No. 2 Ohio State (14-0, 3-0 Big Ten) will encounter its second straight weekend facing two ranked opponents when the Buckeyes take on No. 25 Wisconsin (10-2, 2-2 Big Ten) on Friday at 6 p.m. and No. 13 Michigan (7-2, 3-0 Big Ten) on Sunday at noon at the Covelli Center in Columbus.
Ohio State comes into the pair of weekend duals undefeated and fresh off two victories over top 10 opponents in No. 7 Minnesota (29-9) and No. 6 Nebraska (17-16). While Ohio State dominated Minnesota in its first dual of the weekend, winning the first five matches, the Cornhuskers gave the Buckeyes their biggest scare of the season.
After Ohio State opened the dual with four straight victories, Nebraska won the next five to give the Buckeyes their first deficit of the season at 16-14. However, in the heavyweight division, Ohio State’s No. 3 Nick Feldman earned a 4-1 sudden victory over Nebraska’s No. 4 AJ Ferrari to keep the Buckeyes unbeaten season alive.
Ohio State will once again rely heavily on its lower-weight wrestlers, led by No. 2 Nic Bouzakis (125 pounds), No. 2 Ben Davino (133), No. 1 Jesse Mendez (141), and No. 4 Ethan Stiles (149).
No. 1-ranked Buckeye 157-pounder Brandon Cannon is out with an injury and will be replaced by Landon Desselle against both Wisconsin and Michigan.
Wisconsin most recently fell to Minnesota on Sunday (26-10), after the Badgers had defeated two unranked Big Ten foes in the weeks prior, Northwestern on Jan. 16 (28-12) and Maryland on Jan. 11 (28-13).
Wisconsin has only defeated one ranked opponent this season, No. 26 Army West Point, earning a 24-12 victory on Dec. 6.
The Badgers are led by a talented pair of lightweight wrestlers in No. 16 Nicolar Rivera at 125 pounds and No. 11 Zan Fugitt at 133, as well as ninth-ranked heavyweight Braxton Amos. Rivera holds a 12-3 dual-meet record, Fugitt is 13-2, and Amos stands at 12-4.
Bouts to watch include Rivera against either Bouzakis or Vinny Kilkeary, Fugitt versus Davino and Feldman against Amos.
Wisconsin leads the all-time series with Ohio State, 29-25-1, however, the Buckeyes have won the last six meetings.
Prior to its matchup with Ohio State, Michigan will face Northwestern at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Friday after the Wolverines claimed an 18–14 upset win over No. 11 Illinois on Jan. 18.
Michigan has ranked wrestlers in eight of the 10 weight classes, including brothers Beau Mantanona (No. 11 at 174 pounds) and Brock Mantanona (No. 9 at 184 pounds), who will likely match up against No. 5 Carson Kharchla and No. 7 Dylan Fishback, respectively.
Feldman will be challenged by another formidable opponent Sunday as he takes on Michigan’s No. 7 Taye Ghadiali. Ghadiali, a member of the Campbell Fighting Camels last season, defeated Feldman by an 8-3 decision at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 16, 2024.
Ghadiali has earned a 14-2 record this season, the best of any Wolverine wrestler, while Feldman has posted a 16-2 mark in 2025-26.
Feldman clinched Ohio State’s victory over Michigan two seasons ago on Jan. 26, 2024, by defeating No. 4 Lucas Davison, 4-3, to secure a 20-19 Buckeyes win over the Wolverines.
Ohio State is 23-67-3 all time against Michigan, winning the last three duals.
Image via Ohio State Athletics
