The 2024-25 NCAA D1 wrestling season is racing toward it's conclusion, but there are still some marquee duals left on the schedule. For example, the dual we're previewing right now!

Who: #1 Penn State vs #8 Ohio State

When: Friday, February 14, 2025 at 7:00 PM ET

Where: The Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio

Watch: On the Big Ten Network via your local cable TV provider

You can purchase tickets here. Looks pretty sold out but some tickets from certified resellers are still available. Should make for a great environment! 

Team Records

The host team is 13-2 on the season, and Friday will be the last scheduled competition for the Buckeyes before the 2025 Big Ten Championships, which will be held March 8th and 9th in Chicago by Northwestern. 

Ohio State's two losses were to Iowa at the end of January and Minnesota last Friday. The Buckeyes also placed third at the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in early December. Additionally, tOSU crowned seven champs at the Clarion Open during the first weekend of the season. 

Penn State is 12-0 on the season, and they have yet to be threatened in a dual meet. Their narrowest margin of victory was 22 points versus Iowa at the end of January. The Nittany Lions also had nine champs at the Black Knight Invite. 

PSU has two more duals on the docket this season. After Friday's dual they'll swing over to Illinois for a Sunday dual before coming home for their final contest of the season against American on February 21. 

Projected Lineups

125: #8 Luke Lilledahl, Penn State vs #17 Brendan McCrone, Ohio State

133: #7 Braeden Davis, Penn State vs #13 Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State

141: #3 Beau Bartlett, Penn State vs #1 Jesse Mendez, Ohio State

149: #2 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State vs #7 Dylan D'Emilio, Ohio State

157: #1 Tyler Kasak, Penn State vs #20 Sammy Sasso, Ohio State

165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State vs #12 Paddy Gallagher, Ohio State

174: #2 Levi Haines, Penn State vs #5 Carson Kharchla, Ohio State

184: #1 Carter Starocci, Penn State vs #17 Ryder Rogotzke, Ohio State

197: #2 Josh Barr, Penn State vs #23 Seth Shumate, Ohio State

285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State vs #8 Nick Feldman, Ohio State

Braeden Davis has been out of action for the last three Nittany Lion duals. Expect to see Kyison Garcia on the mat if Davis is out for another weekend. 

Tyler Kasak is questionable after having to injury-default out of last week's bout against Maryland. Either David Evans or Connor Pierce could bump up from 149 to fill in if he doesn't wrestle Friday. 

Neither Sammy Sasso nor Paddy Gallagher wrestled last week for the Buckeyes. They could be spelled for the second week in a row by Brandon Cannon and Brock Herman respectively. 

We won't see Buckeye freshman Ben Davino as he's wrestled in four duals and a first semester tournament, which equals five countable varsity dates. So assuming Coach Ryan plans to defer his eligibility for a year, he will be done for the year, barring any final tournaments at which he could wrestle unattached (now that it's the second semester). 

Note that in previous versions of this preview I had stated that Devino might still wrestle and keep his redshirt, but I forgot about that first semester part of the rule. Apologies. 

Key Matchups

The biggest matchup of the dual would be a rematch of last year's 141-pound NCAA final between Beau Bartlett and Jesse Mendez.

We've seen that folkstyle match four times now, most recently at the NWCA All-Star Classic, won by Mendez 4-1. The NCAA finals match was the same score but an even closer bout, as Bartlett was on the cusp of a title-winning takedown before Mendez flipped the script with a granby roll and a last-second takedown of his own.

Watch Beau and Jesse's match from the 2024 NCAA finals:

The 2024 Big Ten finals was another 4-1 win for Mendez, though in last season's dual it was Bartlett getting in the win column when he triumphed in sudden victory. And the final score? You guessed it, 4-1. 

The Buckeyes will be favored at 133 and 157 if we don't see Braeden Davis and Tyler Kasak. If both Nittany Lions are healthy and in the lineup, then the Buckeyes -- either Nic Bouzakis or Ben Davino at 133 and Sammy Sasso at 157 -- would be underdogs, though slight underdogs at 133. 

Though not as chaotic as last season, 125 has been ramping up the havoc lately. Perhaps some of that craziness plays out in this dual. Though still ranked #17, Branden McCrone recently beat #10 Cooper Flynn, and though he is ranked #8, Luke Lilledahl recently lost to #11 Dean Peterson. McCrone is still the underdog but stranger things have certainly happened before! 

We should also see a very intriguing top 5 matchup at 174. NCAA champ and two-time finalist Levi Haines will be a strong favorite, however, Carson Kharchla is wrestling very well, as evidenced by his season record of 11-0. 

Watch Levi beat Cade DeVos at the 2024 NWCA ASC:

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

Predictions

I'm going to make a courageous prediction and call the winner and final score at 141. I say Mendez wins it 4-1. Daring, yes I know. 

I have no inside knowledge on Davis and Kasak's health but assuming Coach Sanderson and company remain cautious, let's also assume we see Penn State backups at 133 and 157. We could see a Buckeye back up at 157 as well, but for this prediction, I'll pencil in another three team points at each of those two weights for Ohio State. 

I think nine points is all coach Tom Ryan's Buckeyes get in the dual, however, and I think we'll see bonus for the Lions at 149, 165, 184 and 197. I would not be shocked by more bonus point wins but I'll keep the prediction conservative and say the final will be 28-9. 

That would make for the closest dual of the season for Penn State but that's also assuming two PSU starters are out and all of Ohio State's starters are in. Everything up to including a shutout for Penn State is on the table. We'll find out what actually happens Friday night!