Minnesota at Ohio State
  Feb. 2, 2003  St. John Arena  Columbus, Ohio   
  Ohio State has brought their program back to the top of the Big Ten and national ladder. The Buckeyes have two of the top wrestlers in the nation: Keaton Anderson and Tommy Rowlands. This weekend, they will face the program that they strive to be.    Minnesota is fighting through adversity. In college athletics, it is nearly impossible to win three national championships in-a-row. All-American Damion Hahn is expected to be back in the lineup after an academic dispute and All-American Garrett Lowney is expected to return as well. To add a twist to the lineup, Matt Nagel has moved up to 184 lbs. after competing at 157 lbs. for most of the season. 141-pound transfer Derek Phillips will also get his second match of the season.    Rankings based on the Jan. 22 TheMat.com Division I Coaches Individual Poll    125: #16 Bobbe Lowe (Minnesota) vs. Rob Rosenfeld (Ohio State)  Lowe has begun to hit his stride this season. He has become much more consistent since the beginning of the season, and more importantly, he has improved technically. While Lowe has gotten better from his feet, he still has a lot of improving to do in his mat wrestling. This is a good match for him to get some warm-ups in. Rosenfeld is in the lineup for two reasons: Jesse Leng is hurt and Theo Dotson is ineligible. His technical skills are light-years away from those of Lowe, and he has practically no big-match experience. In a tough conference, this is the easiest match he will get. Lowe will be expected to score bonus points in this match. He should be able to dominate from his feet and will have some opportunities to get a couple of tilts in as well. Rosenfeld needs to be cautious on his feet and play a lot of defense without getting called for stalling, which is tough against Minnesota wrestlers.  TheMat.com Prediction: Lowe    133: #1 Ryan Lewis (Minnesota) vs. Nathan Costello (Ohio State)  Even with a loss on his record, Lewis is still a dominant force at 133. He has great stamina, but has great technique on his feet as well. Lewis will also be looking for bonus points here, and with his riding ability, don't be surprised to see him get a pin. Costello was starting at 125 before Jesse Leng got injured. Now, coaches feel Costello can best help this team at 133. That may be true, but he is undersized and in this match, seemingly undermanned. Costello will have to attempt to keep the score close, but that is a tough chore against Lewis, who is a grinder. If Costello allows Lewis to tie-up with him, then this match will either not last long or last too long for Costello. With the Gophers looking to win this dual with bonus points, this match is huge for both teams.  TheMat.com Prediction: Lewis    141: #17 Derek Phillips (Minnesota) vs. #14 Jeff Ratliff (Ohio State)  Phillips joined the Gopher squad just after the National Duals and the team already feels uplifted. He is a little short for this weight class, but he is a hard worker and very good from the top position. This is a big match for Phillips' confidence. He has never been part of a team with this much pressure, but don't expect that to hinder his performance on the mat. Ratliff has been inconsistent all season, but he can win big matches when he is motivated. This is a big match. It potentially could be the swing match in the dual meet. Ratliff will need to try to win this match on his feet, but it is hard to score on Phillips' body type. But Ratliff is best on his feet. He may even want to think about choosing neutral in the period where gets the choice. If Phillips gets on top, Ratliff could get behind quickly, and Ratliff is not a come-from-behind wrestler.  TheMat.com Prediction: Phillips    149: #2 Jared Lawrence (Minnesota) vs. Josh Daugherty (Ohio State)  Lawrence has only struggled in two matches this season, both against Arizona State's Eric Larkin. Lawrence is tough from all positions. He has a long and muscular build, which makes him tough to score on and defend. He loves to score on low single-legs, but he has an entire arsenal of offensive weapons he can score with. Daugherty is an up-and-down wrestler, but he better be up for this match. He is also a solid all-around wrestler, but there is nothing he does better than Lawrence. It would be in his and his team's best interest to keep the pace of this mach slow. If he can keep the physical Lawrence off of his head, that would be a good start. With Lawrence's relentless attack, Daugherty will most likely need to score a takedown or two to keep Lawrence from scoring bonus points for the Gophers.  TheMat.com Prediction: Lawrence    157: #1 Luke Becker (Minnesota) vs. #3 Keaton Anderson (Ohio State)  Becker may still be the most forgotten NCAA champion in the college ranks today. His stamina is unmatched. He has great strength and technically is very sound. Becker likes to shoot single-legs, when he shoots. He has had moments this season when he has let his opponents tie up with him and completely take him out of his offense. He cannot afford to wrestle that way in this match. Anderson has been on a tear over the course of the last month. He has dominated All-Americans and has proved himself to be a legitimate NCAA title contender. Anderson is best from the top position. On his feet, he gives up the double-leg fairly easy, but if he gets on top, he almost always turns his opponent. Anderson loves to lock up a cradle, and once it is locked, there is no getting away. Becker will have to win this match on his feet. He needs to avoid tying up with Anderson, but if he does and can finish his shots, he will be in good shape. Becker needs to make sure to wrestle a full match. A couple of times this year he has been guilty of wearing down in the third period. Anderson thrives off opponents who wear down. Becker won the earlier match between these two, but a lot has changed since then. Anderson is very confident right now, and it is tough to stop a good wrestler with confidence.  TheMat.com Prediction: Anderson    165: #4 Jacob Volkmann (Minnesota) vs. #5 Johnny Clark (Ohio State)  Volkmann is one of the most underrated 165-pounders in the nation. For some reason, when title contenders or even All-American contenders are mentioned, his name almost never comes up. Volkmann is good on his feet, but his mat wrestling is suspect. He does not have a good first move off the whistle, which can hurt him in matches with riding time and against wrestlers who are good on top. Clark is one of those wrestlers who is pretty good on top. This match will  be won on the mat. Both wrestlers are good on their feet. Clark has improved this year on his mat wrestling, and look for that to be the difference in this match. Volkmann needs to score takedowns in this match and neutralize Clark's offense and riding skills. Clark has been known to force things offensively when he falls behind in a match. If Volkmann gets an early takedown or two, it could be enough to shake Clark up. Volkmann won an earlier matchup at the Las Vegas Invitational 9-7, but that was without riding time and in a six-minute match. With the variables being different this time around, so could the final result.  TheMat.com Prediction: Clark    174: #14 Josh McLay (Minnesota) vs. #9 Blake Kaplan (Ohio State)  McLay isn't the most offensive wrestler in the nation, but he does enough to win. He has a good counter-defense, but he does not like to make mistakes. That is why most often McLay wil