WHO: Illinois Fighting Illini (3-4, 0-1 Big Ten)
WHEN: 8:00 PM CT (Friday, January 26, 2024)
WHERE: Huff Hall (Champaign, IL)
TV: BTN (Zach Mackey and Tim Johnson)
RADIO: AM 800 KXIC (Steven Grace, Mark Ironside) | YouTube
MOBILE: foxsports.com/mobile
ONLINE: foxsports.com/live
FOLLOW: @IowaAwesome | @Hawks_Wrestling | @IowaonBTN
#3 Iowa picked up a comfortable 34-6 home win over Purdue last week and now heads on the road for a pair of away duals in Illinois, against Illinois and Northwestern teams that are a combined 3-6 on the season thus far. In other words, the competition probably won't be at its fiercest this weekend, either.
Iowa starts off the weekend in Champaign, with an 8 PM tilt against the Illini. Iowa is 55-26-1 all-time against Illinois and have won 12 straight duals in the series dating back to 2006. Tom Brands has never lost to the Illini as Iowa head coach (12-0).
More challenging duals await -- meetings with #11 Michigan (5-2) and #1 Penn State (6-0) loom in the next few weeks -- but for now it's the Illini and Wildcats. Nothing to do but take care of business against the opponents on the docket this weekend.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
Illinois could field a lineup with six ranked wrestlers -- although four of those ranked wrestlers are ranked 24th or lower by InterMat at their respective weights. Only two Illini wrestlers are ranked in the Top 10 -- #3 Edmond Ruth at 184 and #8 Kannon Webster at 149 -- and one of them (Webster) is listed as one of two possible starting options. Webster did wrestle in Illinois' most recent dual, a 36-6 loss to #7 Ohio State two weeks ago.
Iowa should be favored or strongly favored at six weights (125, 141, 157, 165, 197, 285), underdogs at two weights (174, 184), and in a probable toss-up at 133. If Webster goes at 149, that's another toss-up weight; if he doesn't go, #11 Caleb Rathjen should be a solid favorite there.
The highlight match of the dual is unquestionably 174, as it's the only match that should feature a pair of Top 10 opponents in #9 Patrick Kennedy and #3 Edmond Ruth. Ruth, the younger brother of former Penn State superstar Edward Ruth, isn't quite as good as his older brother (a 3-time NCAA champion) was -- but he's still a very dangerous opponent. He should be a great test for Kennedy at 174 as well; if Kennedy can win (or even keep it close) against Ruth, it's good evidence of his ability to compete with the top guys at that weight.
PREDICTION
Like the Purdue dual, this meet should be an opportunity for several Iowa wrestlers to push the pace, stay aggressive, and work on scoring bonus points. I think Illinois will get wins at 133, 174, and 184, but Iowa will sweep the remaining seven matches, with a healthy amount of bonus point wins in the process as well.
Iowa 25, Illinois 9
