No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) vs. No. 6 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State)
Weight Class: 141
When: Friday
Where: St. John Arena (Columbus, Ohio)
Ohio State's Hunter Stieber defeated Michigan's Kellen Russell, 6-5, at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)No. 7 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) vs. No. 8 Justin Zeerip (Michigan)
Weight Class: 174
When: Friday
Where: St. John Arena (Columbus, Ohio)
Why it's intriguing: Both Heflin and Zeerip are among the nation's top 174-pounders. Heflin enters tonight's match with a 19-3 record this season. Zeerip comes in with a record of 18-2. These two wrestlers met three times last season, with Heflin winning all three meetings. This is an important match for seeding at the Big Ten Championships.
No. 3 Ganbayar Sanjaa (American) vs. No. 10 Justin Lister (Binghamton)
Weight Class: 157
When: Friday
Where: West Gym (Binghamton, N.Y.)
Why it's intriguing: It's a battle of All-Americans and both are ranked in the top 10. Sanjaa was an All-American last season at 149 pounds, while Lister earned All-American honors two seasons ago at 157 pounds. Sanjaa, a native of Mongolia, has compiled a 14-1 mark this season, with his only loss coming to No. 2 Jason Welch of Northwestern in the finals of the Midlands Championships. Lister enters tonight's match with a 19-3 record. One of his three losses came last weekend to Oklahoma State's Albert White. He has a win this season over No. 4 Walter Peppelman of Harvard, a returning All-American.
No. 5 James Fleming (Clarion) vs. No. 8 Frank Hickman (Bloomsburg)
Weight Class: 157
When: Friday
Where: Nelson Field House (Bloomsburg, Pa.)
Why it's intriguing: These two EWL rivals have met several times over the past two seasons. Fleming dominated the series last season, winning all three meetings, with two of those victories coming with bonus points. Hickman turned it around this season, beating Fleming, 6-1, in the finals of the PSAC Championships. The two will likely meet tonight and again at the EWL Championships. Fleming is 18-2 this season, with his most notable win coming over No. 6 Dylan Alton of Penn State. Hickman is 24-3, with his losses coming to No. 1 Kyle Dake of Cornell, No. 6 Dylan Alton of Penn State, and Donnie Tasser of Pitt.
No. 6 Dylan Alton (Penn State) vs. No. 7 James Green (Nebraska)
Weight Class: 157
When: Friday
Where: NU Coliseum (Lincoln, Neb.)
Dylan Alton is 16-4 this season (Photo/Bill Ennis)No. 7 Jared Rosholt or Cayle Byers (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 11 Brent Haynes (Missouri)
Weight Class: 197
When: Saturday
Where: Hearnes Center (Columbia, Mo.)
Why it's intriguing: It could be a preview of the Big 12 finals match at 197 pounds. Haynes wrestled like a man on a mission at Southern Scuffle, tech falling All-American Matt Powless of Indiana and handling two-time All-American Sonny Yohn of Minnesota, 6-1, en route to winning the title at 197 pounds. However, outside of those two victories, Haynes has not beaten a ranked wrestler this season and has three losses to lower ranked and/or unranked wrestlers, and a lopsided loss to No. 2 Chris Honeycutt of Edinboro. Haynes should continue to climb the rankings if he can get past Rosholt, who is 17-1 or Byers, who was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country earlier this season.
No. 5 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) vs. No. 11 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota)
Weight Class: 141
When: Sunday
Where: Sports Pavilion (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Nick Dardanes is currently ranked No. 11 at 141 pounds (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)No. 8 Mike Evans (Iowa) vs. No. 12 Ben Jordan (Wisconsin)
Weight Class: 165
When: Sunday
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa)
Why it's intriguing: These two met in the second round of the Midlands Championships, and Evans came away with a dominating 13-3 victory. However, it was Jordan who finished higher, beating two wrestlers who have wins over Evans, en route to a third-place finish, while Evans finished seventh. Both Evans and Jordan have shown they are capable of beating top wrestlers, but have also show they are prone to occasional letdowns.
No. 3 Alan Waters (Missouri) vs. No. 8 Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma)
Weight Class: 125
When: Sunday
Where: Hearnes Center (Columbia, Mo.)
Why it's intriguing: These two Big 12 rivals met twice last season, with Patterson coming out on top in both meetings. Both wrestlers are having strong seasons, but Waters has earned a higher ranking based on a cleaner resume. Waters is 20-1, with his only loss coming to No. 2 Zach Sanders of Minnesota, 1-0, in the finals of the Southern Scuffle. Patterson has compiled a 20-3 record.
No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) vs. No. 7 Eric Grajales (Michigan)
Weight Class: 149
When: Sunday
Where: Rec Hall (State College, Pa.)
Why it's intriguing: It's a rematch of last year's Big Ten finals match at 149 pounds. Molinaro, a three-time All-American and 2011 NCAA runner-up, went 3-0 against Grajales last season, winning by scores of 6-2, 8-3, and 3-0. Molinaro has compiled a 21-0 record this season and has not been seriously challenged. Grajales is immensely talented and has shown that he can compete with the nation's best. He won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, which included victories over Edinboro's Dave Habat, who is currently ranked sixth, and Air Force's Cole VonOhlen, who is currently ranked third.
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