PREVIEW: Penn State wrestling opens Big Ten play vs. Michigan State

No. 1 Penn State wrestling returns to Rec Hall to open the Big Ten dual season against Michigan State on Friday night. The Nittany Lions will look to improve on their 6-0 start to the 2024-25 season and extend their school-record dual win streak to 63 consecutive victories. 

What should we expect from Cael Sanderson and Penn State as they head into the depth of their schedule?

Penn State wrestling vs. Michigan State preview

Most recently, Penn State is coming off an almost perfect 3-0 sweep of Binghamton, Little Rock, and Missouri at the Journeymen Duals. The Nittany Lions won 29 of 30 matches. Penn State enters the weekend with a 6-0 record, while Michigan State enters at 2-1.

The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series 25-9, including a 35-0 victory in East Lansing last season. Penn State’s starting lineup will feature all 10 wrestlers ranked inside the top 12, with nine of those inside the top five.

Michigan State’s only ranked wrestler is No. 25 Remy Cotton at 197 pounds.

Match to watch

197: No. 4 Josh Barr 9-0 vs No. 25 Remy Cotton 8-4 (MSU)

Josh Barr has had a meteoric rise to the top this year as a redshirt freshman. The 197-pounder is currently 9-0 with an 88.89 bonus percentage. He has already picked up two top-ranked wins with an 11-3 major decision win over No. 6 Michael Beard (Lehigh) and a 4-1 sudden victory over No. 5 Stephen Little (Little Rock). Barr’s last match was a fall at 1:45 over Jesse Cassatt of Missouri.

Remy Cotton is the only ranked wrestler in the Michigan State lineup. The redshirt freshman is 8-4 on the season with two of his losses coming to Top 10 wrestlers and his other two coming to Penn State’s backups in Lucas Cochran and Connor Mirasola.

This matchup, on paper, should be another dominant win for Barr. Cotton has already lost by a major decision, 11-1, to backup Lucas Cochran and by an 8-4 decision to third-string Connor Mirasola. Don’t be surprised if this one ends up being a tech fall or pin.

Projected Lineups:

125: No. 12 Luke Lilledahl 8-0 (PSU) vs Caleb Weiland 7-6 (MSU)

133: No. 5 Braeden Davis 5-1 (PSU) vs Tristan Lujuan 3-4 (MSU)

141: No. 3 Beau Bartlett 9-0 (PSU) vs Evan Herriman 3-3 (MSU)

149: No. 2 Shayne Van Ness 9-0 (PSU) vs Jaden Crumpler 4-7 (MSU)

157: No. 3 Tyler Kasak 9-0 vs Braden Stauffenberg 3-7 (MSU)

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink 10-0 (PSU) vs Jay Nivison 7-6/DJ Shannon 3-3 (MSU)

174: No. 2 Levi Haines 8-1 (PSU) vs Ceasar Garza 9-6 (MSU)

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci 9-0 (PSU) vs Luke Daly 10-6 (MSU)

197: No. 4 Josh Barr 9-0 vs No. 25 Remy Cotton 8-4 (MSU)

285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet 9-0 (PSU) vs Max Vanadia 9-9 (MSU)

Penn State vs. Michigan State predictions:

125: No. 12 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) by major decision

133: No. 5 Braeden Davis (PSU) by tech fall

141: No. 3 Beau Bartlett (PSU) by major decision

149: No. 2 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) by pin

157: No. 3 Tyler Kasak (PSU) by tech fall

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) by tech fall

174: No. 2 Levi Haines (PSU) by tech fall

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU) by pin

197: No. 4 Josh Barr (PSU) by tech fall

285: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) by pin

Final Score: Penn State  51 – Michigan State 0

There isn’t too much to predict for this dual. Like the Wyoming dual last month, this one will be as bad as Penn State wrestling wants to make it. The Nittany Lions will be favored in every match given they start their complete lineup. The real question is just how many bonus points the Blue and White score. I think Penn State gets bonus points at every single weight class with only the first three having the possibility to go the distance.

This will be a tune-up match for Penn State to prepare for a more difficult stretch coming up that includes at No. 5 Nebraska, at No. 29 Rutgers, vs. No. 2 Iowa, and vs. No. 20 Michigan. Anything less than 50 points will be shocking if the entire lineup wrestles.

How to watch?

Date: January 10, 2025

Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

TV: BTN

Location: Rec Hall

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