Preview: No. 2 Ohio State at No. 6 North Carolina State

It's hard to express what Kyle Snyder, Nathan Tomasello and Bo Jordan mean to the Buckeye wrestling program. Yes, you can quantify the fact that they are each three-time All Americans who could become the first trio of four-time All Americans from the same team in history. Yes, you can tally their three NCAA championships and raft of Big Ten titles.

But beyond that, they are, in many ways, the heart and soul of the current Ohio State roster.

Looking forward to our last dual of 2017-18 season with some special seniors that have led us to a 1, 3, 2 NCAA finish and 2 Big 10 titles (2015 & 17). Thanks to @Snyder_man45 @_NA_T0 @Bobo_Jordan. @PackWrestle, the ACC champs will be a great dual Sunday at 4:30pm on ESPN 3.

— Thomas Ryan (@Buckeye158) February 17, 2018

Buckeye Breakdown

Sunday's meet will be a big one, even if it wasn't the last dance for three men who have left quite a mark on the program during their time on the mats. The probable lineups for the dual include 18 nationally-ranked wrestlers, 14 individuals ranked inside the Top-8 of their weight class, 9 All-Americans and 3 NCAA Champions (Snyder, Tomasello and Myles Martin).

NC STATE WOLFPACK

15-1, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference ROSTER / SCHEDULE

4:30 P.M. – SUNDAY, FEB. 18 REYNOLDS COLISEUM RALEIGH, N.C.

BROADCAST: ESPN3 STREAMING: WatchESPN

"We're learning a lot about our team late in the season," Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said about his team's three-consecutive road trips against top-6 opponents at season's end. "We faced Penn State in a great environment and learned a lot, then we faced Michigan and we learned more than I thought we would." 

Ryan quipped that last Sunday's win over the Wolverines "was the most depressing victory over Michigan since I've been here," because it ended with Kyle Snyder's first collegiate loss in more than 34 months. 

"If you learn a lot, it's worth it," Ryan explained of his team's struggles in State College and Ann Arbor. "I think all human beings learn more when you lose, than in a close victory. This season reminds me a lot of the year we won it all."

Ryan explained that in 2015, the team faced some situations where he asked himself, "how did that happen," but ultimately those missteps made the team better in the postseason, which is ultimately all that matters in terms of conference and national championships.

"When you lose, you assess way more than when you win close, and I think it's making us all better and stronger," Ryan explained. "Every ounce of me believes that there is a bigger plan in what's happening."

Ryan noted that at Ann Arbor, Tomasello and Kollin Moore each looked as good as expected against solid competition, but beyond those two victories, the team looked flat.

"I think this team is ready for postseason," he said. "We're more excited about postseason and facing off with Penn State in Big Tens and nationals, then we were in that moment in the dual meet. It was their Super Bowl, and we were flat."

Ohio State is good enough that it can "wrestle flat" and still win most meets, but as it learned in Happy Valley, it won't beat Penn State unless every wrestler is firing on all cylinders. Sunday marks one last tough test against North Carolina State, with eight matchups between ranked competitors.

Captain America 0, Forces of Evil 1

Kyle Snyder lost. It was awful.

Fans of the Buckeyes in general, and the best wrestler on the planet in specific, were understandably shocked and dismayed when Michigan heavyweight Adam Coon, then the No. 2 wrestler in the country, upset the seemingly invincible Snyder in the Crisler Center.

It had been since March 21, 2015 that Snyder had last dropped a match in collegiate competition; nearly three years, in other words, without a loss.

"What a lesson for every person on planet earth about readiness and humility," Ryan observed. "There's no question that they were preparing for us more diligently than we were for them."

 

Every man needs truth tellers

A post shared by Kyle Snyder (@snyderman45) on Feb 15, 2018 at 8:59am PST

Ryan acknowledged that Snyder faced a grueling schedule ahead of the match: 24 hours after the Buckeyes hosted Iowa in the final home meet of the year, flew more than 30 hours to Russia for the Yarygin Grand Prix, cut down to 213 to win that tournament for the second year in a row, then crossed a dozen timezones again to wrestle Nick Nevills at Penn State, and then faced his toughest task of the season in Michigan's Adam Coon. 

"His focus is on winning world championships and being the best wrestler in the world," Ryan said. "We know that being a heavyweight in college presents challenges for him. He's a 220-pound freakshow who can bully anyone his size, and he's shown that throughout the world. [Coon] is 6'5", 6'6", was 315 [pounds] this summer, he's big."

Coon is himself a world-class wrestler, aside from his obvious size advantage over Snyder. A former Cadet World champion, in 2014 Coon also won bronze in both the freestyle and Greco-Roman Junior World championships, and in 2016 he won the prestigious U.S. Open. 

"What's beautiful about this, we feel, is that when you're a super hero like Snyderman, you need a villain," Ryan explained. "Every super hero needs a villain, and as excited as Kyle is about wrestling and helping the team, the reality is that he felt something that he's got to make some adjustments on, and we're making adjustments in his training. I can already see some of that work, he's laser-focused. I believe in the end, Batman will get his guy."

