University of Missouri
Iowa State
No. 9 Missouri Closes Regular Season Against No. 5 Iowa State Wednesday
2/15/2022 8:36:00 PM | Wrestling
The dual will decide who finishes atop the Big 12 standings
COLUMIBA, Mo. – The ninth-ranked University of Missouri wrestling team will close its regular season schedule in a showdown against No. 5 Iowa State on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. CT inside the Hearnes Center. Beau Baehman and Matt Manley will be on the call on ESPN+.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. CT and the first 600 fans will receive free t-shirts. Tickets are available at MUTigers.com/TigerStyleTix or by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS.
The History
Mizzou (11-3, 8-1 Big 12) will wrestle Iowa State for the fourth year in a row. In the last meeting, the Tigers dominated the Cyclones in a 31-7 victory that included three bonus-point wins.
Since 2007, Missouri has faced the Cyclones (14-1, 7-0 Big 12) on ten occasions, boasting a 7-3 record and winning each meeting since 2010. Prior to the 2017-18 season, there was a seven-year hiatus following the Tigers' move to the Mid-American Conference.
During head coach Brian Smith's 24-year tenure, Missouri is 10-9 overall against Iowa State.
The Matchup
The Tigers will run out a lineup that includes seven NCAA qualifiers, all of which are ranked in the latest edition of the Coaches' rankings.
The freshmen All-American duo of Keegan O'Toole (165 pounds) and Rocky Elam (197 pounds) will headline Missouri. O'Toole improved to 16-0 last weekend against No. 13 Arizona State with a pin against No. 6 Anthony Valencia while Elam logged his first top-10 win of the season against No. 10 Kordell Norfleet.
Against Iowa State, the top-ranked O'Toole will face off against either unranked Isaac Judge or Austin Kraisser while Elam will wrestle No. 14 Yonger Bastida.
The dual also has scheduled ranked matchups at 125 pounds (No. 17 Noah Surtin vs. No. 15 Kysen Terukina), 149 pounds (No. 18 Josh Edmond vs. No. 19 Jarrett Degen), 157 pounds (No. 20 Jarrett Jacques vs. No. 1 David Carr), 174 pounds (No. 11 Peyton Mocco vs. No. 18 Joel Devine), 184 pounds (No. 19 Jeremiah Kent vs. No. 7 Marcus Coleman) and 285 pounds (No. 15 Zach Elam vs. No. 23 Sam Schuyler).
Freshman Ethan Turner (141 pounds) and either Connor Brown or Trey Crawford (133 pounds) round out the lineup for Missouri.
Iowa State will counter with nine ranked wrestlers in the Coaches' rankings, headlined by No. 1 David Carr (157 pounds).
Storylines
· Iowa State and Missouri are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the Big 12 standings, respectively. While the conference does not have a regular season, duals champion, the winner of Wednesday's contest will enter the postseason as the best team in the conference.
· Coming off a pin against Arizona State last Saturday, Keegan O'Toole was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week Tuesday morning. This is his second weekly honor of the year and the third of his career.
· Missouri leads the Big 12 with four Wrestler of the Week honors this season.
· O'Toole leads the team with 13 bonus-point wins and accounts for 25% of Missouri's 52 bonus-point wins.
Up Next
Missouri begins the 2022 postseason campaign March 5-6 at the Big 12 Championships inside the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Visit MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou Wrestling. You can also find the Tigers on social media by liking us on Facebook (Mizzou Wrestling) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@MizzouWrestling).
Players Mentioned
