Bratke's 10 Favorite D1 Matches Live This Weekend
Bratke's 10 Favorite D1 Matches Live This Weekend
Bratke breaks down the 10 best D1 matches live on FloWrestling this weekend.
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It's an absolutely loaded weekend of action on FloWrestling with 16 D1 duals involving 11 of the nation's top 25 teams including #1 Iowa, #2 Penn State, and #3 Ohio State. With so many fire duals going down, we decided to make it easy on you and highlight the 10 best individual matchups.
174: #3 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs #4 Dylan Lydy (Purdue)
Date: Jan. 12 | Time: 4 PM ET | Where: West Lafayette, IN
Broadcast Info: WATCH LIVE HERE
Despite missing all of last season due to injury and moving up two weight classes, Michael Kemerer has looked outstanding so far this season. While he has only wrestled four matches, all four were bonus-point wins for the two-time All-American. He will undoubtedly face his toughest test Sunday afternoon when Dylan Lydy steps on the mat as the Hawkeye has not yet wrestled a ranked wrestler.
You could make an argument that Dylan Lydy has been the hottest wrestler in the country this season. Coming off a bloodround finish at last year's NCAA Championships, Lydy has won all 20 of his matches this season and has picked up CKLV and Midlands titles along the way. Lydy began the year ranked #12 and has since beat Anthony Valencia, Kimball Bastian, Ben Harvey, Mikey Labriola, and Bryce Steiert twice. Can Lydy add to his hit list?
157: #1 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) vs #7 Brady Berge (Penn State)
Date: Jan. 12 | Time: 2 PM ET | Where: State College, PA
Broadcast Info: WATCH LIVE HERE
Like Lydy, Ryan Deakin is off to a blistering start. The Northwestern All-American stormed through a loaded 157-pound bracket at CKLV beating then-#2 David Carr and then-#1 Hayden Hidlay in back-to-back matches. Due to a head injury he suffered at the U23 World Championships, Brady Berge has only wrestled once match this season, and this will be a great opportunity to see where he stands at 157 after competing down at 149 a year ago.
197: #4 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs #2 Christian Brunner (Purdue)
Date: Jan. 12 | Time: 4 PM ET | Where: West Lafayette, IN
Broadcast Info: WATCH LIVE HERE
Christian Brunner went into the Midlands Championships ranked eighth and left as the nation's second-ranked wrestler with a Midlands title thanks to a big win over fellow Illinois native and then-#3 Pat Brucki. Brunner also finished ahead of another wrestler who hails from Illinois, Jacob Warner, who he will square off with this weekend for the third time in their college careers.
The Land of Lincoln natives are 1-1 against each other over the past two seasons with Warner winning at last seasons Big Ten Championships and Brunner winning at Midlands during Warner's redshirt year. Who will take the rubber match Sunday afternoon?
157: #6 Kendall Coleman (Purdue) vs #1 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
Date: Jan. 10 | Time: 8 PM ET | Where: Evanston, IL
Broadcast Info: WATCH LIVE HERE
What a weekend for Kendall Coleman! It kicks off Friday night with a showdown against the nation's top-ranked wrestler, Ryan Deakin, and as you'll see later in this article finishes up with a rematch against #4 Kaleb Young. When Coleman takes the mat Friday night against Deakin, he will have wrestled all of the top-five ranked wrestlers in the country at the weight. #2 Hayden Hidlay, #3 David Carr, #4 Kaleb Young, and #5 Quincy Monday are Coleman's only losses on the season.
133: #11 Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers) vs Jordan Decatur (Ohio State)
Date: Jan. 10 | Time: 7 PM ET | Where: Columbus, OH
Broadcast Info: WATCH LIVE HERE
Two blue-chip true freshmen that are on fire. Who will stay red hot?
Since dropping down to 133 and having his redshirt pulled, Jordan Decatur has been fantastic for the Buckeyes as he dominated his way to a Franklin & Marshall Open title and then made his Covelli Center debut by knocking off #15 Josh Kramer.
On the flip side, Alvarez is coming off a Southern Scuffle title where he beat #5 Micky Phillippi and #8 Cam Sykora in back to back matches. FloWrestling's David Bray broke down the matchup more in this article.
157: #4 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs #6 Kendall Coleman (Purdue)
Date: Jan. 12 | Time: 4 PM ET | Where: West Lafayette, IN
Broadcast Info: WATCH LIVE HERE
The first match on this list that we've already seen so far this season, and it was incredible. A sudden victory match that ended with an unreal scramble that could have gone either way. How will it shake out this time around?
Watch Young and Coleman's OT thriller from the Midlands semifinals.
141: #6 Chad Red (Nebraska) vs #9 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin)
Date: Jan. 12 | Time: 3 PM ET | Where: Madison, WI
Broadcast Info: WATCH LIVE HERE
Despite wrestling in the same conference for an entire season, Chad Red and Tristan Moran have never met collegiately. Both are incredible scramblers who are not afraid to mix, so this one has the potential to be a lot of fun.
149: #5 Brock Mauller (Missouri) vs #7 Max Thomsen (UNI)
Date: Jan. 12 | Time: 3 PM ET | Where: Cedar Falls, IA
Broadcast Info: WATCH LIVE HERE
A battle of All-Americans inside the always electric West Gym. Brock Mauller had been fantastic all season long up to last weekend when he was upset by Wyoming's Jaron Jensen. While Max Thomsen has four losses on the season, they have all come to ranked wrestlers, three of whom are ranked in the top.
These two are no strangers as they met twice last year with Mauller winning both meetings. Is the third time the charm for Thomsen?
Watch Mauller and Thomsen battle in the round of 12 last year's NCAA Championships.
133: #7 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) vs #12 Cam Sykora (NDSU)
Date: Jan. 10 | Time: 8 PM ET | Where: Fargo, ND
Broadcast Info: WATCH LIVE HERE
Speaking of familiar opponents, Big 12 rivals Montorie Bridges and Cam Sykora have met three times over the past two seasons with Bridges coming out on top of every meeting. However, each meeting has gotten closer and closer. Their first match was decided by 10 points, the second meeting four points, and their most recent match at the NCAA Championships was decided by just a single point. Is this Sykora's time?
165: #3 Isaiah White (Nebraska) vs #6 Evan Wick (Wisconsin)
Date: Jan. 12 | Time: 3 PM ET | Where: Madison, WI
Broadcast Info: WATCH LIVE HERE
After losing the first match in this series back in 2018, Evan Wick has reeled off four straight victories over Isaiah White. Despite the four straight match wins four of them have been decided by three points or less including two by just one point.
Watch the most recent meeting between White and Wick at the 2019 NCAA Championships.
