With just two more regular-season meets left before the Big 12 tournament, the ISU wrestling team will be able to put its frequent-flyer miles to rest.

After a lengthy road trip and some bad weather, the second-ranked Cyclones (11-2, 2-0 Big 12) will be back in Hilton Coliseum, hosting No. 17 Missouri (7-6, 1-2) on Sunday.

Although the team has been away from home for a while, the road trip was productive. The Cyclones went 4-0 on the road against four ranked teams, three of which are in the top 10.

The team held its No. 2 ranking, and some wrestlers improved their individual records and rankings.

Senior David Zabriskie could get a rematch with Mark Ellis, the returning heavyweight national champion and one of three All-Americans for the Tigers. Zabriskie defeated Ellis in the finals of last season’s Big 12 Championships, giving Ellis an 0-5 career record against Iowa State. 

Jerome Ward will have his hands full in his matchup with Missouri’s Maxwell Askren, at 184 pounds. Askren is currently ranked third in the nation and was an All-American at 197 last season. Askren moved down to 184, his natural weight, in the offseason and has found success in the class with a 13-1 record so far this season. The vacancy at 197 was filled by redshirt freshman Brent Haynes, who is 24-10 on the year.

Perhaps the biggest matchup of the afternoon will be at 165, where junior Jon Reader will take on Missouri’s Nick Marable. Both are returning All-Americans and in the top 10 at 165, where Reader is second and Marable is fifth. Marable currently holds a 3-0 advantage over Reader in their previous meetings.

Missouri is coming off two Big 12 losses last weekend. The Tigers fell to No. 9 Oklahoma 25-10 and No. 3 Oklahoma State 24-9 on Saturday and Sunday.

Last season’s meet ended with an 18-15 Missouri win in Columbia. The Cyclones lost six team points by forfeiting the 133 weight class while holding Nick Fanthorpe out for health reasons. Iowa State holds a 45-3 advantage in the all-time series between the teams.

Action from Hilton Coliseum is set to begin at 2 p.m.