PREVIEW: Penn State wrestling faces Nebraska with Big Ten crown on the line

No. 1 Penn State (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) hosts No. 4 Nebraska (11-1, 6-1 Big Ten) on Sunday at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions have clinched a share of the Big Ten Dual Championship already, and are looking to wrap up a third consecutive undefeated season in conference play. Standing in the way are the Cornhuskers, who could split to dual season title with Penn State with a win. What should we expect to see from the top 5 matchup?

Penn State wrestling vs Nebraska preview

Penn State enters the dual off a 2-0 weekend in which the Nittany Lions took down No. 3 Iowa 29-6 on Friday, followed by a 35-3 win over No. 14 Rutgers at the Bryce Jordan Center on Monday. Nebraska is coming off a dominant 25-7 win over No. 10 Michigan.

Penn State leads the all-time series 11-7-1. The last meeting was a 21-3 Penn State victory at Rec Hall on February 6, 2022. Penn State will enter the dual with all 10 wrestlers ranked within the top 11. Nebraska enters with nine of its wrestlers ranked by InterMat.

Both teams are rolling heading into this dual. Penn State is looking to make it 55 straight dual wins, while Nebraska can clinch a share of the Big Ten dual season title with a win. The Cornhuskers could end up being the top team that the Nittany Lions have faced this season, and a lot of their wrestlers are trending upward.

Match to watch:

149: No. 9 Tyler Kasak 12-2 (PSU) vs No. 1 Ridge Lovett 20-0 (NEB)

Tyler Kasak picked up his first loss to a non-Nittany Lion last weekend when he fell 11-8 in sudden victory to No. 8 Caleb Rathjen of Iowa. He rebounded with a 7-5 decision against No. 25 Michael Cetta at the BJC on Monday. Kasak now has a 12-2 record and a 35.71% bonus percentage.

Ridge Lovett has been the undisputed No. 1 wrestler at 149 pounds all season. He currently holds an undefeated 20-0 record, with bonus points in 65% of those matches. Lovett is coming off a dominant 11-4 decision over No. 5 Austin Gomez of Michigan.

This will be the toughest competitor that Kasak will face this dual season. There may be three other weight classes that have a higher-ranked matchup, but this one is the most intriguing. A loss for Kasak to Lovett doesn’t really hurt the true freshman in his seeding for the Big Ten or NCAA Tournaments. A win would establish him as a threat at the weight class and change the perception of his postseason potential.

However, there is the chance that we may not see Tyler Kasak take the mat this weekend. Kasak appeared to suffer a blow to the head near the end of his dual on Monday. While Cael Sanderson quelled any long-term injury concerns for the true freshman this week, it’s not outrageous to think Penn State wrestling could sit Kasak as a precaution ahead of the postseason.

Projected Lineups

125: No. 6 Braeden Davis 15-1 (PSU) vs No. 12 Caleb Smith 17-5 (NEB)

133: No. 11 Aaron Nagao 9-4 (PSU) vs No. 17 Jacob Van Dee 16-6 (NEB)

141: No. 1 Beau Bartlett 16-0 (PSU) vs No. 7 Brock Hardy 14-5 (NEB)

149: No. 9 Tyler Kasak 12-2 (PSU) vs No. 1 Ridge Lovett 20-0 (NEB)

157: No. 1 Levi Haines 13-0 (PSU) vs No. 7 Peyton Robb 16-4 (NEB)

165: No. 6 Mitchell Mesenbrink 17-0 (PSU) vs No. 15 Antrell Taylor 16-4 (NEB)

174: No. 1 Carter Starocci 10-0 (PSU) vs No. 33 Bubba Wilson 11-9 (NEB)

184: No. 6 Bernie Truax 10-2 (PSU) vs No. 3 Lenny Pinto 17-3 (NEB)

197: No. 1 Aaron Brooks 12-0 (PSU) vs No. 13 Silas Alred 19-4 (NEB)

285: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet 10-0 (PSU) vs Harley Andrews 10-9/Nash Hutmacher 4-2 (NEB)

Penn State vs Rutgers predictions

125: No. 12 Caleb Smith (NEB) by decision

133: No. 11 Aaron Nagao (PSU) by decision

141: No. 1 Beau Bartlett (PSU) by decision

149: No. 1 Ridge Lovett (NEB) by decision

157: No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) by decision

165: No. 6 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) by major

174: No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU) by tech fall

184: No. 6 Bernie Truax (PSU) by decision

197: No. 1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) by decision

285: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) by tech fall

FINAL SCORE: No. 1 Penn State 29 – No. 4 Nebraska 6

It feels like a broken record at this point, but Penn State wrestling can once again largely dictate the final score of this dual. The Nittany Lions are favored at every weight class minus 149 and 184. I personally think Truax beating Pinto isn’t too big of an upset based on who each has lost to this season.

Lovett will most likely be what keeps the Cornhuskers from getting shut out. Keep an eye on 125 and 133, where both Braeden Davis and Aaron Nagao have shown they can struggle at times. If the Cornhuskers take one or both of those, it could be a competitive dual for a little bit.

But the Nittany Lions are going to be too dominant on the back end, as always, for this one to stay competitive throughout. Mitchell Mesenbrink has picked up bonus points on just about everyone this season. Add in Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks as guys who can also do the same. Then, at heavyweight, Greg Kerkvliet will have a huge advantage over whichever unranked wrestler Nebraska sends out on the mat.

Whether Beau Bartlett wrestles will be another interesting thing to watch, as he has pretty much wrapped up the No. 1 seed for the Big Ten Tournament. Cael Sanderson may choose to rest him and not risk an upset. Nebraska can win three or four matches if the Cornhuskers pull off some upsets, but the closest I could see this one going is a 22-12 margin. At any rate, this will be one last opportunity for both sides to try and improve their seeding heading into the Big Ten Tournament.

How to watch?

Date: February 18, 2024

Time: 4:00 pm ET

TV: Big Ten Network (BTN)

Location: Rec Hall

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