Ohio (7-5, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) will close the regular season at home against Buffalo (9-12, 4-3 MAC). The dual will be the final time the teams will hit the mats before the MAC Championships in Kent, Ohio, on March 8 and 9. Regardless, Ohio will look to secure a winning record in MAC duals this season as it hopes to snap a three-match losing streak to Buffalo.
Dual Information:
Day: Saturday, Feb. 24
Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: The Convo, Athens
The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ here
Scouting Buffalo:
The Bulls have an odd mix of talent on the roster. While they do have some individuals who rank highly in the MAC February Rankings, the majority of their wrestlers hang around the middle of these rankings. The two biggest standouts for the Bulls are found in the second-lightest class as well as the second-heaviest class. Tommy Maddox (133-pound class) and Sam Mitchell (197-pound class) are the best wrestlers in terms of conference rankings.
Over the course of the season, Buffalo has competed in far more duals than Ohio, nearly doubling the amount of Ohio. However, the results have been a mixed bag. Out of its nine dual wins, four of those came on Buffalo’s opening weekend; two of those wins came against Division II teams, one against a Division III team and the final one came against a junior college. In conference duals, Buffalo has a pair of impressive wins – Lock Haven and Clarion.
When it comes to common opponents, both teams have defeated Garnder-Webb and Kent State. Additionally, both squads have been defeated by Michigan State, Northern Illinois and Central Michigan. Some teams that Ohio has defeated, but Buffalo could not include Chattanooga and SIUE, the latter of whom Ohio defeated in its last dual.
Ohio-Buffalo history:
These two teams have tangled on a nearly annual basis for over thirty years. Overall, Ohio holds the advantage in the series, winning 18 out of the 26 duals. That being said, Buffalo has taken each of the last three duals, including a tight 22-17 victory over Buffalo last season.
Ohio updates:
Although Ohio got the victory over SIUE in its last dual, there is still room for improvement. One area that has persisted all season has been the struggles of the lightweights. The results against SIUE exemplified the struggles as each of the first three weights lost in a rather dominant fashion. Although Derek Raike lost in the 149-pound class, he has been consistent all season when healthy. The middle and heavy weights for Ohio have been the reason for success all season.
In the regular starting lineup for Ohio, there are four potential MAC Champions: Peyten Kellar (157), Garrett Thompson (165), Sal Perrine (174) and Zayne Lehman (184). Each is ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in the MAC Rankings. Despite the successes of Kellar, Thompson, Perrine and Lehman, for Ohio to win its first MAC title since 2001, the lightweights will need to pick up some of the slack and take the pressure off the middleweights.
