Jan. 30, 2009
Ranked as high as sixth in the nation, the Missouri wrestling team is poised to take on fourth-ranked Nebraska in its Big 12 season opener, Saturday, Jan. 31, beginning at 7:30 p.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center. The late night dual falls on the heels of the 5 p.m. men's basketball contest featuring the Tigers and Baylor Bears. Fans attending the evening wrestling dual are asked to park in the Reactor Field parking lot, located off of Providence Blvd., or in the Maryland Ave. Garage. A bus will transport fans from the Reactor Field parking lot to the Hearnes Center and back, following the dual, for a fee of $1 per person. Fans unable to attend the highly anticipated dual can still catch the action by tuning into www.mutigers.com. For a small fee, the dual will be broadcast live through Missouri's All-Access system. Additionally, fans can keep up with live stats available through Missouri's website and listen to the broadcast for free as presented by Takedown Radio.
Of the 20 wrestlers expected to step onto the mat Saturday night, 11 enter the meet ranked among the top-20 in their respective weight class. The 10-bout dual features four matches in which both grapplers are ranked among the top-10. Additionally, two matches will pit familiar opponents against one another. Missouri 197 pounder Maxwell Askren and Nebraska's Craig Brester best exemplify this and will likely shake hands and exchange shots for the sixth time of their career. Askren, currently ranked fourth in the nation, owns a 4-1 lead over current No. 2 Brester. Wrestling at 165 pounds, seventh-ranked Missouri wrestler Nicholas Marable and No. 4 Stephen Dwyer will also go head-to-head, with Marable owning a 2-0 advantage over the Husker.
Coming off of an 18-14 upset over then-No. 2 Cornell, the Missouri wrestling team meets with its seventh ranked opponent of the season when they square off with Nebraska. The Cornhuskers carried a five dual win streak before managing a 17-17 tie with this week's ninth-ranked Central Michigan and own a 37-16-3 advantage over Missouri.
Over the past five years, Missouri has tallied a 3-1-1 record in Big 12 season opening duals and earned its first Big 12 season opening victory in 2002 when Missouri bested Nebraska, 24-16, in Lincoln. In the last meeting against Nebraska in Columbia, Missouri pulled out a 31-11 win over their fellow Big 12 north opponent.
Both teams enter the Hearnes Center strong in the middle and upper weight classes with four of Missouri's wrestlers competing at 157 pounds or higher ranked among the top-10 in the nation. Nebraska brings four wrestlers competing at 157 pounds or more ranked among the top-10 and six ranked among the top-20.