OU Back Home to Host Double-Dual

NORMAN, Okla. - The No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners look to post another 10-win season under head coach Jack Spates with two victories this weekend in a double-dual versus Michigan State and No. 20 Pittsburgh.

The Sooners (8-1), Spartans (3-3) and Panthers (7-1) will collide at the Howard McCasland Field House in Norman beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008.

A 10-win season would mark the 13th straight year under Spates in which the team has reached the double-digit total.

"This weekend is going to match three historic traditions against one another," Spates said. "Fans should anticipate seeing some great competition. All three teams have numerous wrestlers ranked nationally and it should be an extremely competitive afternoon."

Michigan State and Pittsburgh will dual at 2 p.m., followed by Michigan State versus Oklahoma at 4 p.m. The Sooners and the Panthers will square off in the last match of the day at 6 p.m.

The Sooners are coming off of an impressive performance at the Lonestar Duals in Arlington, Texas, last weekend. OU dominated No. 22-ranked Navy by a final team score of 28-6. OU also defeated Cal-State Fullerton (27-6) and North Carolina (27-6).

In the latest rankings, Oklahoma boasts six wrestlers in the Top 20. Sophomore Brian Shelton enters the rankings for the first week in the 133-pound weight class at No. 18. Zack Bailey is ranked No. 12 at 141 pounds, Will Rowe is No. 8 at 149 pounds, Max Dean is ranked No. 14 at 165 pounds, Joshua Weitzel is No. 7 at 184 pounds and two-time All-American Joel Flaggert is ranked No. 5 at 197 pounds.

Pittsburgh landed three in this week's rankings. Matt Kocher is No. 4 at 157 pounds, Keith Gavin is No. 1 at 174 pounds and Zach Sheaffer is No. 11 in the heavyweight division. Michigan State has 133-pound Franklin Gomez ranked No. 3, as well as Joe Williams ranked No. 18 at 197 pounds.

"We want to encourage the fans to come out and support the Sooners," Spates said. "This team is continuing to improve and we look forward to a great opportunity this weekend in Norman."

Doors will open at 1 p.m. and admission is free to the public. The first 500 fans arriving to the match will receive an OU wrestling rally towel.

Oklahoma Probable Lineup

	Dual Record	Overall Record
125: Joey Fio	6-1	12-4
131: Brian Shelton	6-1	6-1
141: Zack Bailey	5-2	23-3
149: Will Rowe	8-0	15-2
157: Chad Terry	5-1	14-1
165: Max Dean	7-2	14-2
174: Jeff James	7-2	14-2
184: Joshua Weitzel	8-0	15-0
197: Joel Flaggert	8-0	14-0
HWT: Nathan Fernandez	3-5	10-5

Scouting Pittsburgh

The No. 20-ranked Panthers are off to their best start in 20 years, as they enter this weekend with a 7-1 mark in dual match competition.

Led by three returning All-Americans - Keith Gavin, Drew Headlee and Matt Kocher - and No. 11-ranked heavyweight Zach Sheaffer, Pitt has outscored its opponents 259-79 in those eight matches. Gavin, the No.1 grappler at 174-pounds, boasts a perfect 17-0 record this season, including two prestigious tournament wins at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and the Midlands Championships.

Kocher ranks fourth among the nation's 157-pounders and became the first Panther in the program's history to record 100 tournament victories. He currently stands alone in second on Pitt's all-time wins list with 138. Sheaffer leads the team in victories this season with 25, with three of those coming against heavyweights ranked in the top 15 nationally.

Scouting Michigan State

Michigan State defeated Ohio on Jan. 4, tallying its first home dual victory of the season in the 39-0 win in Jenison Field House.

Two Spartans, Micah Carter and Anthony Jones, Jr., earned their first career starts and dual wins en route to MSU's first shutout since defeating Eastern Michigan 39-0 on Feb. 1, 1998. With the win, Michigan State evened its record to 3-3.

Michigan State is led by a pair of ranked wrestlers, No. 3 Franklin Gomez and No. 18 Joe Williams. Boasting an MSU tournament title, Gomez leads the Spartans with a strong 14-1 overall record and perfect 6-0 dual mark so far this fall as the 133-pound starter. His impressive season includes two technical falls, four major decisions and four wins over ranked opponents.

Senior starter Joe Williams ranks as high as 18th in the 197-pound class. Williams has earned an 18-7 overall record and 4-1 dual mark this year, including three wins over ranked opponents, as well as seven pins and four major decisions. Additionally, all but one of Williams' losses have come against ranked opponents. Williams is also the only Spartan to record medal finishes in all four tournaments this year, with second-place finishes at the Eastern Michigan Open, MSU Open and Nittany Lion Open, and an eight-place finish at the Midlands Championships.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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