Missouri (10-1) at Nebraska (15-1)
  Jan. 24, 2004  NU Coliseum  Lincoln, Neb.
  Nebraska and Missouri are two programs that three years ago nobody in the nation gave a shot to win the Big XII Conference. This year, these two teams are battling for first place in the conference dual standings.    What a difference some good recruits make. Who would have thought that when Missouri gave NCAA runner-up Scott Barker his walking papers, that the team would be better off without him? And who would have thought that when two-time All-American Justin Ruiz decided to take an Olympic Redshirt year, that Nebraska would have enough depth to switch a couple guys in the lineup and become a national powerhouse?    With Ruiz, it could be said that Nebraska would be the best team in the country, but oddly enough, with Barker, Missouri may not be a Big XII title contender this year.    125: Jason Powell (Nebraska) vs. Austen DeVoe (Missouri)  The best thing that may have happened to Powell this season was losing last week against Wyoming. That loss gave him a chance to re-focus himself to this season and not take anything for granted. As of right now, Powell is the top 125-pounder in the nation. He is the most complete wrestler in the country at this weight class. He is good on his feet and on the mat. DeVoe is only a sophomore. He seems to get better with every match. DeVoe is on the verge of being a strong All-American candidate, but he continues to lose close matches to tough opponents. He has lost 11 matches this year by a total of 25 points. Eight of those losses are by two points are less. He has learned how to keep wrestlers off his legs, but he needs to gain more confidence in his own offensive abilities. This could be an interesting match. DeVoe is just one big win away from having a breakout season. Powell is going to be hungry for a huge win at home, especially as he is coming off a loss. The first period will tell all in this match. If DeVoe can keep Powell at bay early on, this could be a close match. If Powell can score quick, it may result in bonus points for the Huskers.  TheMat.com Prediction: Powell    133: Matt Keller (Nebraska) vs. Paul Collum (Missouri)  Keller has improved leaps and bounds over the course of this season. This freshman has begun to defeat very solid opponents, and the matches he has lost have all been close. Collum, like a couple of other Tiger wrestlers, is hot and cold. The potential is there for him to be one of the top wrestlers in the country, but he has enough lapses from time to time to keep wrestling fans and critics guessing where he will end up in March. Collum is a home run hitter. He likes to go for the pin, or at least the big points. It is what earned him a scholarship in Missouri and also what makes him an exciting wrestler to watch. Keller will need to avoid ties and also choose neutral when it is his choice. Keller is a smart wrestler. He makes some mistakes that are based on a lack of experience, but rarely any that are mental errors. He needs to wrestle that type of match here as well. Husker coaches are not telling Keller to keep this match close. They are telling him to win it. An upset here would give Nebraska a big advantage in this dual meet.  TheMat.com Prediction: Collum    141: Matt Murray (Nebraska) vs. J.P. Reese (Missouri)  Murray's biggest issue on the mat is that he tends to relax and let his opponents get to his legs a little too easily. Even when he wins, his opponents have scored some kind of offensive points. This is a good matchup for Murray, though, because Reese doesn't go after the legs too often. He looks for the throw. If Collum is a home run hitter, then Reese is Barry Bonds. Even though his opponents always seem to know it is coming, they cannot seem to stop the throws. But Reese really struggles when he is unable to get his ties or underhooks on his opponents. He is also very good from the top position, but Murray is a good defensive wrestler on the mat. He has already shut down the nation's leading pinner, Scott Moore of Virginia, and will have to do the same in this match as well. Earlier in the year, Murray defeated Reese in a tiebreaker. Historically, Reese is better the second time he wrestles an opponent.  TheMat.com Prediction: Reese    149: Travis Shufelt (Nebraska) vs. Jeremy Spates (Missouri)  This may be the match that decides this dual. Shufelt, a legitimate national title contender this year, is 19-0 this year, including a pin over Spates. In fact, the last two times these two have met, Shufelt has pinned Spates. If that happens again in this meeting, Missouri will have little or zero shot of winning this dual meet. Shufelt is solid in all phases of wrestling. He can dominate from any position, which is why he is such a threat this year to do so well. However, the two meetings before those pins, Spates came away with 7-4 and 5-4 victories (2002 and 2003). In other words, these are two closely matched wrestlers. Given Shufelt's recent domination over Spates from the top position, it may be smart if Spates looks to keep this match on his feet. Spates has been very inconsistent throughout his career. This is his big chance to finally break through and prove that he deserves to be mentioned among the top wrestlers in the nation. Even though these two wrestlers are close in ability, the clear advantage right now goes to Shufelt, who does not make many mental mistakes. Spates must limit Shufelt's offensive opportunities in this match and keep the score low.  TheMat.com Prediction: Shufelt    157: B.J. Wright (Nebraska) vs. Kenny Burleson (Missouri)  While Wright is very solid, he has still yet to live up to his potential coming out of high school. He struggles defensively, and struggles even more when he gives up the first offensive points. Wright is only a junior, but it is time for him to begin picking up his game. This is when his team will begin to need him, especially if Nebraska is to prove that it is once again one of the top programs in the nation. Burleson has been flat out dominant this season. He has recorded five pins, three technical falls and three major decisions in 21 victories this season. Only his latest loss, 3-1 against Oklahoma State's Johnny Hendricks, was not against a wrestler who has placed in the top four in the country. Look for Burleson to come out strong, firing on all cylinders. Offensively, he has become very good on his feet. He does a good job of changing his levels and setting up his shots. Wright will want to wrestle a defensive match and not take any risks. He needs to keep this score close at the very least. Giving up bonus points at this weight would put a serious dent in Nebraska's chances of winning this dual.  TheMat.com Prediction: Burleson    165: Jacob Klein (Nebraska) vs. Tyron Woodley (Missouri)  Klein is still young and learning. The area where he has improved the most in the past year is defense. He has become very tough to score points on. Granted, he has had a couple of lapses this season, but overall, he has done a very good job of keeping opponents off his legs. That will be important in this match, as Woodley is very quick. If anyone can get in on Klein's legs, it may be Woodley. The knock on Woodley until last March is that he had always been an underachiever. He became an All-American last year and laid that claim to rest. Now, he is attempting to break into the title contender category. In big matches, Woodley is very inconsistent, but he is a clear favorite over Klein going into th