Below is a look at 10 individual matchups to watch this weekend at the National Duals regionals.
141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Mitchell Port (Edinboro)
Unquestionably the most hyped individual matchup of the weekend, both Stieber and Port are undefeated on the season. The No. 1 vs. No. 2 wrestlers respectively, the pair was supposed to meet at the NWCA All-Star Classic in November, but Stieber was a late scratch due to an undisclosed medical condition.
Port will have to show an extra gear if he's to make it past Stieber, something that isn't beyond his reach and among the field at 141 pounds he may present the only challenge to Steiber's quest for a fourth NCAA title. For Port to win he will have to limit the scoring and control Stieber on the mat. That will mean more than a few hard-fought scrambles, which Stieber is unaccustomed to losing.
157: No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. No. 4 Ian Miller (Kent State)
An exciting big-move matchup, Martinez and Miller are both aggressive and focused on finding points in bunches. Martinez is an undefeated freshman having the type of year that makes you wonder if he can challenge some of the sport's best ever. Miller is a returning All-American who is super talented, but is also coming off a head-scratching loss to an unranked UNI wrestler.
For the fan who signs up to watch dual meets for individual matchups, this pairing is one where you should expect fireworks.
174: No. 3 Mike Evans (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Blaise Butler (Virginia)
There is very little separating the top four wrestlers at 174 pounds, and as all are in the Big Ten (Robert Kokesh, Matt Brown, Mike Evans, Logan Storley) they tend to see a lot of each other. Butler, an ACC wrestler, doesn't get as much exposure, but with a win over Storley and solid top ten wins all season, a victory over Evans could help the Wahoo secure a top four seed at the NCAA tournament.
133: No. 4 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) vs. No. 13 Nick Soto (Chattanooga)
Two-time All-American Cody Brewer returned from injury recently only to get decked by ISU's Earl Hall in his first match back. He has rebounded nicely and will get a solid test against Nick Soto, a wrestler with plenty of big wins in his career but with a little less consistency than many he's been able to beat.
For Soto this match is the opportunity to steal a top-12 seed at the NCAA tournament, which could help him avoid a bad first-round pairing.
133: No. 6 Cory Clark (Iowa) vs. No. 14 George DiCamillo (Virginia)
Wrestling is a tough sport and Iowa a tough place to compete. Given those platitudes, it's no wonder that Clark has had difficulty wining big matches. Though he'll be the favorite against DiCamillo, the young wrestlers are evenly matched, with DiCamillo only now feeling better after a string of injuries.
Though a team upset is unlikely for Virginia, DiCamillo could launch himself up the rankings with a marquee win and set himself up for a postseason run. A definitive win by Clark would show that he is able to beat the opponents that Brands and co. expect from their starting lineup.
125: No. 2 Alan Waters (Missouri) vs. No. 17 David Terao (American)
David Terao is a first-round nightmare for any wrestler, even one as accomplished as Alan Waters. Funky from start to finish, the Teague Moore-coached Terao is a non-stop barrel of action, with marquee wins dotting his career.
Waters will need to control the funk and limit scrambles to ensure that he can secure a win for himself and set the pace for the Tigers to continue their winning season.
141: No. 6 Josh Dziewa (Iowa) vs. No. 14 Joe Spisak (Virginia)
Dziewa has had a solid year, but has dropped some suspect matches to wrestlers he's later beaten. With Spisak the danger will be getting into a wrestling match in which Dziewa feels uncomfortable. Spisak lives and dies by the funk and is an expert at sneaking out back points from curly-q positions. I suspect that will be difficult at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but with Spisak any number of points could get posted early. Dziewa will just need to keep hammering away to ensure he breaks through that funk and can find a win.
184: No. 9 Hayden Zillmer (NDSU) vs. No. 13 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota)
These two have already met twice this season, with Zillmer earning razor-thin decisions in both matches. Zillmer has notched a win over No. 1 Gabe Dean of Cornell, and only suffered a handful of setbacks, both by skilled and highly-ranked opponents. He will be facing a similar styled wrestler in Brett Pfarr who has received the same coaching lineage as Zillmer. This will be a battle of equally matched big men thirsty of another win to help push them higher in the rankings.
184: No. 10 Kenny Courts (Ohio State) vs. No. 11 Vic Avery (Edinboro)
Another matchup of equally talented upperweights. Courts has enjoyed a balanced season, one that was certainly a surprise to many Buckeye fans, but it's Avery who went 2-2 last year at the NCAA tournament, who needs a midseason boost. The Fighting Scot has faced some tough opponents this season, but fallen short in most of those encounters. A win over Courts would help him in the NCAA seeding.
133: No. 15 Mark Grey (Cornell) vs. No. 16 Kevin Devoy (Drexel)
Though Drexel has no chance of besting Cornell in the dual meet, Devoy is having a respectable season and will enjoy as even a matchup as Coach Azevedo and the Dragons could hope for in the first round. Grey, whose potential is high, started the season at 141 pounds but has since moved back to 133 pounds. Notching his first ranked win at 133 pounds this season might help get him into a postseason swing that will carry him, along with several teammates, to the podium in St. Louis.
Devoy is a team leader with wins over Nick Soto (Chattanooga) and Robert Deutsch (Rider), but a win over Grey would help him secure a top sixteen bid and build momentum into the postseason.
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