TOM Article

Pictured: TOM's No. 2, Missouri 2021 NCAA All-American (third at 165), Keegan O'Toole, gets his hand raised after a Big 12 win against a Northern Iowa foe. Picture courtesy of the University of Missouri Athletics.  What a weekend it was in the Big 12 last week. This weekend looks less chaotic, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves as a struggling Oklahoma State squad has another tough stretch. South Dakota State visits the state of Oklahoma, and Iowa State will look to remain the hottest team in the conference.  Here are storylines to watch for as another weekend in the Big 12 gets going.

OSU Looks to Bounce Back

The biggest storyline from the Big 12 last weekend was Oklahoma State dropping not just one dual, but two inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. On paper, this upcoming weekend would look to be even more challenging for John Smith’s struggling squad. The Cowboys, which dropped from fourth to 10th in the latest rankings, will have their first chance to get back on track Friday night when they host No. 23 South Dakota State. Both squads have matching which also boasts a 10-2 records. The third time could be the charm, as Friday will be OSU’s third shot at win No. 500 inside GIA. Before last week, the Pokes hadn’t lost at their historic venue since Jan. 27, 2018, with a 91% winning percentage there. A win Friday night could not only reach that 500 home wins milestone, but also right the ship before another stout conference foe on Sunday. The Cowboys will venture from Stillwater for the first time since Jan. 8 to take on No. 12 Missouri on Sunday. A few weeks ago, this matchup looked like it would be for the top spot in the Big 12. Then SDSU upset Mizzou, and a week later, OSU dropped two duals, ultimately giving Iowa State sole possession of first-place in conference standings. The matchup will still be between two teams that will most likely finish inside the top 10 at the NCAA Championships, though. A dual between two historically stellar programs comes a plethora of talent, with five projected matches that will feature two wrestlers included in TOM’s top 20.

ISU Looks to Stay Hot

Last weekend couldn’t have gone any better for Iowa State during its trip through the state of Oklahoma. The Cyclones skipped past Oklahoma on Friday before upsetting then-No. 3 OSU on Sunday. The victories extended ISU’s winning streak to nine, and even more impressive, the Cyclones’ upset over OSU catapulted them to No. 5 in the latest NCAA rankings. On Friday night, a win against West Virginia would push ISU’s winning streak to 10, tying OSU with the longest such streak of the season in the Big 12. The Cyclones will face Air Force on Saturday, looking to surpass OSU’s winning streak with two victories on the weekend. ISU hasn’t lost since its only loss of the season to then-No. 1 Iowa on Dec. 5, having yet to lose in 2022. The Cyclones’ winning streak includes wins against three ranked teams (Purdue, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State). Finishing the season against Northern Iowa and Mizzou, ISU could add two more ranked victories and finish the year on a 13-dual winning streak.

SDSU Traveling To Sooner State

SDSU can only dream its trip to the state of Oklahoma goes as well as ISU’s to the Sooner State last weekend. The No. 23 Jackrabbits’ first stop in the Sooner State will be Stillwater on Friday to challenge a hobbled No. 10 OSU squad that is coming off two straight losses for the first time since the 2013-14 season. Although a considerable underdog, don’t count out SDSU, especially since OSU will still be without defending national champion AJ Ferrari at 197 pounds. The Jackrabbits are tied with ISU atop the Big 12 standings with a 3-0 conference record. SDSU and OSU’s most recent common opponent is Northern Iowa, which upset OSU last Friday. The Jackrabbits handled UNI 27-13 defeat on Jan. 9. After a stop in Stillwater, SDSU will go just south to wrestle No. 25 OU on Sunday. OU had the same fate as its Bedlam rival last weekend, narrowly losing to UNI 17-15 and getting handled by ISU, 22-9. On Sunday, a win for SDSU would even the all-time series record at four apiece.

Matchup of the Week

Fans will have to wait until Sunday when OSU and Mizzou face off for possibly the best Big 12 Conference matchup of the week. The biggest match of that dual, possibly the weekend, will be at 165 pounds between No. 2 Keegan O’Toole of Mizzou and OSU’s Travis Wittlake, ranked eighth. O’Toole is one of the best wrestlers in the country at 165, but Wittlake won the Big 12 title at 165 two years ago before being upset last year, so Sunday could very well be a 165-pound Big 12 finals preview precisely a month in advance. O’Toole won a conference title last year as a freshman in the MAC. That qualified him for the NCAA Championships, where he placed third. This season, O’Toole is 14-0, with an 86% bonus rate, after losing only once last season. His first win of this season was a fall against North Dakota State’s Luke Weber, who won the Big 12 165-pound championship last year. Wittlake is 8-2 this season after going 1-1 last weekend. He’s yet to beat an opponent currently ranked in TOM’s top 20, so he’s not yet considered a serious national contender at 165. A win against O’Toole on Sunday would immediately change that, though. Dekota Gregory (@dekotagregory) with be assisting  The Open Mat as our Big 12 / Oklahoma State correspondent. 

Back to articles