DUAL MEET PREVIEW

No. 4 Gophers vs. No. 2 Iowa • 2 p.m. today • Williams Arena (TV replay at 8:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network)

FOUR TOP STORY LINES

1. Big Ten dual meet title at stake: The Gophers are 6-0-1 in conference dual meets while the three-time defending NCAA champion Hawkeyes are 7-0. Minnesota will win the conference dual meet championship with a victory on the last day of the regular season; Iowa will finish first with a victory or a tie. The winning team also receives the Governor's Belt.

2. Marquee matchup at 141 pounds: Senior Mike Thorn of the Gophers, ranked second in the nation, wrestles third-ranked Montell Marion of Iowa at 141 pounds. Marion, a junior, was NCAA runner-up last season, when he won two of three matches with Thorn. Thorn is 32-2 with 11 pins; Marion, suspended until last month because of a violation of team rules, is 6-1.

Iowa has wrestlers ranked higher than the Gophers at four other weights, including 125, where Matt McDonagh is No. 1. The Gophers have higher ranked wrestlers at five weights. Neither team is ranked at 149.

Iowa (14-0-1) is No. 2 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association's last rankings, based on dual-meet strength. The Gophers (15-3-1) are No. 5.

3. Tribute planned for longtime coach: J Robinson, who took over the Gophers' program in 1986, will be honored for his 25 years as the team's head coach. Three of his teams have won NCAA titles (2001, 2002, 2007), he has 12 individual national champions and six Big Ten titles and is a seven-time conference coach of the year.

4. Iowa can set record for longest unbeaten streak: The Hawkeyes won 69 dual meets in a row --the record is 76 set by Oklahoma State in 1951 -- until the present-day Cowboys tied Iowa 15-15 on Jan. 16 in Stillwater, Okla.

But Iowa has a 76-match unbeaten streak, so a victory or tie would set an NCAA record in that category. Robinson, an Oklahoma State alumnus, would not like that for several obvious reasons.

In Big Ten competition, Iowa has won 34 dual meets in a row, including five straight against the Gophers.

ROMAN AUGUSTOVIZ