The 9-0 Iowa Hawkeyes hit the road traveling to Pennsylvania, to battle the number 1 ranked Penn State Lions on Friday January 31st, in what should be a sold out dual meet. Penn State is the defending NCAA champion and is the heavy favorite. The dual features 20 ranked wrestlers with 10 ranked bouts, including 7 top ten match-ups!

Don’t Miss: If Drake is healthy, the 133 bout should be fantastic. 157, 174, 165, and 197 are all outstanding bouts. 149 is another bout that is worth watching. Honestly the entire meet is must see TV. The dual starts at 6 pm Central time and will be broadcast on BTN.

History: The two teams have met 43 times in the past, Iowa leads the all-time series 28-13 with 2 ties. The largest victory was in 1990, where Iowa won 36-3. Iowa also has the longest win streak winning 8 in a row from 1998 to 2005.

Keys To Victory: For Iowa we need to win every close match. This includes 133, 149, 157, 174, 184, and 197. At the same time they need to minimize bonus points at 125, 141, 165, and heavyweight. Its a tall task against a very talented Penn State team. For Penn State they just need to win the bouts they are favored in.

125 Joey Cruz #29 VS  Luke Lilledahl #6

133 Drake Ayala #2 or Kenya Hernandez VS Braeden Davis #7

141 Ryder Block #20 VS Beau Bartlett #3

149 Kyle Parco #4 VS Shane Van Ness #3

157 Jacori Teemer #1  VS  Tyler Kasak #3

165 Michael Caliendo #2 VS Mitchell Mesenbrink #1

174  Patrick Kennedy #5 VS Levi Haines #2

184 Gabe Arnold #5 VS Carter Starocci #1 

197 Steven Buchanan #1 VS Josh Barr #4

285 Ben Kueter #11 VS Greg Kerkvliet #2

Conclusion: Penn State is the heavy favorite in this one. This is possibly the best wrestling team I have ever seen. Penn State has no weak links and has a title contender at every weight class. Kennedy vs Haines will be a fun match, Ayala vs Davis will also be a good one to watch.  Iowa can win bouts at 133, 149, 157, 174,and 197. At the end I predict a Penn State victory, 21-12, with Penn State picking up wins at 125, 141, 165, 174, 184, and heavyweight. If Drake is unable to compete, than Penn State wins that one as well. The biggest winner in this one is the fans. This should be an outstanding dual between two solid teams.