James Hackney
#15 Oklahoma vs Central Michigan
Watch Live: November 9th, 6:00 PM CT – ESPN+
The Sooners open their 2023-2024 season by hitting the road, heading to Central Michigan for a dual before the Michigan State Open two days later. Neither team has hit any official competition yet, though OU sent some non-starters wrestlers to the Bronco Open. The team should feature a number of new starters, and it should give a good look as to what the lineup looks like. One of the most intriguing things for me however, is seeing how some of the returning starters look with a new head coach. Roger Kish lead NDSU to some of their best years, and OU will be looking to improve upon their previously inconsistent dual records.
- Ranked Match Ups
While CMU isn’t a ranked team, they have well established ranked starters at 149, 157, 165, and 174. The Sooners are favored in only one of those, at 174, so that could give the OU wrestlers a chance to notch a big win to start the season. The highlight match is at 149lbs, with Willie McDougald taking on Corbyn Munson. Munson is a 2x NCAA qualifier, including at 157lbs last year where he went 26-14. I expect this to be a physical back and forth match that should test each wrestler’s early season cardio.
Picklo and Alex Cramer is another big match, as both are returning qualifiers in the top twenty. The two didn’t face off last year, but both took a postseason loss to Cade DeVos of SDSU…