One major change in Snyder's training is that he's now wrestling the top heavyweight in the sport every day in practice. Taha Akgül of Turkey came to Columbus last week to begin training with Snyder; a true heavyweight, he'll be helping Snyder hone his skills against larger competitors ahead of the postseason tournaments.

"We've got the best [heavyweight] wrestler in the world; pounds for pound he's No. 3, and Kyle's No. 1, and he's training here at our Regional Training Center," Ryan said. "He obviously respects Kyle and Kyle respects him. He's the best heavyweight; he's 6'5", 275, and moves really well. Kyle's the heaviest guy in our room, so he's just not used to feeling that kind of weight on him."

So with a pair of postseason tournaments ahead where Snyder will again face wrestlers carrying at least a 30-pound advantage, he's wrestling a true heavyweight with world championship-level credentials.

"I think before the Coon match, [Snyder] wasn't really looking forward to wrestling him, but now he is," Ryan said of the looming rematch in the postseason. "When you're looking forward to wrestling someone you tend to wrestle better than if you're not. It would have been nice to learn through a close win, but that's just not the way humans work. It's going to take that deep pain, that pain is what really harnesses as humans to really hone in and focus."

The North Carolina State Wolfpack

Head Coach: Pat Popolizio

Sunday marks just the fourth all-time between North Carolina State and Ohio State. The Buckeyes lead the all-time series 2-0-1, with the last meeting occurring in 1993 (a 27-15 Buckeye victory).

With Friday night's win over No. 8 Virginia Tech, NC State claimed its first ACC Dual Championship since 2004, and finished undefeated in ACC dual action for the first time since 2000. The Pack ranks second nationally in dual winning percentage over the past three seasons (51-4, .927). Only Penn State (43-0) ranks above the Pack.

Popolizio, in his sixth season at the helm, has led NC State to four straight top-20 finishes at the NCAA Championships, the second-most top-20 finishes in a row in school history (five), and the longest such stretch in since 1981-84. NC State has earned seven All-America honors in the last four years, which ties the school record for most in a four-year span all-time.

This season NC State has dual-meet victories over ranked foes Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Carolina and Virginia Tech, with the team's lone loss of the season coming in a narrow 19-16 loss to Oklahoma State wrestled in, believe it or not Naples, Italy.

Given the probable matchups on tap, the Wolfpack could keep things that close versus the Buckeyes, particularly if Tom Ryan's team comes out flat as it did on the road versus Penn State and Michigan.

Notable Matchups

NC State fields eight ranked wrestlers to Ohio State's 10, so there are quite a few matches of note Sunday. Three in particular to keep an eye on are 125, 141 and 184.

125 pounds - No. 4 Tomasello vs. No. 5 Fausz

NaTo spent most of the season at the No. 1 wrestler in the country, despite watching from the sidelines due to an October knee injury. A loss to Iowa's Spencer Lee in his second bout after returning sent him to No. 4 in the standings, where he's remained since.

There's little doubt, however, that the former NCAA champion has what it takes to win his second title in Cleveland, and he's had no shortage of top-flight competitors to get him into shape since his return.

Fausz, a redshirt junior from Kentucky, is having the best season of his career. He just missed finishing as an All American last season, after dropping down from 133, but is 12-1 this year with a 77% bonus rate.

141 pounds - No. 7 McKenna vs. No. 2 Jack

Joey McKenna is a two-time Pac-12 champion, and has only one loss this season. Why is he ranked so low, relatively speaking? For one thing, 141 as a class is stacked. For another, he's wrestled relatively few ranked opponents this season, and his loss to Tommy Thorn was viewed as a missed opportunity for the junior to burnish his credentials.

Jack, as it turns out, is very good at wrestling. He finished his ACC dual career with a perfect 16-0 record. The two-time defending ACC champion outscored his opponents 110-19, and did not allow a single takedown over the last two seasons.

Jack became just the fifth NC State wrestler to record 100 career wins, and is now 14 shy of the school record. Redshirt-senior Pete Renda (more on him in a moment) also has a chance at 100, as he currently has 92. If Renda accomplishes that feat, he and Jack will be the first pair of teammates to notch their 100th career wins in the same season in school history.

184 pounds - No. 2 Martin vs. No. 3 Renda

Renda, as mentioned above, is one of the top wrestlers in NC State history. With a 19-1 record this season and a 60% bonus rate, he presents a formidable challenge to Martin, who likewise has just one loss on his record this year.

Match Outlook

On paper, Ohio State is favored in eight matches Sunday, with only McKenna and Micah Jordan ranked as the underdog on the card. Jordan faces undefeated Hayden Hidlay (18-0), and if he can pull of that upset, it should portend a rout for the Buckeyes.

That said, Ohio State has given up its share of upsets, so there is plenty of intrigue in this dual given the number of ranked foes NC State will wrestle in their final dual of the season before a home crowd, no less.

Another match to watch, as it relates to Ohio State's postseason aspirations, is 165 pounds, where reigning ACC champion Te'Shan Campbell wrestles an unranked opponent. Campbell has dropped 6 straight decisions after opening the season looking like an All American, so this presents the perfect opportunity for him to shift the momentum back in his favor ahead of tournament season.

In the end, Ohio State has the horses to win this dual handily, and a 29-12 result seems as likely as a 31-3 blowout.