After his match against Oklahoma State on Sunday, Trent Paulson will catch his breath, find a matside seat on the bench and settle in for what promises to be one of the most memorable duals of his career.

Instead of cooling down or showering, Paulson will watch his brother Travis wrestle his chief rival – No. 1 ranked, two-time defending national champion Johny Hendricks.

The 165-pound match is college wrestling’s marquee matchup of the weekend and will be crucial to the Big 12 showdown between the third-ranked ISU wrestling team (7-3, 1-0 Big 12) and the fourth-ranked Cowboys (10-3, 1-0).

Travis Paulson (18-3), ranked third, is 0-4 in his career against Hendricks (23-0), who claimed a 4-3 decision in their encounter two weeks ago.

Iowa State beat Oklahoma State then, 25-9, for third-place at the Cliff Keen National Duals, but isn’t expecting a blowout on Sunday afternoon.

The Cyclones will first wrestle 13th-ranked Oklahoma (8-3, 0-1) on Friday night, then turn their attention to the Cowboys in their only two home Big 12 duals of the season.

“[Travis] has been like a rabid dog foaming at the mouth ever since he wrestled [Hendricks] at National Duals,” Trent said. “Of everyone at his weight, he likes [to wrestle] him the most. So when he gets on the mat, it’s all-out war.”

The ISU dual win against the Cowboys was the first since coach Cael Sanderson’s senior season in 2002. Oklahoma State avenged its loss that year in the Big 12 season.

The Cyclones had a sweeping victory this season, but overconfidence shouldn’t be a factor. Oklahoma State has won four straight NCAA titles and, despite a rebuilding year, fields a talented roster capable of spoiling the weekend for the Hilton crowd.

“They’re not going to give anything to us and neither is Oklahoma,” Sanderson said. “We’re going to have to go fight and compete hard for these dual meets.”

Oklahoma’s lineup has been ravaged with injuries and could be without its two senior stalwarts, top-ranked Sam Hazewinkel (125) and second-ranked Matt Storniolo (149).

Hazewinkel tore his LCL, according to the Oklahoma Daily, and Storniolo has missed two dual meets with injury. Twelfth-ranked Will Rowe (157) has also been out of the lineup, but the Sooners still feature several top wrestlers in the upperweights.

Still, the Cyclones will have a hard time not looking towards Sunday’s dual against Oklahoma State. Travis Paulson will have to focus on 11th-ranked Sooner Shane Seibert on Friday before facing Hendricks.

“As big of a match as this is, it’s all preparation for the end,” Travis said. “I’m going to go out there and wrestle a hard match and try things; see what works and what doesn’t, and refine for the end of the season.”

Several other rematches will take place on Sunday. Those include fifth-ranked junior Coleman Scott (133), fourth-ranked junior Nathan Morgan (141) and 14th-ranked freshman heavyweight Jared Rosholt will seek revenge against freshmen Nick Gallick, 10th-ranked Mitch Mueller and David Zabriskie, respectively.

The three Cyclones recorded upsets against the Cowboys earlier this month.

“We wrestled real well [the last time]. Coming off a loss [to Minnesota], we went right to that match and our guys stepped up,” Sanderson said.

“They have a great team. I’m sure they’ll be eager to get another shot at us, but we’re a team where we’re just gonna keep getting better.”

A key situation for the Cyclones’ success this weekend will be the health of sixth-ranked Jake Varner (184).

The freshman standout is recovering from a bout with strep throat.

“We’re kind of playing it by ear, but we’re planning on him being ready to go,” Sanderson said.

After the weekend, the four Cyclone senior starters will have only one more home dual – Feb. 9 against Rider.

“I want to perform my best every time I’m in front of our home fans,” said Trent Paulson, who is one of three co-captains along with Kurt Backes (197) and Travis.

“I’m gonna cherish it. Something I’m going to remember forever [is] how great the Cyclone fans were. I want to give them something to cheer about.”