Huskers Head to Hustle in the Heartland

The No. 6 Nebraska wrestling team heads to St. Charles, Mo. on Friday, Dec. 5, to take on Brown and No. 12 Missouri at Francis Howell High School. The dual against Brown will begin at 6 p.m. (CT) before the Huskers face the Tigers at 8 p.m. (CT). 

This is the Huskers’ first dual action since the National Duals, where Nebraska secured a 2-2 record and a fourth-place finish out of 16 teams. NU collected $75,000 in victory earnings and enters the weekend with a 3-2 dual record, with both losses coming from top-five opponents No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Oklahoma State. 

Nebraska jumped to No. 6 in Intermat’s tournament rankings and brings seven wrestlers ranked in the top 15 into Friday’s dual, which could feature up to eight ranked matchups across both competitions. Under head coach Mark Manning, the Huskers are 17-11-1 all-time at neutral-site duals against top 15 opponents and have won 20 of their last 25 December duals. Both duals on Friday will be streamed on FloWrestling. 

Top Bouts to Watch
Nebraska vs. Brown:
165: No. 11 LJ Araujo is projected to take on No. 27 Max Norman. Norman upset No. 20 Evan Maag on Nov. 16, jumping into the top 30, while Araujo owns a win over Maag as well. Araujo, a redshirt freshman and Norman, a freshman have each already recorded ranked victories this season. 

Nebraska vs. Missouri:
184: No. 8 Silas Allred is projected to take on No. 2 Aeoden Sinclair. The two share several recent common opponents, including No. 7 Brock Mantanona. At the National Duals, Sinclair defeated Mantanona, while Allred narrowly dropped a 10-8 decision. 

History
Brown
Series: Nebraska leads, 3-0-0
Last Meeting: Jan. 15, 2011, in Grand Prairie, Texas (Nebraska won 37-3)

Missouri
Series: Nebraska leads 39-18-3
Last Meeting: Feb. 21, 2016, in Lincoln, Neb. (Nebraska lost 19-14)

Up Next
The Big Red will return to Lincoln, Neb., for a four-dual homestand. The Huskers will host No. 21 North Carolina on Friday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. on B1G+ and No. 5 Oklahoma State on Sunday, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m., streamed on BTN. 

No. 6 Nebraska’s Projected Lineup
125- Kael Lauridsen or Alan Koehler
133- No. 7 Jacob Van Dee
141- No. 3 Brock Hardy
149- Nikade Zinkin or Scott Robertson
157- No. 6 Antrell Taylor
165- No. 11 LJ Araujo or Jagger Condomitti
174- No. 6 Christopher Minto or Ethan DeLeon
184- No. 8 Silas Allred
197- No. 10 Camden McDanel
HWT- Harley Andrews or Cade Ziola

Brown’s Projected Lineup
125- Jared Brunner
133- Douglas Shipers
141- Khimari Manns
149- Austin McBurney
157- Ethan Mojena
165- No. 27 Max Norman
174- Drew Clearie
184- Thomas Sandoval
197- No. 27 Andrew Reall
285- Alex Semenenko

No. 12 Missouri’s Projected Lineup
125- No. 22 Mack Mauger or Luqman Masud
133- No. 17 Kade Moore
141- No. 18 Zeke Seltzer or Easton Hilton
149- No. 14 Josh Edmond
157- No. 18 J Conway or David Gleason
165- No. 18 Max Mayfield or Joel Mylin
174- Danny Heiser
184- No. 2 Aeoden Sinclair
197- No. 17 Evan Bates
285- No. 25 Jarrett Stoner or Jacobi Jackson 

Scouting Brown
Brown is 1-0 on the season with a 35-15 win over Davidson. The Bears last competed in the Big Red Invitational on Nov. 23, where three wrestlers won their respective weight classes. Two wrestlers are currently ranked in Intermat’s top 33 – No. 27 Max Norman (165 pounds), who is 10-2 overall, and No. 27 Andrew Reall (197 pounds), who holds a 14-1 overall record.

Scouting Missouri
Missouri is 5-4 on the season and is coming off a close 21-16 loss to No. 9 Illinois on Nov. 24. The Tigers have 10 wrestlers ranked in Intermat’s top 33 and eight in the top 20. Redshirt freshman No. 2 Aeoden Sinclair (184 pounds) leads the lineup with an 11-1 overall record.