No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 23 Rutgers wrestling preview, predictions
No. 1 Penn State (13-0, 6-0) travels to Piscataway to take on No. 23 Rutgers (10-5, 2-4) in a Big Ten wrestling matchup. We previewed and predicted the 10 matches on deck as the regular season winds down.
It’ll take a herculean effort from Rutgers to pull off the massive upset. But the home crowd at Jersey Mikes Arena should bring the noise in a potential sold out environment. The match itself features a handful of ranked matchups.
But the Nittany Lions have four national champions in the lineup, giving the Scarlet Knights quite the challenge. It could be a measuring stick match for Rutgers, which floated in the backhalf of the top 25 all season.
Below are the projected matchups for Friday night and predictions for each bout.
Penn State vs. Rutgers matchups, predictions
125: Gary Steen (PSU) vs. No. 16 Dean Peterson (RU), Peterson by major decision, 4-0 Rutgers
133: No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) vs. No. 15 Joe Heilmann (RU), Bravo-Young by major decision, 4-4 tied
141: No. 6 Beau Bartlett (PSU) vs. No. 19 Joey Olivieri (RU), Bartlett by decision, 7-4 Penn State
149: No. 13 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) vs. Anthony White (RU), Van Ness by major decision, 11-4 Penn State
157: No. 8 Levi Haines vs. No. 33 Andrew Clark (RU), Haines by decision, 14-4 Penn State
165: No. 9 Alex Facundo (PSU) vs. Robert Kanniard (RU), Facundo by decision, 17-4 Penn State
174: No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU) vs. Jackson Turley (RU), Starocci by major decision, 21-4 Penn State
184: No. 1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) vs. No. 14 Brian Soldano (RU), Brooks by major decision, 25-4 Penn State
197: No. 3 Max Dean (PSU) vs. Billy Janzer (RU), Dean by decision, 28-4 Penn State
285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) vs. No. 21 Boone McDermott (RU), Kerkvliet by major decision, 32-4 Penn State
Penn State defeats Rutgers 32-4
On paper, Penn State should roll over Rutgers with nine bout wins. This is if both teams are at full strength Friday night.
When Penn State defeated Indiana 35-8 last weekend, Bravo-Young and Brooks did not wrestle at 133 and 184, respectively. Baylor Shunk lost at 133 while Donovan Ball filled in at 184 and got the win.
Surely if those two wrestle again Friday, Rutgers will have the advantage at those two weights, making the score, hypothetically, 26-10, a bit closer.
Despite a predicted blowout here, Heilmann could make things interesting against Bravo-Young, at least making it close. The same goes for Olivieri against Bartlett.
At 157, Clark notably kept matches close and finally earned a Ben Ten dual win over Michael North (Maryland). Haines is on a different level, but these styles could clash Friday.
Turley is flashy, but Starocci could really turn it up at 174 pounds. Soldano does the same for Rutgers.
He’s a wild man on the mat and pushed his way into the top 15 as a true freshman, but he’ll see a different level against the two-time champion Brooks.
We expect Janzer to give Dean a fight, but the 2022 national champ is the heavy favorite for Penn State.
Kerkvliet will see an improved McDermott, but the Nittany Lion is on the shortlist for a national title in March.
Penn State and Rutgers square off Friday night at 7:00 p.m. ET on Big Ten-Plus.