NDSU travels to SDSU to take on the heavily favored Jackrabbits on Friday. SDSU has been substantially better than NDSU again this year, but NDSU doesn't match up poorly with the Bunnies. NDSU realistic could notch wins at any of 125, 141, 149, 157, 165, and HWT, and IF they did that, they'd win the dual. With that said, SDSU has substantially outperformed NDSU this year and have been the much more consistent team. My prediction based on what I think the matchups will be:
125- Bianchi dec Brown, 3-0 NDSU. Brown won the first matchup between the two, but Paul has been wrestling better than he was the first month of the season. Toss up that I'm giving to Bianchi and NDSU. Key will be quick finishes on his takedowns so Brown can't get funky.
133- Gross tech fall Midkiff, 5-3 SDSU. Could be a fall for SDSU. I'm assuming that NDSU bumps Sykora up to 141 to face Pohlmeyer, just like they did last year. If Sykora is at 133, I'd change this to a major decision. This prediction assumes that NDSU has Cam bump up and that Midkiff has been weighing in low enough lately to wrestle 133 (Which I have no clue if they have). If Midkiff isn't allowed to make the cut, could see Lara or Cam here.
141- Sykora dec Pohlmeyer, 6-5 NDSU. Again, I'm assuming they bump Sykora up. Early in the year Sam Hampton dominated Pohlmeyer and won by 14. Maybe we see him back in the lineup, but I doubt it. Pohlmeyer has been wrestling pretty well of late and I would not be the least bit surprised to see Pohlmeyer win, or major, Nico or Midkiff.
149- Gliva maj Carlson, 10-5 NDSU. Not sure whether Carlson or Andrade will be in the lineup, but Carlson did catch Gliva and pin him earlier this year. That being said, Carlson has had a poor year and Gliva should pick him apart. One turn and he should get a major.
157- Ream dec Zilverberg, 13-5 NDSU. Matchup of the night here. Clay already beat Z earlier this year, but Z is tough. The thing that worries me in this one is Z has a propensity to take very quick shots right after the whistle, and Clay can be flat footed in these scenarios at times. Whoever wins the matchup on the feet wins this match.
165- Fogarty dec Peterson, 16-5 NDSU. Fogarty could win by more than a regular decision here, but I think Peterson will simply be trying to limit the damage.
174- Kocer maj Urbach, 16-9 NDSU. Kocer is just so much better than anyone we have here. A win for us would be keeping this to a decision.
184- Mueller dec Popp, 16-12 NDSU. Mueller is probably favored by major, but I'm hoping Popp can keep this one closer. Popp will have to be careful with his ties and upper body stuff, as Mueller is comfortable there.
197- Rotert dec Eaton, 16-15 NDSU. Another match where SDSU is a strong favorite and could definitely win by major or more. A healthy Rotert is really tough.
HWT- Macki dec Stibral, 18-16 SDSU. 1st time I've EVER expected Macki to win. While he still isn't good, he has been really clutch for SDSU at home this year. Big Dan can definitely win this match, but I'm giving it to Macki because of two things. 1. The home crowd of idiots is really loud and get a few calls every dual that they don't deserve. 2. Macki is a little smarter/more efficient at when he attacks. If Dan takes a bad shot (which happens fairly often), Macki is quick enough to get a go behind. If the dual is on the line and he gets a lead, the crowd will be reallllly loud and yelling for stalling no matter what is actually happening. Sad thing is a lot of refs knuckle under and give the call.
I don't think 18-16 is all that outrageous, but the way these two teams have performed this year suggests that SDSU will win a blowout. NDSU matches up well, but they've been losing a lot of matches and duals in disappointing fashion since early January. Odds are the final score is closer to 25-10 for SDSU.
WrestleStat has it 26-7 for SDSU.
https://www.wrestlestat.com/compare/...h-dakota-state