains undefeated through a hefty dual meet schedule. In fact, many of the top Hawkeye wrestlers have only competed in dual competition. 

Iowa was scheduled to wrestle at Midlands but the tournament was canceled at the last minute. A handful of wrestlers went to the Southern Scuffle but, at the time, they weren’t starters. The Hawkeyes faced a stiff test against #5 North Carolina State but came away with a 19-15 victory without the services of two of their best wrestlers: Max Murin (149) and Michael Kemerer (174). 

The heartbeat of the Iowa program has always been its depth — and the Hawkeyes have plenty of it this season.

Ohio State is coming off its first dual loss after five straight victories. The Buckeyes fell 29-8 to #3 Michigan on January 14 in a dual that saw the Wolverines win eight of 10 matches. 

That’s not good news for the Buckeyes as they face a balanced Hawkeye team that features 10 wrestlers ranked in the top 11. Iowa juggled its lineup throughout the season but that hasn’t slowed the reigning national team champions. 

Ohio State is only favored in one match if the Hawkeyes use all their ranked wrestlers. However, there is a path to victory IF everything goes right for the Buckeyes and IF Iowa uses a hybrid line-up. 

Projected line-up

125: #8 Drake Ayala (Iowa) vs #15 Malik Heinselman (OSU) 

133: Cullan Schriever/#3 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs Will Betancourt/Dylan Koontz (OSU)

141: Drew Bennett/#2 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) vs #23 Dylan D’Emilio (OSU)

149: #10 Max Murin (Iowa) vs #2 Sammy Sasso (OSU)

157: #11 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs Jashon Hubbard/HM Bryce Hepner (OSU)

165: #4 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) vs #5 Carson Kharchla (OSU)

174: #2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs #7 Ethan Smith (OSU)

184: #18 Abe Assad (Iowa) vs #6 Kaleb Romero (OSU)

197: #3 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs #20 Gavin Hoffman (OSU)

285: #5 Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) vs #13 Tate Orndorff (OSU)

125: #8 Drake Ayala (Iowa) vs #15 Malik Heinselman (OSU)

Ayala has been a prominent storyline after three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee announced he would have season-ending surgery. The Hawkeye true freshman has compiled a 13-3 season with his only losses to Minnesota’s Patrick McKee. Ayala is on a three-match winning streak over quality opponents. Heinselman will be another tough test for the Fort Dodge, Iowa, native. 

Heinselman is 11-2 but he’s coming off an 11-3 loss to Michigan’s Nick Suriano. A win over Ayala at home would be an ideal way to rebound and to show he’s in the mix to place in March. The Buckeye senior has qualified for the NCAA Championships three times but only has two wins in six matches. A win by Heinselman is the only chance Ohio State has to be competitive in this dual. 

133: Cullan Schriever/#3 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs. Will Betancourt/Dylan Koontz (OSU)

Schriever has filled in for DeSanto the past two duals so it’s uncertain which Hawkeye we will see in the line-up on Friday. DeSanto should win handily if he is the starter regardless of who the Buckeyes use. 

Koontz was the starter for the first half of the season but we’ve seen Betancourt in the line-up recently. Neither wrestler has won a match during a Division I dual this season. Neither has Schriever, so a win by Ohio State here could make things interesting when the Buckeyes get to the meat of their line-up. 

141: Drew Bennett/#2 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) vs #23 Dylan D’Emilio (OSU)

Like DeSanto, Eierman (11-0) has been out of the line-up for the past two duals. The Hawkeye senior should win against D’Emilio but a few of his matches this season have been closer than expected. Eierman’s most recent win was a 7-6 victory over Purdue’s #20 Parker Filius on January 9.

Eierman — a four-time All-American who has placed 5-4-3-2 at the NCAA Championships — is one of the most electrifying wrestlers in the country. His unpredictable and entertaining style is the hallmark of his career, but many wonder why he hasn’t been as dominant this season as he has in the past. 

D’Emilio (12-4) is coming off a 12-7 loss to Michigan’s Stevan Micic where he showed signs of competitiveness. The Buckeye sophomore will be favored if Bennett is in the line-up, but an upset win over Eierman would give the hometown crowd something to cheer about. 

149: #10 Max Murin (Iowa) vs #2 Sammy Sasso (OSU)

These two met during a dual on February 7, 2021, and Sasso came away with a fall. Murin was behind 5-2 late in the third period when he got extended on a head to the inside shot to Sasso’s right leg and — like a magician — Sasso secured a cradle for the fall. 

Look out for Murin, though. He secured one of the biggest wins of his career over Northwestern’s Yahya Thomas during a dual on January 14. Thomas finished third at the 2021 NCAA Championships and was winning late in the match before Murin snagged the deciding late takedown for a 4-3 victory. Murin will need all of that and more to win over Sasso. 

157: #11 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs Jashon Hubbard/HM Bryce Hepner (OSU)

Young is 9-5 on the season but his losses are to some of the best wrestlers in the country. Hepner hasn’t wrestled since December 3 so don’t be surprised if Hubbard is in the line-up for this dual. 

Hubbard started the past two duals and dropped a 4-2 decision to Michigan State’s Chase Saldate and a 6-3 decision to Michigan’s #14 Will Lewan. Young typically doesn’t win big, so expect this match to be close. 

165: #4 Alex Marinelli/Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) vs #5 Carson Kharchla (OSU)

This is, without question, the match of the dual. Marinelli (14-0) might be the slight favorite based on rankings but this match is a toss-up. Kharchla (15-1) lost 5-4 to 2021 NCAA champion Shane Griffith of Stanford at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Open — the same opponent who defeated Marinelli during the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.

Kennedy has been in the line-up throughout the season but Marinelli has been the starter as of late. If he is, expect this match to go down to the wire. 

174: #2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs #7 Ethan Smith (OSU)

Paging Dr. Kemerer. 

That’s the ongoing joke as Kemerer is in the midst of his seventh season as a Hawkeye. But there’s no question that the Iowa super senior can slice up the competition. He is 4-0 this year after sitting out the first semester. 

Smith was a fifth-place finisher at the 2021 NCAA tournament at 165 pounds but has moved up to 174 this season — and he has looked good the majority of the season. He took a 10-5 loss to Michigan’s #6 Logan Massa last week, so he’ll have to be on his game if he wants to leave the exam room unscathed against Dr. Kemerer. 

184: #18 Abe Assad (Iowa) vs #6 Kaleb Romero (OSU)

Assad has looked good following a bizarre start to the season that included a loss to high school senior Caleb Whiting at the Luther Open on November 13. Assad has been the starter as of late and needs to use his diverse offense if he expects to win against Romero. 

Romero is 6-1 on the season and took Olympic bronze medalist Myles Amine of Michigan to the wire during a 3-1 sudden victory loss last week. Romero won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Open and has shown he is in the mix with the best 184-pounders in the country.

197: #3 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs #20 Gavin Hoffman (OSU)

Hoffman is 7-4 with a recent 5-2 loss to Michigan’s Patrick Brucki. Warner is 10-1 and has been consistent for most of the season. This match should be close but there is every reason to believe that Warner will come out on top. The Hawkeye star placed fourth at the NCAA tournament last season and has shown he can compete with anyone in the weight class.

285: #5 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) vs #13 Tate Orndorff (OSU)

Orndorff was pinned by Michigan’s #2 Mason Parris last week, which isn’t good news entering his match with Cassioppi. These two faced each other three times last season with Cassioppi securing two falls and an 11-0 major decision. Those kinds of results make Cassioppi the heavy favorite.