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#12 Trevor Mastrogiovanni, OSU (3-0) vs. #21 Joey Prata, OU (6-1)
Thoughts: This should be an entertaining bout to kick the dual off. Mastrogiovanni was an NCAA qualifier last season as a true freshman and included in his 3-0 start is a huge victory over returning NCAA 3rd place finisher Patrick McKee, Minn.
Mastrogiovanni is lanky for the weight class, tough on top and slick from neutral. He is well rounded and tends to put points up in bunches at times. Prata spent the first five seasons of his collegiate career wrestling for Virginia Tech, before transferring to Oklahoma.
Prata was an NCAA qualifier back in 2020, but the tournament was cancelled due to Covid-19. Last season, Prata lost his starting spot to freshman #16 Sam Latona who placed sixth at NCAA’s. Prata is more compact in build than Mastrogiovanni and is stingy and positionally sound. Prata is solid on top and is very much a 3-2 type of style guy.
He will aim to slow the pace down and force the match to be decided by one sequence. I believe that Mastrogiovanni will score a couple takedowns throughout and then will coast to a fairly comfortable win. Prata is limited offensively and will have a hard time with Mastrogiovanni’s length and top game. This is an important match for Big 12 seeding as both guys are among seven Big 12 wrestlers ranked at this weight class.
Prediction: #12 Mastrogiovanni Dec. Prata 6-3 (OSU 3-0)
133
#2 Daton Fix, OSU (3-0) vs. #19 Tony Madrigal, OU (6-2)
Thoughts: Daton Fix is one of the most credentialed wrestlers in the NCAA regardless of weight class.
He is a 2x NCAA runner-up and more impressively was a World Silver medalist this year.