James Hackney
After a late schedule change, Oklahoma now takes on Big 10’s Wisconsin on Friday followed by EIWA’s Navy on Saturday at Virginia Duals. This is a big opportunity for the Sooners, who are coming off a solid second place finish at the Southern Scuffle. Wisconsin is a lower ranked Big 10 team that presents opportunities for some big name wins and gives OU a chance to improve their dual record and see how they look after almost two weeks off. Wisconsin has put out various lineups before, including bumping up everyone from 165-184 up, but I’m not sure if that’s the solution here.
125lbs: Conrad Hendriksen (10-6) vs #4 Eric Barnett (13-2)
Hendriksen gets one of the tougher matches of the night with two-time All-American Eric Barnett. Barnett just had a runner-up Midlands finish. Barnett is a killer from top and a great scrambler, but Hendriksen matches up well with his defensive style. I don’t think he has the ability to keep up with Barnett the entire match, but I do think he can keep things to a decision here.
Prediction: Barnett Dec. Hendricksen (OU 0 WIS 3)
133lbs: Jace Koelzer (11-7) vs Nicolar Rivera (6-4)/Zan Fugitt (5-3)
Rivera is in his first year starting after going 4-7 last season as a redshirt. This year he doesn’t have any ranked wins, and went 1-2 at Midlands. With that I think there is potential to see true freshman Zan Fugitt. The #31 recruit of 2023 and a former Oklahoma commit, Fugitt made the switch to Wisconsin after the coaching change. Fugitt has some solid results and could be ranked as the starter, but has traded wins and losses with Nicolar Rivera this season. Koelzer hasn’t blown anyone out this season and has fallen out of the rankings, but I think he can get a win here to try and work his way back in….
