If No. 4 Iowa has taken anything away from the Ohio State match, it’s that there’s a specific problem with a specific answer.

This answer is a key change in attitude, which will fuel the program’s success against No. 7 Michigan.

“When you look at guys like [Paul] Glynn, and [Carter] Happel, and [Mitch] Bowman, and Kaleb Young, and Cash Wilcke — go get the first takedown. I don’t know if we’re using the full seven minutes,” said wrestling head coach Tom Brands. “You talk about wrestling hard for seven minutes, but [our opponents] are getting the first takedown, and we’re straight-legged, waiting to break into the match. Next thing you know, you’ve got a takedown in back points against you. What are you waiting for?”

The frustration isn’t something new the program has just learned since the Ohio State meet. It’s been a common theme.

“If you’re waiting to get into that match, then you’re not using the full seven minutes,” Brands said. “And this is a sport that, the tough part of it is the part that you have to embrace to be successful: it’s a seven-minute grind. If you try to shorten that match any way other than wrestling hard in those seven minutes, you are doing yourself a disservice.”

Concerning the lineup for the Michigan match, questions surround 174 more than the other weights. Brands attributes this to the seven-minute conundrum.

“We’ve seen what Kaleb Young can do,” the coach said. “What did [he] show me? He showed me that he can take a guy down — but let’s go wrestle those seven minutes and lead in that first period. Young has that characteristic in him, so we’ve got to get him to where it’s happening in those matches. I know that Joey Gunther has a lot of scoring potential; we’ll wrestle [him] in this matchup against the 1 or 2 guy in the country, and we’ll see where it goes.”

Looking closer at the lineup, it’s clear that the match against the Wolverines will be a contested one, despite the difference in team rankings. Only one weight class won’t have at least one ranked competitor.

Starting at 125, Intermat-ranked No. 3 true freshman Spencer Lee will take on No. 9 freshman Drew Mattin. At 133, sophomore Glynn will wrestle No. 5 sophomore Stevan Micic. The only unranked pairing is at 141, where either Hawkeye sophomore Vince Turk or freshman Happel will take on sophomore Sal Profaci.

The undefeated core of the team — No. 2 senior Brandon Sorensen, No. 2 sophomore Michael Kemerer, and No. 9 freshman Alex Marinelli — will take on No. 19 junior Malik Amine at 149, No. 7 junior Alec Pantaleo at 157, and No. 8 sophomore Logan Massa at 165.

At 174, sophomore Gunther will wrestle No. 7 sophomore Myles Amine. No. 20 junior Bowman will wrestle No. 5 senior Domenic Abounader at 184. At 197, No. 5 Wilcke will face off against No. 14 senior Kevin Beazley. And to cap the meet with a power meeting at heavyweight, No. 3 Iowa junior Sam Stoll will take on No. 2 senior Adam Coon.

By the rankings alone, fans can expect victories at 125, 149, 157, and 197. The matchups at 133, 174, and 184 could be tough losses for the team to absorb. The rest? That’s where it gets a little tougher to predict.

At 141, Turk and Happel have both been wrestling as consistently as the opponent, Profaci; predicting the result is as easy as predicting a coin toss.

At 165, Marinelli will face Massa, who is just one spot better.

“I expect open tie shots,” Marinelli said. “He’s going to try to slow me down a bit. He’s a lefty — I know what he’s got.”

Stoll faces a similar predicament in the heavyweight bracket. He and Marinelli will both have to wrestle the full seven minutes if they want to upset the rankings and remain undefeated. And that goes for the entire team to guarantee success in Carver-Hawkeye this Saturday for the Hawkeyes — they can’t wait.