Penn State wrestling versus Rutgers: Time and streaming info, starting lineups, more
Penn State wrestling starts its penultimate weekend of the regular season on Friday at No. 23 Rutgers. It’s the third straight conference road trip for head coach Cael Sanderson’s team, which is 13-0 and in line to win another Big Ten regular season title.
“Yeah, they always have a great crowd, atmosphere, and following,” Sanderson said this week. “There’ll be ready to go. They’re tough. And, they’ve just always had a lot of talent on the roster, and kids that are well coached and ready to go. So, just like every match we just have to go compete be hard and be ready for an exciting battle.”
Penn State faces Maryland back in State College on Sunday. But first, the 10-5 Scarlet Knights are up first. Get ready for the match with our preview below.
How to watch, follow, Penn State-Rutgers wrestling
The match is only available to watch via the BTN+ streaming platform. The action begins at 7 p.m. ET.
On the radio, longtime 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 dual 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 for live updates.
Lions-Scarlet Knights projected lineups
As always, these are subject to change before or during the match. But, here are our current projections:
125 pounds: Gary Steen, Penn State vs. No. 16 Dean Peterson Rutgers
133 pounds: No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young, PSU vs. No. 15 Joe Heilmann (RU)
141 pounds: No. 6 Beau Bartlett, Penn State vs. No. 19 Joey Olivieri Rutgers
149 pounds: No. 13 Shayne Van Ness, PSU vs. Anthony White, Rutgers
157 pounds: No. 8 Levi Haines, PSU vs. No. 33 Andrew Clark, RU
165 pounds: No. 9 Alex Facundo, Penn State vs. Robert Kanniard, Rutgers
174 pounds: No. 1 Carter Starocci, PSU vs. Jackson Turley, RU
184 pounds: No. 1 Aaron Brooks, Penn State vs. No. 14 Brian Soldano, Rutgers
197 pounds: No. 3 Max Dean, PSU vs. Billy Janzer, RU
285 pounds: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State vs. No. 21 Boone McDermott, Rutgers
What will the top bout be?
On paper, this match does not figure to be close. On3 wrestling expert Nick Kosko, who is the play-by-play voice of Rutgers wrestling, predicts Penn State will win nine of 10 bouts, and that five of them will net the Lions bonus points.
That said, the closest bout is likely to come at 141 pounds, where No. 6 Beau Bartlett meets No. 19 Joey Oliveri. It will be the first collegiate meeting between the pair. Kosko predicts a decision victory for the Nittany Lion.
Other than that, though, Penn State figures to face little resistance up and down the lineup except for the 125-pound match. Gary Steen continues to work on his craft. But, No. 16 Dean Peterson figures to be on the hunt for bonus points and is likely to land them.
