Penn State wrestling versus Ohio State: Time and streaming info, starting lineups, more

The top-ranked Penn State wrestling team will take its perfect 11-0 mark on the road Friday night. The Nittany Lions visit No. 5 Ohio State for a monster dual at the Covelli Center. It starts at 7 p.m. ET.

Ranked matches are expected in nine of 10 weight classes. Five of the bouts should feature top 15 showdowns. Fireworks are expected early and often during the Big Ten conference dual.

“They’re good up and down the lineup, obviously,” Lions coach Cael Sanderson said Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Columbus, Ohio State coach Tom Ryan made clear that he knows the kind of challenge that awaits his side.

“You would say that on paper that we don’t match up great with them,” Ryan said. “All my studs are aligned with national champions. There are not too many teams that can beat our best guys. And they’re one of them. Penn State is one of them. So we have to be ready to roll on Friday night.”

Get ready for the action with our preview below.

How to watch, follow, Penn State-Ohio State wrestling

This is the final televised Penn State dual meet of the season. Big Ten Network will air the match. Those with BTN+ can stream it. The action begins at 7 p.m. ET

Play-by-play broadcaster Jeff Byers of the Penn State Sports Network will be on the air with the prematch show at 6:40 p.m. ET before the action begins. Click here to access the free LionVision feed.

You can also follow along live and chat with other Penn State wrestling fans on Blue-White Illustrated’s The Wrestling Room forum. Access it by clicking here.

Projected Lions-Buckeyes matchups

As always, these are subject to change before or during the match. But, here are the projected matchups as of Friday morning:

125 pounds: Gary Steen, Penn State vs. No. 10 Mailk Heinselman, Ohio State

133 pounds: No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young, PSU vs. No. 9 Jesse Mendez, OSU

141 pounds: No. 5 Beau Bartlett, Penn State vs. No. 19 Dylan D’Emilio, Ohio State

149 pounds: No. 13 Shayne Van Ness, PSU vs. No. 3 Sammy Sasso, OSU

157 pounds:  No. 9 Levi Haines, Penn State vs. No. 25 Paddy Gallagher, Ohio State

165 pounds: No. 8 Alex Facundo, PSU vs. No. 12 Carson Kharchla, OSU

174 pounds: No. 1 Carter Starocci, Penn State vs. No. 7 Ethan Smith, Ohio State

184 pounds: No. 1 Aaron Brooks, PSU vs. No. 5 Kaleb Romero, OSU

197 pounds: No. 4 Max Dean, Penn State vs. No. 17 Gavin Hoffman, Ohio State

285 pounds: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet, PSU vs. No. 18 Tate Orndorff, OSU

What will the top bouts be?

We could list almost every match here, considering how many thrilling ranked battles are anticipated, but instead of doing that, we’ll siphon the 10 down to three.

The matchup at 133 pounds features reigning co-Big Ten wrestlers of the week Roman Bravo-Young and Jesse Romero. ‘RBY’ is a multi-time national champion. Romero is an up-and-coming freshman who has rose in the rankings quickly this season. He’d like nothing more than to make a national statement by upsetting the Nittany Lion. The Penn State grappler, meanwhile, will be seeking bonus points to propel his side in the team race.

At 149 pounds, Shayne Van Ness will have a similar quest as the Lion aims to knockout third-ranked Sammy Sasso. Most media predictions envision this being a close bout that ends with one wrestler scoring a decision victory.

Finally, Carson Karchla and Alex Facundo at 165 pounds figures to be a thriller. The Buckeye is back after a December injury. Facundo is rolling along and looking to add another ranked victory to his ledger this season. Expect there to be plenty of scoring and a tight finish.

Penn State-Ohio State odds and ends

–We’ll be watching closely to see if Ethan Smith wrestles for Ohio State at 174 pounds. He has been fighting injuries of late. If he is unable to go, expect junior Isaac Wilcox to fill in.

–Penn State can win its 40th consecutive dual with a victory Friday night.

–It’s a two-meet weekend for the Nittany Lions. They face Indiana in Bloomington on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (B1G+).