#15 Pitt Ready for Top-15 Showdown with #3 Ohio State

PITTSBURGH – The 15^th-ranked University of Pittsburgh wrestling team [1-0. 0-0 ACC] is set to host No. 3 Ohio State [1-0, 0-0 Big Ten] Friday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Friday's dual will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra and may be viewed here.
Live results can be found on TrackWrestling.
Follow the team on Twitter for updates at @Pitt_WRES.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt hosted its first dual of season versus Campbell, Friday, Nov. 9, at the Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Panthers defeated the Camels 28-6, thanks to eight Pitt wrestlers recording wins over their opponents.
Redshirt freshman Cole Matthews (141), redshirt junior Jake Wentzel (165) and senior Demetrius Thomas (285) all defeated opponents ranked higher than them.
19th-ranked Matthews pinned No. 13 Josh Heil in 1:28 for the Panther's biggest win of the day.
Unranked Wentzel topped No. 15 Quiten Perez in a 9-1 major decision.
Eighth ranked Thomas upset No. 7 Jere Heino, 10-3.

THE SERIES - OHIO STATE

Friday marks the 22nd meeting between the two teams with Ohio State leading the series, 12-9.
The two non-conference foes last met Nov. 18, 2012 at Ohio State. The Buckeyes defeated Pitt, 26-13.

SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES

Ohio State comes to Pittsburgh ranked third in the nation this week.
Ohio State defeated Stanford 29-6 in its first dual of the season, Sunday, Nov. 10.
The Buckeyes recorded nine individual wins en route to the team victory. Ohio State's only loss came at 165 pounds when Standford's Shane Griffith pinned OSU's Ethan Smith in 6:15.
Six Buckeyes are ranked in the top 25, including two at the top of their weight classes in Luke Pletcher (141) and Kollin Moore (197).
Ohio State is returning six NCAA Qualifiers, including one finalist, from a year ago. The Buckeyes earned a runner up finish at the Championships in Pittsburgh.
Ohio State is led by head coach Tom Ryan. Ryan is in his 13th season with the Buckeyes, compiling a career 270-135-1 dual record.

PANTHERS IN THE POLLS

Pitt entered the season ranked No. 14 by the NWCA Coaches Poll and currently rank 15th this week.
Individually, six Panthers are ranked inside the top 20 individually by InterMat at their respective weight classes:

Micky Phillippi, 133, #4
Cole Matthews, 141, #15
Taleb Rahmani, 157, #13
Jake Wentzel, 165, #15
Nino Bonaccorsi, 184, #9
Demetrius Thomas, 285, #8

LOOKING AHEAD

The Panthers next seven competitions will be on the road and will return to Pittsburgh Sunday, Jan. 26 to host Edinboro.
The first of the seven road matches begins at No. 10 Lehigh Sunday, Nov. 24.

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