Jan. 10, 2007
Taking their No. 1 ranking back on the road, the Missouri wrestling team, will travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa for the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Cliff Keen National Duals beginning Saturday, Jan. 13, at 9 a.m. (CT). The two-day tournament continues Sunday, Jan. 14, with finals expected to begin at 3 p.m. (CT) in the UNI Dome on the campus of Northern Iowa.
Sixteen NCAA Division I teams, including nine ranked among the top-10 in the nation, will make a run through the championship bracket in search of a National Duals title. Set up with a double elimination format, Missouri enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed and will take on 14th-ranked Penn Saturday at 9 a.m. (CT) on mat No. 3 (of an 18 mat layout). This marks the first meeting between the two programs.
Led by Head Coach Brian Smith, Missouri enters the tournament with all 10 of its primary starters ranked among the top-20 in the nation in at least one poll. Senior National Champion Ben Askren and younger brother Maxwell Askren hold the top spot at 174 and 197 pounds, respectively. Seven of Missouri's wrestlers are ranked among the top-10 of their respective weight class with true freshman Ashtin Primus entering the poll ranked 10th at 141 pounds.
The trip to Iowa marks Missouri's fourth appearance in five years at the National Duals and is the Tiger's third tournament competition of the season. Earlier in the campaign, Missouri claimed Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 2) and Southern Scuffle (Dec. 30) titles with Ben Askren earning Most Outstanding Wrestler honors at both.
All-session passes for the National Duals are $30 and can be purchased at the UNI Dome ticket office. Fans unable to attend the event can watch a free webcast of the semi-finals at 11 a.m. and placing rounds as well as finals at 3 p.m. on LiveSportsVideo.com, Sunday, Jan. 14.
Scouting the Quakers... With six members of their 10-man lineup ranked among the top-20 in the nation, the Quakers of Penn stand 14th in the nation and own a 2-2 record entering the National Duals. Two All-Americans, including 2006 National Champion Matt Valenti (133) and fifth place finisher Matt Herrington (174) are expected to compete at the two-day event. Led by Head Coach Zeke Jones, now in his second year at Penn, the Quakers have taken wins over Binghampton (45-0) and Bloomsburg (24-9), with losses coming to No. 9 Central Michigan (30-12) and most recently, No. 2 Minnesota (28-12). Competing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational the first weekend of December, Penn finished third behind Missouri and Michigan with Valenti and Herrington each taking runner-up honors in their respective weight class.
In the Past... Making their fourth appearance in five years at the NWCA National Duals, the Tigers recorded their highest finish, second, during the 2003-04 season. Advancing through the championship bracket, the Tigers fell 24-12 to then-No. 1 Oklahoma State in the title round. Last season Missouri finished eighth after dropping a 21-21 tie (due to tiebreaker rules) to Arizona State.
It's Been Awhile... The last time a Missouri team was ranked No. 1 in the nation came during the 1989-90 men's basketball season under the direction of then-Head Coach Norm Stewart. Missouri's basketball team went on to earn the Big Eight Title and finished ranked No. 11 in the nation with a 26-6 record.
In Attendance... Sixteen teams from the NCAA Division I level will be competing for the 2007 NWCA National Duals Title and all but three stand ranked among the top-20 in the nation. Of the 16, nine are ranked among the top 10 with Missouri owning the No. 1 spot for the fourth straight week. Teams attending include the University of Minnesota (2nd), Cornell University (13th), Oklahoma State University (4th), University of Oklahoma (7th), Iowa State University (6th), University of Iowa (5th), University of Pennsylvania (14th), Hofstra University (3rd), West Virginia University (NR), University of Michigan (11th), Northwestern University (8th), University of Northern Iowa (NR), UC Davis (NR), University of Nebraska (20th), University of Missouri (1st), Central Michigan University (9th). Rankings based on Jan. 9 release from USA Today/NWCA/InterMat.
Bracketology... Missouri enters the National Duals seeded No. 1 with Minnesota, ranked No. 2 in the nation, seeded No. 2 on the opposite side of the bracket. Two Big 12 schools are on the top side of the bracket (No. 1 Missouri and No. 4 Oklahoma State) with the remaining three league schools on the bottom half (NR Nebraska, No. 6 Iowa State and No. 7 Oklahoma). For a look at the bracket, see pages eight and nine.
It's Been Awhile... The last time a Missouri team was ranked No. 1 in the nation came during the 1989-90 men's basketball season under the direction of then-Head Coach Norm Stewart. Missouri's basketball team went on to earn the Big Eight Title and finished ranked No. 11 in the nation with a 26-6 record.