Freshman Logan Massa of Michigan is currently ranked No. 2 at 165 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)No. 13 Michigan will look to get back on track on Sunday against Northwestern after suffering a 34-6 setback at No. 15 Illinois on Friday night. Sunday's dual meet is slated for 2 p.m. CT in Evanston (Ill.), and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, as well as streamed live on BTN2Go. The unranked Wildcats have a 6-3 dual meet mark.
Below are five matchups to watch in the dual meet.
141: Alec McKenna (Northwestern) vs. Sal Profaci (Michigan)
This is a battle between two freshmen trying to find their way in Division I wrestling. Profaci, a two-time New Jersey state placewinner, was one of only two Wolverines to pick up a victory on Friday night at Illinois. He has had a solid start to his redshirt freshman season, compiling a record of 10-7, which includes a victory over NCAA qualifier Mike Longo of Oklahoma. McKenna picked up his first Big Ten win against Purdue on Jan. 8, but has gone 1-4 over his last five matches, and currently sports a 7-9 record.
149: Shayne Oster (Northwestern) vs. Zac Hall (Michigan)
Hall, a four-time Michigan state champion, took over the starting spot at 149 pounds after the Wolverines announced that Alec Pantaleo would be redshirting. He has had an up-and-down season. He started the season by winning 7 of his first 9 matches, but has since gone just 2-5. Hall is coming off a bad loss (8-0) to Eric Barone of Illinois. Oster, an Illinois state champion, began his season with five straight wins. He went 1-2 at the Midlands Championships, but bounced back with a dominant 12-2 victory over Michigan State's Nick Trimble last weekend.
165: Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern) vs. No. 2 Logan Massa (Michigan)
Massa has lived up to his billing and more as one of the nation's top recruits coming out of high school. The redshirt freshman has climbed to No. 2 in the rankings after starting the season 18-0. He suffered his first defeat on Friday night at the hands of two-time NCAA champion Isaiah Martinez of Illinois, 3-1. Sebastian was a three-time New Jersey state champion and the nation's No. 14 recruit by InterMat as a senior. After a strong redshirt season in 2014-15, Sebastian missed all of last season after having surgery in November. He started this season 7-0, but has been up-and-down since, and comes into the match against Massa with a record of 13-5.
184: Mitch Sliga (Northwestern) vs. Ernest Battaglia (Michigan)
Sliga has been one of Northwestern's top wrestlers this season. He has a record of 14-4 and was ranked by InterMat earlier this season. All of his losses have come to ranked wrestlers or All-Americans. He has started 2017 with two Big Ten wins. Battaglia took over the starting spot for the Wolverines after the decision was made to redshirt three-time NCAA qualifier Domenic Abounader. He picked up a win last weekend against Maryland, but has been pinned in each of his last two outings.
197: Jacob Berkowitz (Northwestern) vs. Jackson Striggow (Michigan)
Berkowitz has been a pleasant surprise this season. After a disappointing junior season in which he went 4-14, Berkowitz has gone 18-5 this season. He placed at the Midlands Championships, and has won his first two matches of 2017. Striggow, a Minnesota state champion, is coming off a 3-1 victory over Andre Lee of Illinois on Friday night. His most notable win this season came over Oregon State's Corey Griego, a returning NCAA qualifier who is currently ranked No. 18.
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