Jan. 20, 2006
Columbia, Mo. - Opening the Big 12 slate with the conference's toughest opponent, the No. 11 Missouri Tigers take on three-time defending national champion No. 1 Oklahoma State in the Hearnes Center Jan. 22 at 2 p.m. CST.
Each team last competed at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, Jan. 14-15, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The eighth-seeded Tigers came away with an eighth-place finish, while the Cowboys grappled into the championship match against Minnesota. The Gophers handed Oklahoma State its first dual loss in 30 matches, 21-14.
Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith has taken down the Cowboys' juggernaut once in his career, upsetting Oklahoma State in the opening match of the 2003-04 campaign. Missouri's 21-17 victory was Oklahoma State's first defeat in 24 matches. A year ago, Cowboys' coach John Smith got his team back on the winning track versus the Tigers, picking up a 31-9 victory in Stillwater, Okla.
Making the trip north from Stillwater, the Cowboys boast four returning National Champions among a team that has nine grapplers ranked among the top 20 in the nation. Zack Esposito (149), Johny Hendricks (165), Jake Rosholt (197) and Steve Mocco (HWT) all took home NCAA titles a year ago. Ranked No. 2 in the nation, Hendricks faces a tough test from the Missouri bench at 165 pounds, stepping into center circle against No. 5 Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.). Pell, a returning All-American who placed seventh at 184 pounds as a sophomore, has compiled a 21-1 record at 165 pounds this season and has dominated his weight class throughout the year.
Other than the showdown between Pell and Hendricks, matchups between ranked wrestlers will take place at 125 pounds, 133 pounds, 149 pounds and 174 pounds. The 174-pound bout is always an exciting one for Tiger fans, as No. 1-ranked junior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) has pinned 23 opponents this season and remains unbeaten at 31-0. Askren will shake hands with 11th-ranked Brandon Mason nearly one week after setting a pair of Tiger records in Cedar Falls. Pinning Alex Pavlenko in the Tigers' opening dual against Arizona State, Askren broke his own mark for falls in a season (20) and consecutive wins (26).
Coming off of a National Duals performance in which redshirt freshman Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C., 184) upset three nationally ranked contenders, Missouri will look for another tough performance from its top freshman. Jordan knocked off the No. 2 wrestler in the nation, defeating Paul Bradley of Iowa, 4-2, Jan. 14.
The match will be televised live on College Sports Television, network channel 610 for Columbia residents, and also featured on Takedown Radio. Admission is free to all wrestling fans who bring 2 cans of food to the event, with all donations benefitting the Central Missouri Food Bank.