Stevan Micic was a runner-up at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)No. 10 Michigan hosts No. 2 Iowa tonight at Cliff Keen Arena. The dual meet is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and streamed live on BTN2Go.
Below are five matchups to watch in the dual meet.
133: No. 8 Stevan Micic (Michigan) vs. No. 1 Cory Clark (Iowa)
The undefeated and top-ranked Clark has not competed since Nov. 27, but Coach Brands indicated that he will be returning to the lineup this weekend. He has not faced a ranked wrestler in seven matches this season, and if he does return against Michigan, he will face a very tough test against No. 8 Micic. The Michigan freshman reached the finals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational where he lost narrowly to Ohio State's Nathan Tomasello, a 2015 NCAA champion and two-time All-American. Micic enters the dual meet with a season record of 11-2.
While neither wrestler is ranked, this has the makings of a very competitive match. Carton, a senior, is coming off a solid Midlands performance where he placed seventh. Profaci, a redshirt freshman, has some quality wins this season. He hammered NCAA qualifier Mike Longo of Oklahoma 12-4, and also notched a victory over Navy's Jared Prince, who was ranked earlier this season.
149: Zac Hall (Michigan) vs. No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa)
Sorensen, a returning NCAA runner-up, captured his second straight Midlands title last week and remains undefeated on the season. After dominating victories in his first five matches in Evanston, Sorensen was pushed in the Midlands finals by returning All-American Justin Oliver of Central Michigan, but prevailed in sudden victory. Hall, a sophomore, was a highly ranked recruit coming out of St. Johns (Mich.) High School. He was a four-time state champion with a record of 198-2. Hall has started this season 8-4, and has convincing wins over No. 12 Davion Jeffries of Oklahoma and No. 19 Joey Delgado of Oregon State.
157: No. 10 Brian Murphy (Michigan) vs. No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
The freshman Kemerer recently ascended to No. 2 in the rankings after winning a Midlands title and improving his record to 16-0. After dominating past NCAA champion Jason Tsirtsis in the Midlands semifinals, Kemerer won a tight battle over Nebraska's Tyler Berger in the finals. Murphy, a senior, has had a successful Wolverine career despite battling injuries during his time in Ann Arbor. He was an All-American in 2015 and has qualified for the NCAAs three times. After winning his first five matches to start the season, Murphy has dropped his last three. His most notable win this season came over No. 8 Andrew Atkinson of Virginia. Two of his three losses have come to wrestlers ranked below him.
174: No. 9 Myles Amine (Michigan) vs. No. 13 Alex Meyer (Iowa)
Amine, a redshirt freshman, shined in the first two months of the season. He placed third at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, with his only loss at the event coming by one point to freshman sensation Zahid Valencia of Arizona State. Meyer is a returning All-American, placing eighth last season. He entered the Midlands undefeated and seeded No. 2, but suffered two losses, including one Iowa State's Lelund Weatherspoon, a wrestler he beat earlier this season.
Dual Meet Prediction: Iowa 23, Michigan 14
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