What to Watch, and Where to Watch, as Penn State Wrestling Visits Northwestern

The Nittany Lions follow their huge win at Iowa with another Big Ten match two days later.

Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson talks to Nittany Lions wrestler PJ Duke during a match against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 1 Penn State wrestling team continues its weekend Midwest swing Sunday, visiting Northwestern for a Big Ten match. The Nittany Lions head to Evanston following one of their more dominant recent wins, a 32-3 victory over No. 4 Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Penn State (8-0) seeks its NCAA record 80th consecutive win Sunday and perhaps its fifth shutout of the season. Here's what to watch, and where to watch, when Penn State visits Northwestern.

How to watch the Penn State-Northwestern wrestling match

The Nittany Lions visit the Wildcats for a 3 p.m. ET match start at Welsh-Ryan Arena. There is no live television coverage, but the match will be streamed on B1G+. Can't watch? Listen live to Jeff Byers on the Penn State Sports Network.

Penn State vs. Northwestern series history

The Nittany Lions are 18-1 against Northwestern dating to 1983. Northwestern defeated the Nittany Lions 19-14 in 1995, 14 years before Cael Sanderson became Penn State's head coach.

About the Nittany Lions

Penn State’s Josh Barr wrestles against Iowa's Brody Sampson in a 197-pound bout at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State rides into Northwestern after a near-total takedown of Iowa on Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Nittany Lions won nine of 10 bouts, scored three bonus-point victories and held a 15-2 lead in takedowns.

The loss, Iowa's worst since 1966, prompted coach Tom Brands to say, "We've got beat up before, but not like that." Penn State scored wins in every bout featuring top-10 wrestlers, including fourth-ranked Rocco Welsh's 2-1 tiebreaker decision vs. No. 1 Angelo Ferrari.

Penn State heavyweight Cole Mirasola punctuated the match with a 5-3 decision over fifth-ranked Ben Kueter, an NCAA medalist last season. Mirasola (9-2) scored his first win over a top-10 opponent this season, giving Penn State a potential glimpse at 10 medalists again at NCAAs.

"We're trying to get better every week," Sanderson said before the match, "and if we do that, we’ll be hard to beat in March."

How Sanderson approaches the lineup Sunday against Northwestern will be interesting. The Penn State coach likes wrestling Friday-Sunday doubleheaders, especially on the road, as the weekend mirrors the NCAA Tournament. However, Penn State also could rest a starter or two and give some other roster talent dual experience.

Among the wrestlers who could get a lineup look are Joe Sealey at 165 and Connor Mirasola at 197, particularly if Sanderson wants to give them a shot to wrestle a Big Ten road match. Junior Braeden Davis, who lost in his second dual of the season at 141, likely will wrestle to ensure he gets enough bouts to qualify for the postseason.

About the Northwestern Wildcats

Iowa’s Joey Cruz wrestles Northwestern's Dedrick Navarro in a 125-pound match during a Big Ten conference dual. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Wildcats (3-2) also wrestled on the road Friday, falling 28-12 at Wisconsin. Northwestern won four bouts, led by 26th-ranked Dedrick Navarro's 6-5 upset decision over No. 11 Nicolar Rivera at 125. Navarro will get a tough follow-up vs. second ranked Luke Lilledahl.

Northwesten has four ranked wrestlers, with Sean Spidle sitting at 24th at 133 pounds. Spidle was pinned at Wisconsin. Billy Dekraker is 32nd at 141, and Eddie Enright is 32nd at 174. The Wildcats are 1-1 in the Big Ten with a 27-12 victory over Maryland.

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