MINNEAPOLIS – The Gophers (4-5, 3-4 B1G) are set for their final dual meet of the regular season this weekend, as they are set to host the eight-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday evening at 8:00 p.m. CT.
The dual will also act as the program’s Senior Day, as the Gophers will honor seniors Brent Jones, Jake Bergeland, and Gable Steveson for their careers in the Maroon & Gold.
The dual will be nationally broadcasted on Big Ten Network and live match-by-match updates can be found on Twitter at @GopherWrestling. There will also be non-televised extra matches as a part of Friday’s action, which will begin at 7:00 p.m. CT.
Tale of The Tape – The Buckeyes
Ohio State is led by long-time head coach Tom Ryan who is at the helm for his 17th season, leading the Buckeyes to a 182-63 record during that time. The Ohio State roster showcases some veteran talent up and down the lineup as they have a total of four wrestlers ranked inside the top-10, led by Sammy Sasso, Carson Kharchla, Ethan Smith, and Kaleb Romero.
The Series with Ohio State
Minnesota leads the all-time series against the Purdue Boilermakers with a record of 38-18-2 in a series that dates back to the 1926-27 season. Ohio State has claimed the last four meetings against Minnesota, but the two teams have split the previous ten matchups. The Golden Gophers’ most recent victory against Ohio State came in 2014 when Minnesota defeated the Buckeyes 25-10 in the NWCA National duals semifinals.
First Meeting: W, 14.5-12.5 (1926-1927)
Last Meeting: L, 13-22 (1/26/2020)
Longest Win Streak: W13 (2/19/1994-2/24/2008)
Longest Losing Streak: L4 (2/6/2015-present)
Current Streak: L4
Last Meeting:
Minnesota and Ohio State most recently met in 2020, where the Gophers dropped the home dual inside Maturi Pavilion by a 22-13 score. The Buckeyes took six of the ten bouts in the matchup, including the final three matches of the evening in order to secure the dual win. The Gopher’s four wins in the dual belonged to Ryan Thomas, Owen Webster, Gable Steveson, and Patrick McKee, as Steveson won by major decision, while Thomas, Webster, and McKee all claimed decision wins in the contest.
Up Next:
Following the regular-season finale on Friday evening, the Gophers will prepare for the postseason as the Big Ten Tournament is set to take place from March 5-6 in Lincoln, Neb, as the team will compete to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, which will take place in Detroit from March 18-20.
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